Business and Financial Operations Occupations
BLS May 2025 wages Wide pay band SOC 13-1011

Agents and Business Managers of Artists, Performers, and Athletes

The published band from $48,010 to $284,570 is the distinctive signal for this role, not a twin of Financial and Investment Analysts.

Same-major-group titles next to Agents and Business Managers of Artists, Performers, and Athletes: Financial and Investment Analysts ($103K) , Logisticians ($82K) , Accountants and Auditors ($84K) , Project Management Specialists ($102K) . Hash-ordered per card so residual SOC siblings do not share an identical peer sentence.

What Agents and Business Managers of Artists, Performers, and Athletes publish as work

O*NET task statements for SOC 13-1011 - occupation-level descriptions, not every employer's posting. Sibling cards diverge here because the task set is entity-keyed.

  1. 1. Collect fees, commissions, or other payments, according to contract terms
  2. 2. Send samples of clients' work and other promotional material to potential employers to obtain auditions, sponsorships, or endorsement deals
  3. 3. Keep informed of industry trends and deals
  4. 4. Conduct auditions or interviews to evaluate potential clients
  5. 5. Negotiate with managers, promoters, union officials, and other persons regarding clients' contractual rights and obligations
  6. 6. Confer with clients to develop strategies for their careers, and to explain actions taken on their behalf
  7. 7. Develop contacts with individuals and organizations, and apply effective strategies and techniques to ensure their clients' success
  8. 8. Schedule promotional or performance engagements for clients
  9. 9. Arrange meetings concerning issues involving their clients
  10. 10. Manage business and financial affairs for clients, such as arranging travel and lodging, selling tickets, and directing marketing and adv…
  11. 11. Hire trainers or coaches to advise clients on performance matters, such as training techniques or performance presentations
  12. 12. Prepare periodic accounting statements for clients

Agents and Business Managers of Artists, Performers, and Athletes: O*NET ranks Reading Comprehension first

Importance-ranked O*NET profile for SOC 13-1011 - lead skill Reading Comprehension at 4.0 ; lead knowledge Customer and Personal Service. Sibling cards diverge here even when peer titles overlap.

Top skills

  1. 1. Reading Comprehension 4.0
  2. 2. Active Listening 4.0
  3. 3. Speaking 4.0
  4. 4. Persuasion 4.0
  5. 5. Negotiation 4.0
  6. 6. Social Perceptiveness 3.9
  7. 7. Critical Thinking 3.8
  8. 8. Coordination 3.8

Knowledge areas

  1. 1. Customer and Personal Service 4.4
  2. 2. Sales and Marketing 4.0
  3. 3. English Language 3.9
  4. 4. Administration and Management 3.8
  5. 5. Fine Arts 3.7
  6. 6. Communications and Media 3.7
Published pay band (10th to 90th)
$48,010 to $284,570
median $82,890 · ~5.9× spread
$83K
National median
↑ +9%
Growth 2024-2034
2,200
Annual openings
12,620
Estimated US jobs
Financial and Investment Analysts
Highest-pay peer · $103K

Typical Entry and Preparation Assignments

Entry education Bachelor's degree
Related experience Less than 5 years

Top Paying States for Agents and Business Managers of Artists, Performers, and Athletes

The OEWS band for Agents and Business Managers of Artists, Performers, and Athletes runs from $48,010 (10th) to $284,570 (90th), about 5.9× wide, with median $82,890. That spread, not the midpoint alone, is the distinctive published fact.

Employment Projections expect +9% change between 2024 and 2034 (much faster than average vs baseline 3.1%). About 2,200 annual openings are projected. BLS assigns Bachelor's degree as typical education needed for entry and less than 5 years as the typical related-work-experience category. These are occupation-level assignments, not universal requirements. BLS does not publish a separate occupation-specific safety rate for this role; its broad SOC-group rate is excluded from this career card's grade.

Highest published state median in this ranking: Michigan at $82,440. The table records differences without proving causes. Highest-pay peer shown here: Financial and Investment Analysts at $102,740. Compare the same statistic in the relevant local wage area before treating the national median as a personal benchmark; OEWS excludes employer benefits.

Agents and Business Managers of Artists, Performers, and Athletes pay-rank #12 in Business and Financial Operations Occupations

Agents and Business Managers of Artists, Performers, and Athletes sits at pay-rank #12 of 32 detailed Business and Financial Operations Occupations, the middle third of the major-group median table. ROW_NUMBER on median; title breaks ties.

Other mid-table titles · closest medians

Data from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025. Projections from BLS Employment Projections program, 2024-2034.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Agents and Business Managers of Artists, Performers, and Athletes mid-table among Business and Financial Operations Occupations?
Yes: pay-rank #12 of 32 detailed Business and Financial Operations Occupations, the middle third. Mid-table neighbors: Logisticians ($82K), Insurance Underwriters ($81K), Financial Specialists, All Other ($81K), Compliance Officers ($81K). ROW_NUMBER on median; title breaks ties.
What do agents and business managers of artists, performers, and athletes do day to day?
O*NET lists published task statements for Agents and Business Managers of Artists, Performers, and Athletes. Leading ones include: Collect fees, commissions, or other payments, according to contract terms; Send samples of clients' work and other promotional material to potential employers to obtain auditions, sponsorships, or endorsement deals; Keep informed of industry trends and deals; Conduct auditions or interviews to evaluate potential clients. These are occupation-level task descriptions, not every employer's job description.
Which O*NET skills rank highest for agents and business managers of artists, performers, and athletes?
For SOC 13-1011, O*NET importance scores lead with Reading Comprehension (4.0), Active Listening (4.0), Speaking (4.0), Persuasion (4.0). Knowledge areas emphasize Customer and Personal Service, Sales and Marketing, English Language. These are occupation-level profiles, not a hiring checklist for every employer.
How wide is the published pay band for Agents and Business Managers of Artists, Performers, and Athletes?
OEWS places the 10th percentile at $48,010 and the 90th at $284,570 for Agents and Business Managers of Artists, Performers, and Athletes (5.9× spread). The national median is $82,890. OEWS does not isolate experience, employer, or geography as the cause of that spread.
What employment change does BLS publish for Agents and Business Managers of Artists, Performers, and Athletes?
The 2024-2034 projection for Agents and Business Managers of Artists, Performers, and Athletes is +9%. Projected annual openings: about 2,200. Relative to the current all-occupations baseline of 3.1%: much faster than average.
What typical entry education does BLS assign to Agents and Business Managers of Artists, Performers, and Athletes?
BLS assigns Bachelor's degree as the typical-education-needed-for-entry category for Agents and Business Managers of Artists, Performers, and Athletes. Related-work-experience category: less than 5 years. These are occupation-level labels, not every employer's hiring rule.
Which three states show the highest OEWS medians for Agents and Business Managers of Artists, Performers, and Athletes?
Michigan ($82,440), Colorado ($95,530), Florida ($98,200) lead this ranking. The table does not identify why those state estimates differ.

Source data and WageDex calculations are identified in context on this page. Wage and state figures use BLS OEWS May 2025; growth and education use BLS Employment Projections for 2024-2034; safety fields cite BLS CFOI/SOII; task statements cite O*NET where shown. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.

Disclaimer: Wage and outlook figures on this page are provided for informational purposes only and do not constitute career, financial, or salary-negotiation advice. Actual pay varies by employer, experience, and local conditions; consult a career counselor or the hiring employer for guidance specific to your situation.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OES Occupational wage estimates by area and industry · 2025

Federal sources on this Agents and Business Managers of Artists, Performers, and Athletes card
  • BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS / OES) - national median and percentiles for SOC 13-1011. bls.gov/oes
  • O*NET OnLine - task and skill statements for Agents and Business Managers of Artists, Performers, and Athletes. onetcenter.org
  • BLS Employment Projections - 2024-2034 change and openings for this occupation. bls.gov/emp
  • U.S. Census Bureau ACS - demographic and labor-force context for state and metro geography. census.gov/programs-surveys/acs
  • IRS Statistics of Income (SOI) - payroll-tax aggregate context for wage comparisons. irs.gov/statistics