Actors
Play parts in stage, television, radio, video, or film productions, or other settings for entertainment, information, or instruction. Interpret serious or comic role by speech, gesture, and body movement to entertain or inform audience. May dance and sing.
- O*NET-SOC code
27-2011.00 - Preparation Job Zone 1-2: Very Little to Some Preparation Needed
Wages
Median wage, U.S.$29.05 an hour (hourly only)
Employment, U.S.55,000
Median hourly wage$29.05
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $16.50 | $20.34 | $29.05 | $97.95 | $143.68 |
By state (30)
| State | Employment | Median annual | Location quotient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 150 | $24.71 an hour (hourly only) | 0.20 |
| Arizona | 380 | $21.16 an hour (hourly only) | 0.33 |
| Arkansas | 70 | $19.49 an hour (hourly only) | 0.15 |
| California | 26,170 | Not available | 4.06 |
| Colorado | 200 | Not available | 0.20 |
| Connecticut | 180 | $27.91 an hour (hourly only) | 0.30 |
| Florida | 6,400 | $19.11 an hour (hourly only) | 1.82 |
| Georgia | 1,520 | $19.75 an hour (hourly only) | 0.88 |
| Illinois | 1,060 | $15.00 an hour (hourly only) | 0.49 |
| Indiana | 510 | Not available | 0.45 |
| Kentucky | 90 | $18.85 an hour (hourly only) | 0.13 |
| Maryland | 520 | $36.98 an hour (hourly only) | 0.53 |
| Massachusetts | 660 | Not available | 0.51 |
| Michigan | 150 | Not available | 0.09 |
| Minnesota | 520 | $18.95 an hour (hourly only) | 0.49 |
| Mississippi | 80 | $23.71 an hour (hourly only) | 0.18 |
| Missouri | 450 | $19.20 an hour (hourly only) | 0.44 |
| Montana | 70 | Not available | 0.41 |
| Nevada | 790 | $12.76 an hour (hourly only) | 1.45 |
| New Jersey | 470 | $24.29 an hour (hourly only) | 0.31 |
| New York | 6,630 | $28.44 an hour (hourly only) | 1.94 |
| North Carolina | 730 | $18.83 an hour (hourly only) | 0.42 |
| Ohio | 170 | $13.51 an hour (hourly only) | 0.08 |
| Oregon | 470 | $29.81 an hour (hourly only) | 0.68 |
| Pennsylvania | 890 | $22.15 an hour (hourly only) | 0.41 |
| South Carolina | 140 | Not available | 0.17 |
| Tennessee | 370 | $21.82 an hour (hourly only) | 0.32 |
| Texas | 2,160 | $25.86 an hour (hourly only) | 0.43 |
| Utah | 630 | Not available | 1.03 |
| Wisconsin | 260 | Not available | 0.25 |
Similar occupations
Similarity is our measure: the cosine of importance x level over all 120 O*NET skills, knowledge areas and abilities. It is not an O*NET finding. More.
Circles are the 20 most similar occupations, coloured by Job Zone. Lines join pairs where one is among the other's 10 most similar; darker lines are pairs O*NET also lists as related. Drag a circle to move it out of the way; select one to open it.
| # | Occupation | Job Zone | Similarity |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Broadcast Announcers and Radio Disc Jockeys | 4 | 0.905 |
| 2 | Art, Drama, and Music Teachers, Postsecondary | 5 | 0.895 |
| 3 | Talent Directors | 4 | 0.892 |
| 4 | Poets, Lyricists and Creative Writers | 4 | 0.892 |
| 5 | Music Directors and Composers | 4 | 0.892 |
| 6 | News Analysts, Reporters, and Journalists | 4 | 0.890 |
| 7 | Musicians and Singers | 4 | 0.889 |
| 8 | Teaching Assistants, Special Education | 3 | 0.886 |
| 9 | Substitute Teachers, Short-Term | 4 | 0.883 |
| 10 | Tour Guides and Escorts | 3 | 0.877 |
One skill away
Among the 50 occupations most similar to Actors, those at the same Job Zone or lower, where exactly one skill rated at least 3 in importance needs a level more than 0.75 points higher (on O*NET's 0-7 level scale). Our definition. Change the thresholds.
| Occupation | Skill to build | Level gap | Similarity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nannies | Service Orientation | 1.38 | 0.857 |
| Concierges | Service Orientation | 1.88 | 0.855 |
| Childcare Workers | Service Orientation | 1.13 | 0.852 |
| Library Assistants, Clerical | Service Orientation | 0.88 | 0.850 |
Software to learn next
Software used by at least 3 of the 20 occupations most similar to Actors, excluding software Actors already lists and any you named. Ranked by how many of them use it, weighted by how much more common it is among them than across all occupations (lift). Our ranking.
| Software | Similar jobs using it | Lift |
|---|---|---|
| Avid Technology Pro Tools | 5 of 20 | 25.6x |
| Adobe Photoshop | 12 of 20 | 3.8x |
| WordPress | 6 of 20 | 13.2x |
| Adobe InDesign | 9 of 20 | 4.7x |
| Adobe Illustrator | 9 of 20 | 4.2x |
| Adobe Creative Cloud software | 8 of 20 | 4.7x |
| Hypertext markup language HTML | 8 of 20 | 4.7x |
| QuarkXPress | 5 of 20 | 11.0x |
| Flipgrid | 5 of 20 | 10.0x |
| Snapchat | 3 of 20 | 46.2x |
Skills
From O*NET data. Importance is rated 1 to 5 and level 0 to 7.
| Skill | Type | Importance | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reading Comprehension | Essential skill | 4.00 | 4.00 |
| Speaking | Essential skill | 4.00 | 4.00 |
| Active Listening | Essential skill | 3.88 | 3.75 |
| Social Perceptiveness | Transferable skill | 3.62 | 3.75 |
| Critical Thinking | Essential skill | 3.12 | 3.12 |
| Coordination | Transferable skill | 3.00 | 3.00 |
| Time Management | Transferable skill | 3.00 | 2.88 |
| Monitoring | Essential skill | 2.88 | 3.00 |
| Active Learning | Essential skill | 2.88 | 2.88 |
| Judgment and Decision Making | Transferable skill | 2.88 | 2.88 |
| Writing | Essential skill | 2.75 | 3.38 |
| Persuasion | Transferable skill | 2.62 | 2.75 |
| Learning Strategies | Essential skill | 2.62 | 2.50 |
| Complex Problem Solving | Transferable skill | 2.50 | 2.38 |
| Negotiation | Transferable skill | 2.38 | 2.50 |
| Instructing | Transferable skill | 2.38 | 2.25 |
| Service Orientation | Transferable skill | 2.25 | 2.12 |
| Systems Evaluation | Transferable skill | 2.00 | 1.88 |
| Systems Analysis | Transferable skill | 2.00 | 1.75 |
| Management of Personnel Resources | Transferable skill | 1.62 | 1.25 |
| Operations Analysis | Transferable skill | 1.50 | 0.75 |
| Technology Design | Transferable skill | 1.38 | 0.50 |
| Mathematics | Essential skill | 1.12 | not rated |
| Quality Control Analysis | Transferable skill | 1.12 | not rated |
| Science | Essential skill | 1.12 | not rated |
| Equipment Maintenance | Transferable skill | 1.00 | not rated |
| Equipment Selection | Transferable skill | 1.00 | not rated |
| Installation | Transferable skill | 1.00 | not rated |
| Management of Financial Resources | Transferable skill | 1.00 | not rated |
| Management of Material Resources | Transferable skill | 1.00 | not rated |
| Operation and Control | Transferable skill | 1.00 | not rated |
| Operations Monitoring | Transferable skill | 1.00 | not rated |
| Programming | Transferable skill | 1.00 | not rated |
| Repairing | Transferable skill | 1.00 | not rated |
| Troubleshooting | Transferable skill | 1.00 | not rated |
Knowledge (33) and abilities (52)
| Name | Importance | Level |
|---|---|---|
| English Language | 4.40 | 4.76 |
| Fine Arts | 4.03 | 5.18 |
| Communications and Media | 3.66 | 4.53 |
| Psychology | 3.03 | 3.66 |
| Sociology and Anthropology | 2.77 | 3.00 |
| Sales and Marketing | 2.54 | 3.06 |
| Customer and Personal Service | 2.43 | 2.47 |
| Computers and Electronics | 2.20 | 2.38 |
| Philosophy and Theology | 1.97 | 2.31 |
| Education and Training | 1.97 | 1.86 |
| History and Archeology | 1.94 | 2.00 |
| Administration and Management | 1.88 | 1.71 |
| Foreign Language | 1.86 | 2.00 |
| Administrative | 1.82 | 1.57 |
| Telecommunications | 1.74 | 1.29 |
| Therapy and Counseling | 1.71 | 1.44 |
| Personnel and Human Resources | 1.66 | 1.20 |
| Production and Processing | 1.63 | not rated |
| Economics and Accounting | 1.60 | 1.12 |
| Geography | 1.46 | 1.00 |
| Public Safety and Security | 1.43 | 0.83 |
| Transportation | 1.40 | not rated |
| Engineering and Technology | 1.34 | not rated |
| Design | 1.34 | 0.89 |
| Law and Government | 1.34 | 0.63 |
| Mathematics | 1.31 | not rated |
| Medicine and Dentistry | 1.29 | not rated |
| Mechanical | 1.24 | not rated |
| Biology | 1.23 | not rated |
| Physics | 1.20 | not rated |
| Building and Construction | 1.17 | not rated |
| Chemistry | 1.17 | not rated |
| Food Production | 1.11 | not rated |
| Name | Importance | Level |
|---|---|---|
| Memorization | 4.12 | 4.38 |
| Oral Expression | 4.12 | 4.25 |
| Speech Clarity | 4.00 | 4.62 |
| Oral Comprehension | 4.00 | 4.00 |
| Written Comprehension | 4.00 | 3.62 |
| Originality | 3.88 | 3.38 |
| Near Vision | 3.62 | 3.38 |
| Information Ordering | 3.12 | 3.00 |
| Fluency of Ideas | 3.00 | 3.25 |
| Deductive Reasoning | 3.00 | 3.00 |
| Inductive Reasoning | 3.00 | 3.00 |
| Selective Attention | 3.00 | 3.00 |
| Speech Recognition | 3.00 | 3.00 |
| Problem Sensitivity | 2.88 | 3.12 |
| Far Vision | 2.88 | 2.88 |
| Category Flexibility | 2.75 | 3.00 |
| Time Sharing | 2.75 | 2.75 |
| Visualization | 2.75 | 2.75 |
| Written Expression | 2.62 | 3.00 |
| Trunk Strength | 2.50 | 2.50 |
| Gross Body Coordination | 2.38 | 2.50 |
| Speed of Closure | 2.25 | 2.38 |
| Flexibility of Closure | 2.25 | 2.25 |
| Extent Flexibility | 2.25 | 2.12 |
| Multilimb Coordination | 2.25 | 2.12 |
| Stamina | 2.25 | 1.88 |
| Auditory Attention | 2.12 | 2.12 |
| Gross Body Equilibrium | 2.00 | 1.88 |
| Perceptual Speed | 2.00 | 1.88 |
| Static Strength | 2.00 | 1.25 |
| Dynamic Strength | 1.88 | 1.62 |
| Visual Color Discrimination | 1.88 | 1.50 |
| Explosive Strength | 1.88 | 1.00 |
| Hearing Sensitivity | 1.75 | 1.50 |
| Arm-Hand Steadiness | 1.75 | 1.25 |
| Finger Dexterity | 1.75 | 1.00 |
| Glare Sensitivity | 1.75 | 0.88 |
| Manual Dexterity | 1.62 | 1.00 |
| Spatial Orientation | 1.50 | 0.62 |
| Dynamic Flexibility | 1.38 | 0.62 |
| Depth Perception | 1.25 | not rated |
| Peripheral Vision | 1.25 | not rated |
| Speed of Limb Movement | 1.25 | not rated |
| Mathematical Reasoning | 1.12 | not rated |
| Number Facility | 1.12 | not rated |
| Rate Control | 1.12 | not rated |
| Reaction Time | 1.12 | not rated |
| Response Orientation | 1.12 | not rated |
| Wrist-Finger Speed | 1.12 | not rated |
| Control Precision | 1.00 | not rated |
| Night Vision | 1.00 | not rated |
| Sound Localization | 1.00 | not rated |
Software used
Examples from O*NET data. "Hot" and "in demand" are O*NET flags for technologies often listed in job postings.
- Facebook hot
- Linux hot
- Microsoft Excel hot
- Microsoft Office software hot
- Microsoft Outlook hot
- Microsoft PowerPoint hot
- Microsoft Word hot
- TikTok hot
- Zoom hot
- Apple Final Cut Pro
- Email software
- FileMaker Pro
- Motion capture software
- Web browser software
- Website development software
- YouTube
Where it concentrates
Metro areas ranked by BLS location quotient: the occupation's share of the area's jobs divided by its share of all US jobs. Above 1 means more concentrated than the nation. Metros employing fewer than 100 are left out.
| Metro area | Employment | Location quotient | Median annual |
|---|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | 24,800 | 11.18 | Not available |
| Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL | 4,240 | 8.49 | Not available |
| Las Vegas-Henderson-North Las Vegas, NV | 680 | 1.69 | Not available |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | 5,430 | 1.62 | Not available |
| Lancaster, PA | 140 | 1.58 | Not available |
| Rochester, NY | 210 | 1.18 | Not available |
| Salt Lake City-Murray, UT | 280 | 0.94 | Not available |
| Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY | 140 | 0.88 | Not available |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | 680 | 0.81 | Not available |
| Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD | 340 | 0.71 | Not available |