Actors
Also called: Actress, Comedian, Community Theater Actor, Voice ActorPlay 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.
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What the data says: AI could halve the time on 4 of its 18 tasks, and jobs are projected to hold steady to 2035. How to think about this →
About this projection
BLS builds AI into its projections where the research supports it: “BLS generally applies adjustments based on this research conservatively, where there is convincing evidence for a change.”
It also notes a limit: “BLS projection methods are not designed to capture extremely rapid technological change.”
On its AI exposure groups, BLS says exposure “does not imply job loss.”
Recent conditions
- In 2024, 31.4% of people in this work were unemployed, against 3.8% across all occupations Census ACS 2024
- From Sep 2025 to Aug 2026, 7.8 hires for every 10 job openings in information, which employs about 57% of people in this work, against 7.3 across all industries BLS JOLTS
One box per opening, filled for each hire; hires beyond the openings are added in a lighter shade. Higher can mean openings get filled, or that people leave often; lower, that jobs go unfilled, or hiring is slow.7.8 this industry7.3 all industries
Median pay by state BLS OEWS May 2025, state estimates
Tap a state for its figures.
Median pay in every state
| State | Median | Middle half earn | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $24.71 an hour | $23.73 to $25.56 an hour | 150 |
| Arizona | $21.16 an hour | $18.03 to $27.37 an hour | 380 |
| Arkansas | $19.49 an hour | $15.00 to $29.64 an hour | 70 |
| California | not published | not published | 26,170 |
| Colorado | not published | not published | 200 |
| Connecticut | $27.91 an hour | $17.07 to $37.15 an hour | 180 |
| Florida | $19.11 an hour | $18.70 to $24.05 an hour | 6,400 |
| Georgia | $19.75 an hour | $19.00 to $64.32 an hour | 1,520 |
| Illinois | $15.00 an hour | $15.00 to $26.58 an hour | 1,060 |
| Indiana | not published | not published | 510 |
| Kentucky | $18.85 an hour | $13.29 to $24.66 an hour | 90 |
| Maryland | $36.98 an hour | $18.66 to $39.59 an hour | 520 |
| Massachusetts | not published | not published | 660 |
| Michigan | not published | not published | 150 |
| Minnesota | $18.95 an hour | $18.01 to $30.35 an hour | 520 |
| Mississippi | $23.71 an hour | $23.71 to $23.71 an hour | 80 |
| Missouri | $19.20 an hour | $15.25 to $23.25 an hour | 450 |
| Montana | not published | not published | 70 |
| Nevada | $12.76 an hour | $12.75 to $13.86 an hour | 790 |
| New Jersey | $24.29 an hour | $18.54 to $28.81 an hour | 470 |
| New York | $28.44 an hour | $26.61 to $81.61 an hour | 6,630 |
| North Carolina | $18.83 an hour | $13.47 to $22.34 an hour | 730 |
| Ohio | $13.51 an hour | $11.23 to $24.87 an hour | 170 |
| Oregon | $29.81 an hour | $24.22 to $35.61 an hour | 470 |
| Pennsylvania | $22.15 an hour | $18.24 to $25.48 an hour | 890 |
| South Carolina | not published | not published | 140 |
| Tennessee | $21.82 an hour | $18.00 to $26.83 an hour | 370 |
| Texas | $25.86 an hour | $18.07 to $67.01 an hour | 2,160 |
| Utah | not published | not published | 630 |
| Wisconsin | not published | not published | 260 |
Shades run from the lowest state median to the highest; a territory below that range takes the lightest. How to read this
How AI touches the work
What AI could speed up, task by task, and where people already use it.
AI could halve the time on 4 of its 18 tasks
| AI rating | Its main tasks | Share of Claude conversations May 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Not much | Attend auditions and casting calls to audition for roles. | Not published |
| Not much | Work closely with directors, other actors, and playwrights to find the interpretation most suited to the role. | Not published |
| Not much | Study and rehearse roles from scripts to interpret, learn and memorize lines, stunts, and cues as directed. | Not published |
| Not much | Collaborate with other actors as part of an ensemble. | under 0.01% |
| AI alone | Learn about characters in scripts and their relationships to each other to develop role interpretations. | Not published |
| Not much | Portray and interpret roles, using speech, gestures, and body movements, to entertain, inform, or instruct radio, film, television, or live audiences. | 0.02% |
See all 18 tasks
| Not much | Perform humorous and serious interpretations of emotions, actions, and situations, using body movements, facial expressions, and gestures. | under 0.01% |
| AI + software | Work with other crew members responsible for lighting, costumes, make-up, and props. | Not published |
| Not much | Read from scripts or books to narrate action or to inform or entertain audiences, utilizing few or no stage props. | under 0.01% |
| Not much | Promote productions using means such as interviews about plays or movies. | Not published |
| Not much | Sing or dance during dramatic or comedic performances. | Not published |
| Not much | Tell jokes, perform comic dances, songs and skits, impersonate mannerisms and voices of others, contort face, and use other devices to amuse audiences. | under 0.01% |
| Not much | Prepare and perform action stunts for motion picture, television, or stage productions. | Not published |
| AI alone | Write original or adapted material for dramas, comedies, puppet shows, narration, or other performances. | 0.12% |
| AI alone | Introduce performances and performers to stimulate excitement and coordinate smooth transition of acts during events. | Not published |
| Not much | Construct puppets and ventriloquist dummies, and sew accessory clothing, using hand tools and machines. | Not published |
| Not much | Dress in comical clown costumes and makeup, and perform comedy routines to entertain audiences. | Not published |
| Not much | Perform original and stock tricks of illusion to entertain and mystify audiences, occasionally including audience members as participants. | under 0.01% |
Ordered by how important O*NET's respondents rate each task (1 to 5) times the share who say it is part of their job. The ordering is ours. 7 of the 18 have a published share of Claude conversations; “not published” means too few conversations for Anthropic to publish a figure.
Where people already use AI
The tasks above say what AI could speed up. This shows what people are using it for. Its 18 tasks fall under 8 work activities that many occupations share, and Microsoft counted how often each one came up in 200,000 conversations with its Copilot assistant in 2024.
- #5 Provide information or assistance to the public
- #10 Write material for artistic or commercial purposes
- #25 Communicate with others about specifications or project details
- and 1 more, in the table below
| Work activity | This occupation's tasks under it | People asked AI for help in 10,000 conversations |
AI did it for them in 10,000 conversations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Present arts or entertainment performances | |||
| Study details of artistic productions | |||
| Provide information or assistance to the public | |||
| Write material for artistic or commercial purposes | |||
| Communicate with others about specifications or project details | |||
| Create decorative objects or parts of objects | |||
| Promote products, services, or programs | |||
| Perform athletic activities for fitness, competition, or artistic purposes |
How people in this work use Claude
What people in this work made with Claude % of conversations
- Creative writing64%
- A game or something interactive9%
- A document or report7%
- An email or message6%
- Marketing or social media content2%
How they worked with Claude
17% of these conversations were about work. Anthropic Economic Index, May 2026.
How to read this
Work activities come from O*NET, which links every task to the broader activities it involves. Microsoft's figures are for the activity across everyone who used Copilot, not for actors specifically. Copilot is a general chat assistant; dedicated coding tools are not included, so programming help is under-counted here. Activities are listed by how many of this occupation's tasks fall under them.
The task ratings say whether AI could halve the time a task takes: on its own (“AI alone”), or with software built on it (“AI + software”). They were made by people in 2023 (Eloundou et al.). Claude's share is the task's share of all Claude.ai conversations in May 2026; Anthropic doesn't publish a task with too few conversations. None of these add up to the BLS exposure group, which combines five research measures.
More in the Guide: task ratings · task order · work activities · Copilot figures · Claude
High exposure doesn't mean fewer jobs
BLS projects most occupations in its two most exposed groups to grow: 141 of 206 rated Very high and 165 of 206 rated High. Each dot is one of the 831 occupations BLS rates.
Career moves into and out of this occupation
From moves between occupations found in online resumes, 2002–2016. Career changes only: a first job after school isn't a move.
Where people moved next
of 27,811 moves out
- 1 Managers, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 4%
- 2 Producers and Directors High +4.0% 3%
- 3 Chief Executives Very high +3.2% 3%
- 4 Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers Moderate +3.8% 2%
- 5 Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive Very high -6.0% 2%
Where people moved in from
of 26,781 moves in
- 1 Waiters and Waitresses Moderate +2.0% 4%
- 2 Producers and Directors High +4.0% 3%
- 3 Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive Very high -6.0% 3%
- 4 Managers, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 3%
- 5 Self-Enrichment Teachers High +3.5% 2%
Resumes over-represent younger, white-collar job-seekers and moves into management. Schubert, Stansbury and Taska (resume data).
Education and training for the occupation
Census survey (American Community Survey)
- 3% less than high school
- 13% high school
- 20% some college
- 8% associate's
- 40% bachelor's
- 14% master's
- 1% doctorate
Census ACS 2024, all workers in this occupation · 689 people surveyed.
7 programs, such as Drama and Dramatics/Theatre Arts, General, Acting and Directing and Theatrical Production.
See all
- Drama and Dramatics/Theatre Arts, General
- Acting
- Directing and Theatrical Production
- Musical Theatre
- Comedy Writing and Performance
- Theatre and Dance
- Dramatic/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft, Other
Jobs that require a credential BLS Occupational Requirements Survey 2023
BLS publishes no credential figures for this occupation.
Look up certifications, training and licenses U.S. Department of Labor
- Certification Finder ↗ certifications CareerOneStop lists for this occupation
- Training Finder ↗ schools and programs, nationwide; narrow the place there
- License Finder ↗ licenses by state
- Apprenticeship Finder ↗ DOL lists 1 registered apprenticeship in this occupation (Actor). Apprenticeship.gov can't be linked to one occupation, so search for “Actors” there.
These open in a new tab and send only the occupation's public code. More in the Guide
BLS AI exposure categories (Aug 2026) · BLS Employment Projections 2025–35 · O*NET 31.0 · Task ratings: Eloundou et al., Science (2024) · Microsoft "Working with AI" v1.1 · Anthropic Economic Index (2026-06-26) · Schubert, Stansbury and Taska · NCES CIP–SOC · Census ACS 2024 · BLS JOLTS
See it online, and explore any career: https://www.pathmosaic.com/card/27-2011.00