Musicians and Singers Job Outlook
The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects little or no change in employment of musicians and singers from 2025 to 2035 (+0.3%, about 600 more jobs), with about 17,400 openings a year, and the May 2025 median pay is $47.80 an hour.
- Little or no change
- +0.3%
- Openings a year
- 17,400
- Median pay
- $47.80/hr
- Pay rank
- not published
Is employment of musicians and singers growing or shrinking?
Little or no change: BLS projects +0.3% employment change for musicians and singers from 2025 to 2035 (about 600 more jobs), slower than the 3.5% projected across all occupations. That is slower than the +1.5% summed from BLS's employment levels across the 41 arts, design, entertainment, sports, and media occupations with a projection. That change ranks 583rd of 830 projected occupations.
| Measure | Figure |
|---|---|
| Employment, 2025 | 170,400 |
| Employment, 2035 | 170,900 |
| Projected change | +0.3% (little or no change) |
| Openings a year | 17,400 |
Source: BLS Employment Projections, 2025 to 2035. A projection is a BLS estimate, not a count. The 170,400 jobs here differ from the 36,180 on the salary page because Employment Projections also counts the self-employed and a wider set of workers, while OEWS counts wage and salary jobs in May 2025. BLS published these projections on August 27, 2026; checked November 10, 2026. Confirm any figure in the BLS Employment Projections tables.
BLS's reasons for this projection are at the Occupational Outlook Handbook. State projections are at Projections Central; projections by industry are left to BLS. Education, licensing and work context at O*NET.
How many job openings are there each year?
About 17,400 openings a year, from job growth and from workers leaving the occupation, the 175th most of 830 occupations. Nearly all of them replace workers who change occupations or leave the labor force; the rest come from the 60 jobs added in an average year.
Source: BLS Employment Projections, 2025 to 2035.
How does pay for musicians and singers rank?
BLS publishes pay for musicians and singers hourly, at a median of $47.80 an hour, so there is no annual rank.
Source: BLS OEWS national file, May 2025. Wage and salary jobs only; the self-employed are not counted. OEWS pay excludes overtime, shift differentials and non-production bonuses. Ranks count only the occupations with that published figure: 830 for projected change, 830 for openings, 825 for median pay, which is why the totals differ.
What does it take to start?
- Typical entry-level education: no formal educational credential.
- Typical on-the-job training: long-term on-the-job training.
Source: BLS Employment Projections, 2025 to 2035, education and training assignments.
How do related jobs compare on outlook?
| Occupation | Change | Openings a year | Median pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Music Directors and Composers | +1.2% | 4,200 | $73,710 |
| Actors | 0% | 6,300 | $29.05/hr |
| Choreographers | +3.1% | 600 | $55,310 |
| Dancers | +2.2% | 1,600 | $24.80/hr |
| Producers and Directors | +4.0% | 12,100 | $90,360 |
| Writers and Authors | -0.3% | 11,900 | $76,910 |
| Sound Engineering Technicians | -3.1% | 1,000 | $73,130 |
| Disc Jockeys, Except Radio | +3.8% | 1,700 | $21.61/hr |
Related occupations from O*NET; projections from BLS Employment Projections, 2025 to 2035; pay from BLS OEWS, May 2025.