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Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics

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:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Religious Organizations 3,730 2.08 $ 31.25 $ 65,000
Performing Arts Companies 2,770 4.00 $ 31.80 $ 66,140
Elementary and Secondary Schools 980 0.01 $ 31.21 $ 64,920
Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools 590 0.02 $ 30.83 $ 64,120
Sound Recording Industries 270 1.55 (8) (8)

Industries with the highest concentration of employment in Music Directors and Composers:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Performing Arts Companies 2,770 4.00 $ 31.80 $ 66,140
Religious Organizations 3,730 2.08 $ 31.25 $ 65,000
Sound Recording Industries 270 1.55 (8) (8)
Promoters of Performing Arts, Sports, and Similar Events 110 0.15 $ 38.04 $ 79,130
Other Schools and Instruction 240 0.06 $ 23.89 $ 49,700

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.



Map of employment of music directors and composers by state, May 2021


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


Map of location quotient of music directors and composers by state, May 2021


States with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Music Directors and Composers:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Rhode Island 150 0.33 4.85 (8) (8)
Oregon 480 0.27 3.91 $ 22.50 $ 46,790
District of Columbia 140 0.21 3.09 $ 50.11 $ 104,220
Montana 90 0.18 2.67 $ 18.44 $ 38,350
Tennessee 440 0.15 2.16 (8) (8)


Map of annual mean wages of music directors and composers by state, May 2021


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



Map of employment of music directors and composers by area, May 2021


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


Map of location quotient of music directors and composers by area, May 2021


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


Map of annual mean wages of music directors and composers by area, May 2021


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 area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
West Northwestern Ohio nonmetropolitan area 30 0.14 2.04 $ 24.22 $ 50,390

Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Music Directors and Composers:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
West Northwestern Ohio nonmetropolitan area 30 0.14 2.04 $ 24.22 $ 50,390

Top paying nonmetropolitan areas for Music Directors and Composers:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
West Northwestern Ohio nonmetropolitan area 30 0.14 2.04 $ 24.22 $ 50,390


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