Dancers
Also called: Ballet Dancer, Company Dancer, Dancer, Soloist DancerPerform dances. May perform on stage, for broadcasting, or for video recording.
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What the data says: AI could halve the time on 1 of its 14 tasks, and jobs are projected to grow 2.2% by 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, 5.7% of people in this work were unemployed, against 3.8% across all occupations Census ACS 2024, all workers in the Census group “Dancers and choreographers”
- From Sep 2025 to Aug 2026, 11.1 hires for every 10 job openings in arts, entertainment, and recreation, which employs about 63% 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.11.1 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arizona | not published | not published | 160 |
| California | $21.79 an hour | $16.93 to $37.02 an hour | 1,870 |
| Florida | $20.47 an hour | $17.55 to $38.36 an hour | 210 |
| Hawaii | $24.68 an hour | $20.82 to $40.91 an hour | 480 |
| Indiana | $24.46 an hour | $15.61 to $41.53 an hour | 140 |
| Kansas | $24.27 an hour | $14.51 to $30.57 an hour | not published |
| Michigan | not published | not published | 140 |
| Minnesota | $16.75 an hour | $14.88 to $16.82 an hour | 160 |
| Missouri | $22.51 an hour | $20.00 to $28.57 an hour | 440 |
| Nevada | $38.75 an hour | $18.88 to $51.07 an hour | 430 |
| New York | $26.32 an hour | $17.18 to $52.30 an hour | 1,170 |
| Oregon | $30.80 an hour | $30.33 to $33.17 an hour | 70 |
| Puerto Rico | $20.24 an hour | $18.47 to $21.54 an hour | not published |
| Tennessee | not published | not published | 150 |
| Texas | $35.31 an hour | $24.03 to $36.90 an hour | 190 |
| Utah | $26.23 an hour | $15.68 to $34.13 an hour | 180 |
| Wisconsin | not published | not published | 200 |
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 1 of its 14 tasks
| AI rating | Its main tasks | Share of Claude conversations May 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Not much | Harmonize body movements to rhythm of musical accompaniment. | Not published |
| Not much | Train, exercise, and attend dance classes to maintain high levels of technical proficiency, physical ability, and physical fitness. | Not published |
| Not much | Study and practice dance moves required in roles. | Not published |
| Not much | Perform classical, modern, or acrobatic dances in productions, expressing stories, rhythm, and sound with their bodies. | Not published |
| Not much | Develop self-understanding of physical capabilities and limitations, and choose dance styles accordingly. | Not published |
| Not much | Coordinate dancing with that of partners or dance ensembles. | Not published |
See all 14 tasks
| AI + software | Monitor the field of dance to remain aware of current trends and innovations. | Not published |
| Not much | Attend costume fittings, photography sessions, and makeup calls associated with dance performances. | Not published |
| Not much | Prepare pointe shoes, by sewing or other means, for use in rehearsals and performance. | Not published |
| Not much | Collaborate with choreographers to refine or modify dance steps. | Not published |
| Not much | Perform in productions, singing or acting in addition to dancing, if required. | Not published |
| Not much | Audition for dance roles or for membership in dance companies. | Not published |
| Not much | Devise and choreograph dance for self or others. | Not published |
| Not much | Teach dance students. | Not published |
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. 0 of the 14 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 14 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.
- #4 Maintain current knowledge in area of expertise
- #16 Create artistic designs or performances
- #32 Monitor external affairs, trends, or events
- 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 | |||
| Perform athletic activities for fitness, competition, or artistic purposes | |||
| Maintain current knowledge in area of expertise | |||
| Create artistic designs or performances | |||
| Monitor external affairs, trends, or events | |||
| Study details of artistic productions | |||
| Train others on operational or work procedures | |||
| Sew garments or materials |
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 dancers 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 5,028 moves out
- 1 Self-Enrichment Teachers High +3.5% 4%
- 2 Retail Salespersons Very high -0.3% 4%
- 3 Managers, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 4%
- 4 Office Clerks, General Very high -6.0% 4%
- 5 Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive Very high -6.0% 3%
Where people moved in from
of 4,225 moves in
- 1 Cooks, Fast Food Moderate +0.6% 7%
- 2 Healthcare Support Workers, All Other Moderate +4.8% 5%
- 3 Textile Winding, Twisting, and Drawing Out Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders Low -10.3% 4%
- 4 Chefs and Head Cooks Moderate +6.6% 3%
- 5 Retail Salespersons Very high -0.3% 3%
Resumes over-represent younger, white-collar job-seekers and moves into management. Schubert, Stansbury and Taska (resume data).
Education and training for the occupation
O*NET survey of workers in this occupation
- 34% less than high school
- 45% high school
- 14% postsecondary certificate
- 7% some college
O*NET 31.0 survey of workers in this occupation · 17 people answered.
Census survey (American Community Survey)
- 8% less than high school
- 30% high school
- 23% some college
- 9% associate's
- 25% bachelor's
- 4% master's
- 1% doctorate
Census ACS 2024, all workers in the Census group “Dancers and choreographers” · 177 people surveyed.
Why the two can differ
O*NET asks about 20 people in each occupation, which makes its shares uncertain, but it reports the exact occupation and counts certificates. The Census survey reaches thousands, but it groups some occupations together and counts degrees only. More in the Guide
5 programs, such as Dance, General, Ballet and Dance, Other.
See all
- Dance, General
- Ballet
- Dance, Other
- Musical Theatre
- Theatre and Dance
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
- Apprenticeships: DOL's list of apprenticeable occupations doesn't include this one.
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/27-2031.00