The United States had about 170,400 musician and singer jobs in 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). The occupation combines a large self-employed segment with work in religious organizations, performing arts, education, and related settings. BLS projects roughly 170,900 jobs in 2035, while annual openings are expected to average about 17,400 over the 2025–2035 period. BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook
Contents
- U.S. employment outlook
- Wages and earnings distribution
- Industries employing musicians
- States and metropolitan areas
- Demographic profile
- Age profile
U.S. employment outlook
BLS counted about 170,400 musician and singer jobs in the United States in 2025. Its 2035 projection is about 170,900 jobs, an increase of approximately 600 positions across the decade. Once rounded, that change is reported as 0% employment growth from 2025 to 2035. These figures describe the projected size of the occupation, not the number of people who will enter or leave it.
The outlook is more active than the near-zero net change might suggest. BLS projects about 17,400 openings per year on average during 2025–2035. Openings can arise as workers leave the occupation, retire, change careers, or move between jobs, so the annual figure is not the same as projected net job growth.
The employment structure is also distinctive. Self-employed workers accounted for 48% of musician and singer jobs in 2025. That share helps explain why the occupation’s work may be spread across performances, teaching, contracting, recording, and other arrangements instead of appearing in one conventional employer category.
The largest listed industry grouping was religious, grantmaking, civic, professional, and similar organizations, which accounted for 35% of jobs in 2025. Performing arts, spectator sports, and related industries accounted for 12%. Educational services at the state, local, and private levels accounted for 3%. The percentages describe the BLS employment mix and should not be treated as a complete list of every setting in which musicians work.
Wages and earnings distribution
The median hourly wage for U.S. musicians and singers was $47.80 in May 2025. The distribution was broad: the lowest-paid 10% earned less than $20.35 per hour, while the highest-paid 10% earned more than $132.56 per hour. These percentile thresholds show why a single average or median cannot describe every musician’s earning experience.
Industry is associated with different median hourly wage levels. In May 2025, the median was $53.16 for musicians and singers in religious, grantmaking, civic, professional, and similar organizations. It was $50.56 in performing arts, spectator sports, and related industries, and $30.88 in educational services.
| Measure | Hourly wage | Period |
|---|---|---|
| Lowest-paid 10% threshold | Less than $20.35 | May 2025 |
| Overall median | $47.80 | May 2025 |
| Religious, grantmaking, civic, professional, and similar organizations | $53.16 | May 2025 |
| Performing arts, spectator sports, and related industries | $50.56 | May 2025 |
| Educational services | $30.88 | May 2025 |
| Highest-paid 10% threshold | More than $132.56 | May 2025 |
The May 2023 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) profile provides another view of the distribution. It reported a mean hourly wage of $51.65, a median of $39.14, and percentile wages of $16.02 at the 10th percentile, $23.70 at the 25th percentile, $60.92 at the 75th percentile, and $102.98 at the 90th percentile. Those are May 2023 OEWS measurements and should not be read as replacements for the newer May 2025 figures. BLS OEWS Musicians and Singers
The two BLS releases use different measurement years and statistical products. The May 2025 figures are from the Occupational Outlook Handbook page, while the percentile series is from the May 2023 OEWS profile. Comparing them directly can suggest movement, but the supplied data does not establish a like-for-like wage trend.
Industries employing musicians
The May 2024 OEWS industry table identifies several specific employer categories. Performing arts companies employed 21,390 musicians and singers, making that the largest listed category in the supplied industry figures. Religious organizations employed 7,490. Colleges, universities, and professional schools employed 1,920, while elementary and secondary schools employed 1,370.
Other categories were smaller but show the range of institutional settings connected with musician employment. Promoters of performing arts, sports, and similar events employed 1,010 musicians and singers. Other schools and instruction employed 790. Local government, excluding schools and hospitals, employed 340, and junior colleges employed 330.
| Industry or employer category | Musicians and singers employed | Period |
|---|---|---|
| Performing arts companies | 21,390 | May 2024 |
| Religious organizations | 7,490 | May 2024 |
| Colleges, universities, and professional schools | 1,920 | May 2024 |
| Elementary and secondary schools | 1,370 | May 2024 |
| Promoters of performing arts, sports, and similar events | 1,010 | May 2024 |
| Other schools and instruction | 790 | May 2024 |
| Local government, excluding schools and hospitals | 340 | May 2024 |
| Junior colleges | 330 | May 2024 |
These employer counts are specific May 2024 OEWS industry observations. They should not be added to the 2025 national job total: the periods, classification detail, and presentation differ, and the listed categories do not represent every employment arrangement. BLS OEWS industry data
States and metropolitan areas
The May 2023 OEWS state figures show the largest reported employment counts in California, New York, Florida, Illinois, and Tennessee. California had 5,540 musician and singer jobs, followed by New York with 4,080. Florida had 2,180, Illinois had 1,950, and Tennessee had 1,870.
Employment concentration looks different when measured by location quotient. A location quotient compares an occupation’s concentration in a state with its concentration nationally; a value above 1 indicates a higher concentration than the national reference. Hawaii had a location quotient of 5.47 in May 2023. Tennessee’s was 2.48, Nevada’s was 2.15, and Oregon’s was 1.58. These values indicate relative concentration, not the largest absolute number of jobs.
At the metropolitan level, the New York–Newark–Jersey City area had 3,490 musician and singer jobs in May 2023. Los Angeles–Long Beach–Anaheim had 2,750, Chicago–Naperville–Elgin had 1,580, and Nashville–Davidson–Murfreesboro–Franklin had 1,450. The metropolitan figures are part of the same May 2023 OEWS source and use the named geographic boundaries in that release.
The state and metropolitan measures answer different questions. California and New York lead the supplied state employment counts, while Hawaii leads the supplied location-quotient figures. A large state total reflects the number of jobs; a high location quotient reflects how unusually concentrated the occupation is relative to other employment in that place.
Demographic profile
The Current Population Survey (CPS) estimated 168,000 employed U.S. musicians and singers in its 2024 annual average. This is a survey-based annual estimate, so it is not identical in scope or method to the BLS occupational employment total for 2025.
Women represented 29.0% of employed musicians and singers in the 2024 CPS annual average. The reported racial and ethnic shares were 81.3% White, 7.6% Black or African American, 3.5% Asian, and 6.3% Hispanic or Latino. These categories come from the CPS table and describe the published annual-average profile; the supplied figures should not be used to infer unreported categories or to force the shares to sum to a particular total.
The CPS demographic estimates provide context for who was employed in the occupation during 2024. They do not measure musical genre, instrument, level of recognition, income, or whether a worker’s employment was full-time, part-time, salaried, or self-employed. Those characteristics require separate data.
Age profile
The 2024 CPS annual average estimated 4,000 employed musicians and singers ages 16 to 19 and 10,000 ages 20 to 24. The estimate was 33,000 for ages 25 to 34, 35,000 for ages 35 to 44, and 26,000 for ages 45 to 54. The CPS also estimated 39,000 employed musicians and singers ages 65 and over.
The median age of employed U.S. musicians and singers was 46.3 years in the 2024 CPS annual average. The reported age groups show employment across early career, mid-career, and older-worker ranges, including a substantial estimate for workers age 65 and over. Because the age figures are annual-average CPS estimates, they should be interpreted as survey estimates for 2024 rather than a headcount on a single date. BLS CPS age table
The demographic percentages and age estimates come from separate BLS CPS annual-average tables: the occupation, sex, race, and Hispanic-or-Latino table, and the occupation-and-age table. BLS CPS demographic table Together, they describe the composition of employed musicians and singers in 2024, while the BLS outlook and OEWS releases describe employment levels, projections, wages, industries, and geographic concentration across their stated periods.