Background actor vs stand up comedian

The differences between background actors and stand up comedians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a background actor has an average salary of $52,647, which is higher than the $51,101 average annual salary of a stand up comedian.

The top three skills for a background actor include production assistants, CSI and tv show. The most important skills for a stand up comedian are comedy, different venues, and colleges.

Background actor vs stand up comedian overview

	Background Actor	Stand Up Comedian
Yearly salary	$52,647	$51,101
Hourly rate	$25.31	$24.57
Growth rate	8%	8%
Number of jobs	302	206
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 55%	Bachelor's Degree, 72%
Average age	38	38
Years of experience	-	-

Background actor vs stand up comedian salary

Background actors and stand up comedians have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Background Actor	Stand Up Comedian
Average salary	$52,647	$51,101
Salary range	Between $24,000 And $112,000	Between $26,000 And $100,000
Highest paying City	-	-
Highest paying state	-	-
Best paying company	-	-
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between background actor and stand up comedian education

There are a few differences between a background actor and a stand up comedian in terms of educational background:

	Background Actor	Stand Up Comedian
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 55%	Bachelor's Degree, 72%
Most common major	Communication	Communication
Most common college	-	-

Background actor vs stand up comedian demographics

Here are the differences between background actors' and stand up comedians' demographics:

	Background Actor	Stand Up Comedian
Average age	38	38
Gender ratio	Male, 60.9% Female, 39.1%	Male, 88.7% Female, 11.3%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 13.1% Unknown, 7.1% Hispanic or Latino, 16.0% Asian, 6.4% White, 57.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%	Black or African American, 12.8% Unknown, 6.7% Hispanic or Latino, 17.4% Asian, 5.4% White, 57.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage	19%	19%

Differences between background actor and stand up comedian duties and responsibilities

Background actor example responsibilities.

Act in productions and lead performing arts and drama workshops for local schools and organizations.
Work with other crewmembers responsible for lighting, costumes, makeup, and props.
Self-Start as an actor and performer in various comedy, drama and horror films and television shows.
Content include radio, television and Internetadvertisements, video games and documentaries.
Model Ferragamo, Armani, Versace.

Stand up comedian example responsibilities.

Manage presence on Facebook, YouTube and SoundCloud.
Perform in a wide variety of venues including hotel lounges, comedy clubs and theaters.
Perform all original content at a variety of venues in NYC, Los Angeles and Detroit.
Write and perform original comedy material design to appeal to a broad cross section of the populace.
Perform for clubs, colleges, cruises, and corporations all over the country (and a little outside it).
Delegate and supervise assignments to new associates using effective communication and leadership skills.

Background actor vs stand up comedian skills

Common background actor skills

Production Assistants, 18%
CSI, 15%
TV Show, 12%
ABC, 11%
Body Movements, 9%
Feature Film, 8%

Common stand up comedian skills

Comedy, 36%
Different Venues, 23%
Colleges, 18%
Comics, 8%
Corporate Events, 8%
NYC, 7%

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Background Actor
Background Actor vs Stand Up Comedian

Updated January 8, 2025

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