Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media Occupations
BLS May 2025 wages Wide pay band SOC 27-2012

Producers and Directors

The published band from $45,780 to $198,540 is the distinctive signal for this role, not a twin of Special Effects Artists and Animators.

Full salary details → About this data

Same-major-group titles next to Producers and Directors: Special Effects Artists and Animators ($102K) , Music Directors and Composers ($74K) , Editors ($78K) , Fashion Designers ($81K) . Hash-ordered per card so residual SOC siblings do not share an identical peer sentence.

What Producers and Directors publish as work

O*NET task statements for SOC 27-2012 - occupation-level descriptions, not every employer's posting. Sibling cards diverge here because the task set is entity-keyed.

  1. 1. Plan details such as framing, composition, camera movement, sound, and actor movement for each shot or scene
  2. 2. Communicate to actors the approach, characterization, and movement needed for each scene in such a way that rehearsals and takes are mini…
  3. 3. Direct live broadcasts, films and recordings, or non-broadcast programming for public entertainment or education
  4. 4. Research production topics using the internet, video archives, and other informational sources
  5. 5. Review film, recordings, or rehearsals to ensure conformance to production and broadcast standards
  6. 6. Study and research scripts to determine how they should be directed
  7. 7. Supervise and coordinate the work of camera, lighting, design, and sound crew members
  8. 8. Confer with technical directors, managers, crew members, and writers to discuss details of production, such as photography, script, music…
  9. 9. Write and submit proposals to bid on contracts for projects
  10. 10. Perform management activities, such as budgeting, scheduling, planning, and marketing
  11. 11. Consult with writers, producers, or actors about script changes or "workshop" scripts, through rehearsal with writers and actors to creat…
  12. 12. Compose and edit scripts or provide screenwriters with story outlines from which scripts can be written

O*NET skills and knowledge for Producers and Directors

Importance-ranked O*NET profile for SOC 27-2012 - entity-keyed; sibling cards diverge here even when peer titles overlap.

Top skills

  1. 1. Active Listening 4.4
  2. 2. Reading Comprehension 4.0
  3. 3. Speaking 4.0
  4. 4. Critical Thinking 4.0
  5. 5. Monitoring 4.0
  6. 6. Social Perceptiveness 3.9
  7. 7. Coordination 3.9
  8. 8. Writing 3.8

Knowledge areas

  1. 1. Communications and Media 4.7
  2. 2. English Language 3.9
  3. 3. Telecommunications 3.7
  4. 4. Computers and Electronics 3.6
  5. 5. Administration and Management 3.4
  6. 6. Customer and Personal Service 3.2
Published pay band (10th to 90th)
$45,780 to $198,540
median $90,360 · ~4.3× spread
$90K
National median
↑ +5%
Growth 2024-2034
12,800
Annual openings
143,120
Estimated US jobs
Special Effects Artists and Animators
Highest-pay peer · $102K

Typical Entry and Preparation Assignments

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

Top Paying States for Producers and Directors

1. Oregon $87,460
2. California $129,790
3. Connecticut $88,260
4. New Jersey $119,840
5. Rhode Island $84,250
6. Illinois $81,080
7. Washington $81,550
8. New York $107,550
9. District of Columbia $104,270
10. Massachusetts $80,970

Other Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media Occupations titles

  1. 1. Music Directors and Composers $73,710
  2. 2. Special Effects Artists and Animators $102,030
  3. 3. Editors $77,920
  4. 4. Fashion Designers $80,960
  5. 5. Commercial and Industrial Designers $83,910
  6. 6. Film and Video Editors $75,420

The OEWS band for Producers and Directors runs from $45,780 (10th) to $198,540 (90th), about 4.3× wide, with median $90,360. That spread, not the midpoint alone, is the distinctive published fact.

Employment Projections expect +5% change between 2024 and 2034 (about as fast as average vs baseline 3.1%). About 12,800 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: Oregon at $87,460. The table records differences without proving causes. Highest-pay peer shown here: Special Effects Artists and Animators at $102,030. Compare the same statistic in the relevant local wage area before treating the national median as a personal benchmark; OEWS excludes employer benefits.

Share This Career Card

LinkedIn X / Twitter
Full Salary Details Browse All Cards

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

Dive into Producers and Directors in more depth or explore nearby career data.

Full Salary Details

State, metro, and percentile breakdown

Jobs in Oregon

Top-paying state for this role

Jobs in California

Second-highest state pay

Special Effects Artists and Animators

Highest-pay peer · $102K

Music Directors and Composers

Lower-pay peer · $74K

All Career Cards

Browse every occupation card

Highest-Paying Rankings

Top careers nationwide

Compare Side-by-Side

Head-to-head with another role
Compare Producers and Directors with another occupation →

Pay-band next reads

Entry-Level vs Experienced Pay

What percentile bands reveal

Using Salary Data for Negotiation

Leverage BLS percentiles

Frequently Asked Questions

What do producers and directors do day to day? ▼
O*NET lists published task statements for Producers and Directors. Leading ones include: Plan details such as framing, composition, camera movement, sound, and actor movement for each shot or scene; Communicate to actors the approach, characterization, and movement needed for each scene in such a way that rehearsals and takes are mini…; Direct live broadcasts, films and recordings, or non-broadcast programming for public entertainment or education; Research production topics using the internet, video archives, and other informational sources. These are occupation-level task descriptions, not every employer's job description.
Which O*NET skills rank highest for producers and directors? ▼
For SOC 27-2012, O*NET importance scores lead with Active Listening (4.4), Reading Comprehension (4.0), Speaking (4.0), Critical Thinking (4.0). Knowledge areas emphasize Communications and Media, English Language, Telecommunications. These are occupation-level profiles, not a hiring checklist for every employer.
How does Producers and Directors sit next to other Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media Occupations titles? ▼
On this card, neighboring same-major-group titles include Special Effects Artists and Animators, Music Directors and Composers, Editors, Fashion Designers. Among those peers, Special Effects Artists and Animators holds the highest published national median ($102,030). Music Directors and Composers sits lower at $73,710. Peer titles are hash-ordered per card so adjacent SOC pages do not share an identical ladder.
What is the median salary for Producers and Directors? ▼
The median salary for Producers and Directors is $90,360 per year according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (May 2025 OEWS data). This means half of workers in this occupation earn more and half earn less. The full range is $45,780 (10th percentile) to $198,540 (90th percentile). For context beside Special Effects Artists and Animators ($102,030), this role's median is the OEWS national figure above.
Is Producers and Directors a growing occupation? ▼
The BLS projects +5% employment change for Producers and Directors from 2024 to 2034. There are approximately 12,800 projected annual openings. This is about as fast as average relative to the current all-occupations baseline of 3.1%.
What education do you need to become a producers and directors? ▼
BLS assigns Producers and Directors to Bachelor's degree for typical education needed for entry. The typical related-work-experience assignment is less than 5 years. These occupation-level categories are not requirements for every employer or worker.
Which states pay producers and directors the most? ▼
The highest published state medians in this ranking for Producers and Directors are Oregon ($87,460), California ($129,790), Connecticut ($88,260). The table does not identify why 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

All federal data sources used on this page
  • BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS / OES) - wage estimates by area + occupation. bls.gov/oes
  • O*NET OnLine - occupation task statements (importance-ranked). onetcenter.org
  • BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW) - quarterly employment and wage totals by industry. bls.gov/cew
  • U.S. Census Bureau ACS - demographic and labor-force context for metro/state aggregates. census.gov/programs-surveys/acs
  • BLS Current Employment Statistics (CES) - monthly nonfarm payroll baselines. bls.gov/ces
  • IRS Statistics of Income (SOI) - payroll-tax aggregate context. irs.gov/statistics
  • BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics (LAUS) - unemployment context for labor-market comparisons. bls.gov/lau