Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media Occupation Profiles

The Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media occupation profiles compiled by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (released in May 2016 and modified in March 2017) include specific information about 41 distinct occupational job types. 

Explore the qualifications and nature of each job type through links on this page and throughout the site.

If you are interested in assessing long-term trends and comparing the Bureau’s annual surveys beginning in 1988 see here. https://www.bls.gov/oes/tables.htm

Fast Facts: The Bureau of Labor Statistics (“BLS”) estimates that 1,902,970 are employed in this occupational group earning the “mean annual wage” (as defined below) of $58,390.

In general, the “mean” is the sum of the total values (e.g., wages) in the data set or survey divided by number of values (while the “median” is the middle value in same the sequence. The term “mean annual wage” (or “MAW”) is calculated by multiplying the mean hourly wage as determined by the BLS by a “year-round, full-time” hours figure of 2,080 hours. So, for example, the Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media group’s mean hourly wage of $28.072, multiplied by 2,080, results in the mean annual wage of $58,390. 

Note that several job classifications in this group including, Actors, Dancers, Musicians and Singers and Entertainers and Performers, Sports and Related Workers, All Other, that do not generally work year-round, full time, are reported separately as either hourly wages or annual salaries depending on how their typical manner of payment. 

Did you know? You might find it hard to believe that the States with the 4^th and 5^th highest concentration of jobs in this occupation are…Vermont (18.75 per 1,000 jobs) and Colorado (15.58 per 1,000 jobs). Consider also, however, that annual mean wage in Vermont’s ($46,280) and Colorado ($52,410) are well below that of Washington, D.C. ($87,960), the leader in this occupation in pay and job concentration rate (51.51 per 1,000 jobs).  Nearly 18% of the 1,902,970 jobs in this occupation (excluding self-employed) are in the New York City and Los Angeles metropolitan areas. 

For the entire list of mean annual wages for this occupation (from highest to lowest), see here

Sources: In addition to specific citations noted, supplementary source materials include the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Occupations

• Entertainers and Performers, Sports and Related Workers
• Directors- Stage, Motion Pictures, Television, and Radio
• Choreographers
• Interpreters and Translators
• Producers
• Music Directors
• Actors
• Art Directors
• Dancers
• Singers
• Editors
• Writers and Authors
• Athletes and Sports Competitors
• Media and Communication Equipment Workers
• Commercial and Industrial Designers
• Reporters and Correspondents
• Public Address System Announcers
• Artists and Related Workers
• Merchandise Displayers and Window Trimmers
• Broadcast News Analysts
• Technical Directors
• Copy Writers
• Film and Video Editors
• Radio Operators
• Music Directors and Composers
• Floral Designers

• Music Composers and Arrangers
• Media and Communication Workers
• Designers
• Sound Engineering Technicians
• Interior Designers
• Coaches and Scouts
• Fashion Designers
• Program Directors
• Multi-Media Artists and Animators
• Photographers
• Audio and Video Equipment Technicians
• Umpires, Referees, and Other Sports Officials
• Public Relations Specialists
• Camera Operators, Television, Video, and Motion Picture
• Radio and Television Announcers
• Musicians and Singers
• Talent Directors
• Graphic Designers
• Broadcast Technicians
• Set and Exhibit Designers
• Musicians, Instrumental
• Producers and Directors
• Technical Writers
• Poets, Lyricists and Creative Writers
• Craft Artists
• Fine Artists, Painters, Sculptors, and Illustrators