Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
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Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2021
27-0000 Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media Occupations (Major Group)
Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media Occupations comprises the following occupations:
Artists and Related Workers, All Other;
Craft Artists;
Fine Artists, Including Painters, Sculptors, and Illustrators;
Special Effects Artists and Animators;
Art Directors;
Designers, All Other;
Set and Exhibit Designers;
Fashion Designers;
Commercial and Industrial Designers;
Floral Designers;
Interior Designers;
Merchandise Displayers and Window Trimmers;
Graphic Designers;
Actors;
Producers and Directors;
Umpires, Referees, and Other Sports Officials;
Athletes and Sports Competitors;
Coaches and Scouts;
Dancers;
Choreographers;
Music Directors and Composers;
Musicians and Singers;
Entertainers and Performers, Sports and Related Workers, All Other;
Disc Jockeys, Except Radio;
Broadcast Announcers and Radio Disc Jockeys;
News Analysts, Reporters, and Journalists;
Public Relations Specialists;
Technical Writers;
Writers and Authors;
Editors;
Media and Communication Workers, All Other;
Court Reporters and Simultaneous Captioners;
Interpreters and Translators;
Lighting Technicians;
Sound Engineering Technicians;
Broadcast Technicians;
Audio and Video Technicians;
Photographers;
Camera Operators, Television, Video, and Film;
Film and Video Editors;
Media and Communication Equipment Workers, All Other
National estimates for Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media Occupations
Industry profile for Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media Occupations
Geographic profile for Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media Occupations
National estimates for Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media Occupations:
Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media Occupations:
| Employment (1) |
Employment
RSE (3) |
Mean hourly
wage |
Mean annual
wage (2) |
Wage RSE (3) |
| 1,815,290 |
0.5 % |
$ 31.78 |
$ 66,100 |
1.5 % |
Percentile wage estimates for Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media Occupations:
| Percentile |
10% |
25% |
50%
(Median) |
75% |
90% |
| Hourly Wage |
$ 13.95 |
$ 17.92 |
$ 24.61 |
$ 38.08 |
$ 58.86 |
| Annual Wage (2) |
$ 29,010 |
$ 37,270 |
$ 51,190 |
$ 79,200 |
$ 122,420 |
Industry profile for Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media Occupations:
Industries with the highest published employment and wages for Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media Occupations are provided.
For a list of all industries with employment in Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media Occupations, see the Create Customized Tables function.
Industries with the highest levels of employment in Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media Occupations:
| Industry |
Employment (1) |
Percent of industry employment |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Motion Picture and Video Industries |
147,380 |
46.73 |
$ 45.11 |
$ 93,820 |
| Advertising, Public Relations, and Related Services |
112,730 |
25.90 |
$ 38.26 |
$ 79,580 |
| Radio and Television Broadcasting |
112,310 |
58.94 |
$ 29.28 |
$ 60,910 |
| Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools |
102,340 |
3.43 |
$ 30.28 |
$ 62,990 |
| Newspaper, Periodical, Book, and Directory Publishers |
79,150 |
31.94 |
$ 30.42 |
$ 63,280 |
Industries with the highest concentration of employment in Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media Occupations:
| Industry |
Employment (1) |
Percent of industry employment |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Radio and Television Broadcasting |
112,310 |
58.94 |
$ 29.28 |
$ 60,910 |
| Independent Artists, Writers, and Performers |
24,680 |
54.59 |
$ 49.86 |
$ 103,720 |
| Motion Picture and Video Industries |
147,380 |
46.73 |
$ 45.11 |
$ 93,820 |
| Florists |
25,400 |
46.42 |
$ 15.16 |
$ 31,520 |
| Specialized Design Services |
58,200 |
42.97 |
$ 33.04 |
$ 68,730 |
Top paying industries for Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media Occupations:
| Industry |
Employment (1) |
Percent of industry employment |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Monetary Authorities-Central Bank |
190 |
0.92 |
$ 50.52 |
$ 105,070 |
| Computer and Peripheral Equipment Manufacturing |
1,530 |
0.99 |
$ 50.51 |
$ 105,060 |
| Independent Artists, Writers, and Performers |
24,680 |
54.59 |
$ 49.86 |
$ 103,720 |
| Oil and Gas Extraction |
170 |
0.16 |
$ 49.50 |
$ 102,950 |
| Securities, Commodity Contracts, and Other Financial Investments and Related Activities |
3,300 |
0.34 |
$ 48.59 |
$ 101,070 |
Geographic profile for Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media Occupations:
States and areas with the highest published employment, location quotients, and wages for Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media Occupations are provided.
For a list of all areas with employment in Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media Occupations, see the Create Customized Tables function.
States with the highest employment level in Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media Occupations:
| State |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| California |
291,090 |
17.61 |
1.37 |
$ 40.32 |
$ 83,870 |
| New York |
191,400 |
22.08 |
1.71 |
$ 42.87 |
$ 89,160 |
| Texas |
114,850 |
9.39 |
0.73 |
$ 27.19 |
$ 56,550 |
| Florida |
104,610 |
12.16 |
0.94 |
$ 27.46 |
$ 57,120 |
| Illinois |
67,800 |
12.07 |
0.94 |
$ 28.52 |
$ 59,320 |
States with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media Occupations:
| State |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| District of Columbia |
36,160 |
54.63 |
4.24 |
$ 47.65 |
$ 99,120 |
| New York |
191,400 |
22.08 |
1.71 |
$ 42.87 |
$ 89,160 |
| California |
291,090 |
17.61 |
1.37 |
$ 40.32 |
$ 83,870 |
| Colorado |
36,660 |
13.99 |
1.09 |
$ 30.63 |
$ 63,720 |
| Utah |
21,200 |
13.64 |
1.06 |
$ 25.00 |
$ 51,990 |
Top paying states for Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media Occupations:
| State |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| District of Columbia |
36,160 |
54.63 |
4.24 |
$ 47.65 |
$ 99,120 |
| New York |
191,400 |
22.08 |
1.71 |
$ 42.87 |
$ 89,160 |
| California |
291,090 |
17.61 |
1.37 |
$ 40.32 |
$ 83,870 |
| Connecticut |
19,330 |
12.28 |
0.95 |
$ 36.18 |
$ 75,250 |
| Massachusetts |
45,970 |
13.54 |
1.05 |
$ 34.94 |
$ 72,680 |
Metropolitan areas with the highest employment level in Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media Occupations:
| Metropolitan area |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA |
187,390 |
21.59 |
1.68 |
$ 43.69 |
$ 90,870 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA |
162,760 |
28.46 |
2.21 |
$ 43.69 |
$ 90,870 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV |
67,270 |
22.94 |
1.78 |
$ 42.52 |
$ 88,440 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI |
53,960 |
12.75 |
0.99 |
$ 29.61 |
$ 61,590 |
| Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA |
40,760 |
15.75 |
1.22 |
$ 30.56 |
$ 63,570 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA |
38,990 |
17.39 |
1.35 |
$ 42.80 |
$ 89,010 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH |
36,930 |
14.29 |
1.11 |
$ 36.33 |
$ 75,560 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX |
35,120 |
9.79 |
0.76 |
$ 28.80 |
$ 59,910 |
| Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL |
33,560 |
13.69 |
1.06 |
$ 29.97 |
$ 62,340 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA |
29,990 |
15.64 |
1.21 |
$ 36.75 |
$ 76,440 |
Metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media Occupations:
| Metropolitan area |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA |
162,760 |
28.46 |
2.21 |
$ 43.69 |
$ 90,870 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV |
67,270 |
22.94 |
1.78 |
$ 42.52 |
$ 88,440 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA |
187,390 |
21.59 |
1.68 |
$ 43.69 |
$ 90,870 |
| Lawrence, KS |
890 |
19.36 |
1.50 |
$ 23.79 |
$ 49,480 |
| Ithaca, NY |
880 |
18.92 |
1.47 |
$ 36.72 |
$ 76,370 |
| Charlottesville, VA |
2,010 |
18.84 |
1.46 |
$ 28.85 |
$ 60,020 |
| Boulder, CO |
3,410 |
18.73 |
1.45 |
$ 33.09 |
$ 68,830 |
| Manhattan, KS |
670 |
17.90 |
1.39 |
$ 24.16 |
$ 50,250 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA |
38,990 |
17.39 |
1.35 |
$ 42.80 |
$ 89,010 |
| Missoula, MT |
1,020 |
16.91 |
1.31 |
$ 21.70 |
$ 45,140 |
Top paying metropolitan areas for Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media Occupations:
| Metropolitan area |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA |
13,680 |
12.81 |
0.99 |
$ 45.01 |
$ 93,610 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA |
162,760 |
28.46 |
2.21 |
$ 43.69 |
$ 90,870 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA |
187,390 |
21.59 |
1.68 |
$ 43.69 |
$ 90,870 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA |
38,990 |
17.39 |
1.35 |
$ 42.80 |
$ 89,010 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV |
67,270 |
22.94 |
1.78 |
$ 42.52 |
$ 88,440 |
| Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, CT |
5,810 |
15.50 |
1.20 |
$ 39.24 |
$ 81,630 |
| Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT |
6,740 |
12.38 |
0.96 |
$ 37.98 |
$ 79,000 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA |
29,990 |
15.64 |
1.21 |
$ 36.75 |
$ 76,440 |
| Ithaca, NY |
880 |
18.92 |
1.47 |
$ 36.72 |
$ 76,370 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH |
36,930 |
14.29 |
1.11 |
$ 36.33 |
$ 75,560 |
Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest employment in Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media Occupations:
| Nonmetropolitan area |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Kansas nonmetropolitan area |
3,510 |
9.34 |
0.72 |
$ 17.64 |
$ 36,680 |
| North Northeastern Ohio nonmetropolitan area (noncontiguous) |
2,760 |
8.79 |
0.68 |
$ 18.71 |
$ 38,920 |
| Balance of Lower Peninsula of Michigan nonmetropolitan area |
2,600 |
10.30 |
0.80 |
$ 23.08 |
$ 48,000 |
| Southwest Montana nonmetropolitan area |
2,130 |
15.35 |
1.19 |
$ 21.42 |
$ 44,550 |
| Southwest Maine nonmetropolitan area |
1,980 |
10.85 |
0.84 |
$ 25.75 |
$ 53,550 |
Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media Occupations:
| Nonmetropolitan area |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Southwest Montana nonmetropolitan area |
2,130 |
15.35 |
1.19 |
$ 21.42 |
$ 44,550 |
| Southwest Missouri nonmetropolitan area |
1,040 |
14.82 |
1.15 |
$ 22.18 |
$ 46,130 |
| Northwest Colorado nonmetropolitan area |
1,580 |
13.51 |
1.05 |
$ 25.39 |
$ 52,820 |
| Southern Vermont nonmetropolitan area |
1,250 |
13.01 |
1.01 |
$ 25.98 |
$ 54,030 |
| West Central-Southwest New Hampshire nonmetropolitan area |
1,140 |
11.70 |
0.91 |
$ 26.95 |
$ 56,050 |
Top paying nonmetropolitan areas for Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media Occupations:
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 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.
(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
