27 Series · SOC 27-2031
Dancers Salary
National pay, percentile range, growth outlook, and state-by-state detail from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS survey (May 2025).
- +4.5%
- Growth '24–'34
- 8,130
- Estimated US jobs
Dancers (SOC 27-2031) does not have a national annual median published for this release. BLS may omit annual estimates for occupations generally paid by the hour or suppress cells that do not meet publication criteria. OEWS estimates 8,130 jobs in covered establishments nationally. WageDex has published rows for 0 state or territory areas and 0 metropolitan or nonmetropolitan wage areas.
BLS Employment Projections forecast a +4.5% change in employment from 2024 to 2034, which we classify as about as fast as average relative to the all-occupations baseline of 3.1%. About 1,800 openings are projected per year from growth, occupational transfers, and labor-force exits. BLS assigns No formal educational credential as typical education needed for entry, and BLS classifies its typical on-the-job preparation as long-term on-the-job training. BLS does not publish a separate occupation-specific fatality and injury rate for this role in the current release. The safety panel below shows its broad Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media Occupations SOC-group context and is not an occupation-level measurement or ranking.
Geographic variation matters as much as the headline median. Pair the national median with the state and metropolitan-area rows below while keeping the geography and statistic consistent. OEWS includes tips, commissions, incentive pay, and production bonuses, but not employer benefits, overtime premiums, stock compensation, or nonproduction bonuses. See our methodology for the sourcing and calculation details.
Median Salary
N/A
per year
Median Hourly
$24.80/hr
per hour
Mean Salary
N/A
average
Employment
8,130
jobs nationwide
Does this job pay well and grow?
Each dot is a 27-series occupation, placed by projected 2024–2034 growth and median pay. The highlighted dot is Dancers; the upper-right quadrant is the sweet spot (high pay + fast growth).
Read the chart as text
- Public Relations Spe…: Projected growth 2024–2034 (%) 4.8%, Median annual wage $74750
- Coaches and Scouts: Projected growth 2024–2034 (%) 6.4%, Median annual wage $47320
- Graphic Designers: Projected growth 2024–2034 (%) 2.1%, Median annual wage $62960
- Merchandise Displaye…: Projected growth 2024–2034 (%) 3.2%, Median annual wage $39390
- Producers and Direct…: Projected growth 2024–2034 (%) 4.9%, Median annual wage $90360
- Editors: Projected growth 2024–2034 (%) 0.6%, Median annual wage $77920
- Interior Designers: Projected growth 2024–2034 (%) 3.2%, Median annual wage $67190
- Audio and Video Tech…: Projected growth 2024–2034 (%) 3.3%, Median annual wage $58100
- Art Directors: Projected growth 2024–2034 (%) 4.2%, Median annual wage $114850
- Interpreters and Tra…: Projected growth 2024–2034 (%) 1.7%, Median annual wage $60170
- Photographers: Projected growth 2024–2034 (%) 1.8%, Median annual wage $44660
- Writers and Authors: Projected growth 2024–2034 (%) 3.6%, Median annual wage $76910
- Technical Writers: Projected growth 2024–2034 (%) 0.9%, Median annual wage $90390
- Floral Designers: Projected growth 2024–2034 (%) -5.9%, Median annual wage $37360
- News Analysts, Repor…: Projected growth 2024–2034 (%) -3.9%, Median annual wage $62200
- Commercial and Indus…: Projected growth 2024–2034 (%) 3.2%, Median annual wage $83910
- Film and Video Editors: Projected growth 2024–2034 (%) 4%, Median annual wage $75420
- Camera Operators, Te…: Projected growth 2024–2034 (%) 1.2%, Median annual wage $74990
- Fashion Designers: Projected growth 2024–2034 (%) 2%, Median annual wage $80960
- Broadcast Announcers…: Projected growth 2024–2034 (%) -5.5%, Median annual wage $47340
- Broadcast Technicians: Projected growth 2024–2034 (%) -2.8%, Median annual wage $59570
- Special Effects Arti…: Projected growth 2024–2034 (%) 1.6%, Median annual wage $102030
- Media and Communicat…: Projected growth 2024–2034 (%) 2.7%, Median annual wage $73620
- Umpires, Referees, a…: Projected growth 2024–2034 (%) 5.7%, Median annual wage $40710
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS (wages, May 2025) and Employment Projections (2024–2034).
Job Outlook (2024–2034)
Projected Growth
+4.5%
About as fast as average
Annual Openings
1,800
per year (projected)
Employment Change
+600
12,300 (2024) → 12,900 (2034)
Typical Education
No formal educational credential
On-the-Job Training
Long-term on-the-job training
Source: BLS Employment Projections, 2024–2034
Workplace Safety
All safety ratings →Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media Occupations context
Broad SOC context, not an occupation grade
Fatality Rate
0.6/100K
Injury Rate
0.5/100
Danger Index
2.3/100
Source: BLS Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI) & Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses (SOII), 2023
Career Intelligence
Skills, knowledge, and tasks most important for Dancers roles, ranked by importance. Source: O*NET.
Top Skills
Knowledge Areas
Key Tasks
- ▸ Prepare pointe shoes, by sewing or other means, for use in rehearsals and performance.
- ▸ Study and practice dance moves required in roles.
- ▸ Harmonize body movements to rhythm of musical accompaniment.
- ▸ Train, exercise, and attend dance classes to maintain high levels of technical proficiency, physical ability, and physical fitness.
- ▸ Perform in productions, singing or acting in addition to dancing, if required.
- ▸ Coordinate dancing with that of partners or dance ensembles.
- ▸ Develop self-understanding of physical capabilities and limitations, and choose dance styles accordingly.
- ▸ Perform classical, modern, or acrobatic dances in productions, expressing stories, rhythm, and sound with their bodies.
- ▸ Collaborate with choreographers to refine or modify dance steps.
- ▸ Audition for dance roles or for membership in dance companies.
Source: O*NET Online, National Center for O*NET Development. Data represents typical importance ratings for this occupation.
Salary Range
Annual Salary Distribution
Hourly Rate Distribution
Same SOC major group
Other detailed occupations in SOC major group 27 (Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media Occupations) - category peers, not a pay match.
Actors
SOC 27-2011
Art Directors
SOC 27-1011
Artists and Related Workers, All Other
SOC 27-1019
Athletes and Sports Competitors
SOC 27-2021
Audio and Video Technicians
SOC 27-4011
Showing 5 of 40 detailed occupations BLS assigns to this SOC major group.
Nationwide occupations with similar pay or employment scale
Two OEWS peer sets outside this SOC major group (Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media Occupations). Same-category cards above stay inside the group; these neighborhoods are cross-group nearest neighbors on national median pay and reported employment (8,130 jobs here).
Similar employment scale
Nearest headcount peers (floor 1,000 national jobs), distinct from the pay column.
Peers are nearest-neighbor matches on BLS OEWS national median annual wage and reported employment. Employment peers exclude occupations already listed in the pay column so the two link sets stay distinct.
Frequently Asked Questions
What education do Dancers need? ▼
Does BLS publish a safety rate for Dancers? ▼
Is Dancers a good career? ▼
Source data and WageDex calculations are identified in context on this page. Occupation wages use BLS OEWS May 2025; outlook uses BLS Employment Projections for 2024–2034; safety, skills, knowledge, and task panels identify their BLS or O*NET sources in context. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.
This page is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial or career advice. Actual pay for a specific role, employer, or offer may differ from these national/state figures, consult a qualified career counselor, recruiter, or financial advisor before making decisions based on this data.