Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2021
27-2041 Music Directors and Composers
Conduct, direct, plan, and lead instrumental or vocal performances by musical artists or groups, such as orchestras, bands, choirs, and glee clubs; or create original works of music.
National estimates for Music Directors and Composers
Industry profile for Music Directors and Composers
Geographic profile for Music Directors and Composers
National estimates for Music Directors and Composers:
Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for Music Directors and Composers:
| Employment (1) |
Employment
RSE (3) |
Mean hourly
wage |
Mean annual
wage (2) |
Wage RSE (3) |
| 9,560 |
4.7 % |
$ 31.29 |
$ 65,080 |
3.1 % |
Percentile wage estimates for Music Directors and Composers:
| Percentile |
10% |
25% |
50%
(Median) |
75% |
90% |
| Hourly Wage |
$ 11.75 |
$ 17.66 |
$ 23.62 |
$ 37.52 |
$ 59.52 |
| Annual Wage (2) |
$ 24,440 |
$ 36,720 |
$ 49,130 |
$ 78,030 |
$ 123,800 |
Industry profile for Music Directors and Composers:
Industries with the highest published employment and wages for Music Directors and Composers are provided.
For a list of all industries with employment in Music Directors and Composers, see the Create Customized Tables function.
Industries with the highest levels of employment in Music Directors and Composers:
Industries with the highest concentration of employment in Music Directors and Composers:
Top paying industries for Music Directors and Composers:
| Industry |
Employment (1) |
Percent of industry employment |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Independent Artists, Writers, and Performers |
(8) |
(8) |
$ 51.17 |
$ 106,440 |
| Motion Picture and Video Industries |
(8) |
(8) |
$ 45.51 |
$ 94,660 |
| Promoters of Performing Arts, Sports, and Similar Events |
110 |
0.15 |
$ 38.04 |
$ 79,130 |
| Junior Colleges |
50 |
0.01 |
$ 35.02 |
$ 72,840 |
| Performing Arts Companies |
2,770 |
4.00 |
$ 31.80 |
$ 66,140 |
Geographic profile for Music Directors and Composers:
States and areas with the highest published employment, location quotients, and wages for Music Directors and Composers are provided.
For a list of all areas with employment in Music Directors and Composers, see the Create Customized Tables function.
States with the highest employment level in Music Directors and Composers:
| State |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| California |
1,620 |
0.10 |
1.45 |
$ 31.66 |
$ 65,840 |
| New York |
1,190 |
0.14 |
2.03 |
$ 33.10 |
$ 68,860 |
| Florida |
650 |
0.08 |
1.12 |
$ 33.64 |
$ 69,980 |
| Pennsylvania |
650 |
0.12 |
1.73 |
$ 27.74 |
$ 57,700 |
| Illinois |
610 |
0.11 |
1.59 |
$ 23.69 |
$ 49,280 |
States with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Music Directors and Composers:
Top paying states for Music Directors and Composers:
| State |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| District of Columbia |
140 |
0.21 |
3.09 |
$ 50.11 |
$ 104,220 |
| Hawaii |
70 |
0.13 |
1.91 |
$ 48.92 |
$ 101,760 |
| New Jersey |
210 |
0.05 |
0.80 |
$ 48.52 |
$ 100,910 |
| Massachusetts |
160 |
0.05 |
0.70 |
$ 37.39 |
$ 77,770 |
| Georgia |
40 |
0.01 |
0.14 |
$ 37.00 |
$ 76,960 |
Metropolitan areas with the highest employment level in Music Directors and Composers:
| Metropolitan area |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA |
950 |
0.17 |
2.46 |
$ 32.78 |
$ 68,170 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA |
650 |
0.07 |
1.10 |
$ 35.04 |
$ 72,880 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI |
480 |
0.11 |
1.67 |
$ 24.72 |
$ 51,410 |
| Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN |
340 |
0.35 |
5.14 |
(8) |
(8) |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD |
270 |
0.10 |
1.49 |
$ 33.05 |
$ 68,740 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV |
260 |
0.09 |
1.31 |
$ 41.33 |
$ 85,970 |
| Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL |
230 |
0.09 |
1.37 |
$ 34.61 |
$ 71,980 |
| Rochester, NY |
210 |
0.44 |
6.51 |
$ 24.00 |
$ 49,920 |
| Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA |
190 |
0.17 |
2.48 |
$ 21.81 |
$ 45,360 |
| Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI |
180 |
0.10 |
1.46 |
$ 30.71 |
$ 63,870 |
Metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Music Directors and Composers:
| Metropolitan area |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Bend-Redmond, OR |
50 |
0.56 |
8.25 |
$ 19.25 |
$ 40,040 |
| Eugene, OR |
70 |
0.46 |
6.85 |
$ 25.13 |
$ 52,260 |
| Rochester, NY |
210 |
0.44 |
6.51 |
$ 24.00 |
$ 49,920 |
| Medford, OR |
40 |
0.41 |
6.09 |
$ 21.99 |
$ 45,740 |
| Binghamton, NY |
40 |
0.40 |
5.95 |
$ 20.50 |
$ 42,650 |
| Syracuse, NY |
100 |
0.37 |
5.53 |
(8) |
(8) |
| Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN |
340 |
0.35 |
5.14 |
(8) |
(8) |
| Providence-Warwick, RI-MA |
150 |
0.27 |
4.03 |
(8) |
(8) |
| Buffalo-Cheektowaga-Niagara Falls, NY |
130 |
0.26 |
3.77 |
$ 19.86 |
$ 41,320 |
| Salem, OR |
40 |
0.22 |
3.29 |
$ 23.53 |
$ 48,940 |
Top paying metropolitan areas for Music Directors and Composers:
| Metropolitan area |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Urban Honolulu, HI |
50 |
0.13 |
1.90 |
$ 50.88 |
$ 105,820 |
| Trenton, NJ |
40 |
0.16 |
2.34 |
$ 50.04 |
$ 104,090 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX |
100 |
0.03 |
0.40 |
$ 41.38 |
$ 86,070 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV |
260 |
0.09 |
1.31 |
$ 41.33 |
$ 85,970 |
| Cleveland-Elyria, OH |
60 |
0.06 |
0.91 |
$ 41.25 |
$ 85,810 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA |
70 |
0.04 |
0.55 |
$ 39.68 |
$ 82,540 |
| Richmond, VA |
40 |
0.06 |
0.92 |
$ 39.63 |
$ 82,430 |
| Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX |
80 |
0.03 |
0.40 |
$ 38.10 |
$ 79,240 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA |
150 |
0.07 |
0.99 |
$ 36.10 |
$ 75,080 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH |
120 |
0.05 |
0.67 |
$ 35.15 |
$ 73,110 |
Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest employment in Music Directors and Composers:
Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Music Directors and Composers:
Top paying nonmetropolitan areas for Music Directors and Composers:
About May 2021 National, State, Metropolitan, and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
These estimates are calculated with data collected from employers in all industry sectors, all metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas, and all states and the District of Columbia.
The top employment and wage figures are provided above. The complete list is available in the downloadable XLS files.
The percentile wage estimate is the value of a wage below which a certain percent of workers fall.
The median wage is the 50th percentile wage estimate—50 percent of workers earn less than the median and 50 percent of workers earn more than the median.
More about percentile wages.
(1) Estimates for detailed occupations do not sum to the totals because the totals include occupations not shown separately. Estimates do not include self-employed workers.
(2) Annual wages have been calculated by multiplying the hourly mean wage by a "year-round, full-time" hours figure of 2,080 hours;
for those occupations where there is not an hourly wage published, the annual wage has been directly calculated from the reported survey data.
(3) The relative standard error (RSE) is a measure of the reliability of a survey statistic. The smaller the relative standard error, the more precise the estimate.
(8) Estimate not released.
(9) The location quotient is the ratio of the area concentration of occupational employment to the national average concentration.
A location quotient greater than one indicates the occupation has a higher share of employment than average, and a location quotient less than one indicates the occupation is less prevalent in the area than average.
Other OEWS estimates and related information:
May 2021 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
May 2021 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
May 2021 Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
May 2021 National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
May 2021 Occupation Profiles
Technical Notes
Last Modified Date: March 31, 2022
United States Department of Labor
