An official website of the United States government
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.
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 |
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 |
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:
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) |
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 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 |
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
Last Modified Date: March 31, 2022