Average music major salary

Updated September 14, 2023

$52,899

$27,00010%

$52,899Median

$102,00090%

What is the average music major salary in the US?

The national average salary for a music major in the U.S. is $52,899 annually or $25.43 hourly.There is a huge gap between the top 10 percent earners and the bottom 10 percent earners -- about $75,000. The top 10 percent earn over $102,000, while the bottom 10 percent make less than $27,000 annually.Employers that have the highest concentration of job opportunities for music majors are technology companies and professional companies.New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts, California, and New Jersey have the highest paying jobs for music major graduates.

Best paying cities

$66,125

$64,636

$62,043

Average music salary by company

If you are a music major graduate, you can expect good job security. However, keep in mind that some industries pay better than others.technology companies and professional companies have the most job opportunities for music major graduates.The two companies that report the highest salaries for music major graduates are Apple and Uber Technologies.In addition, companies like Music Academy of the West and Bose report highly competitive salaries for music major graduates.

Average salary by company

Rank	Company	Zippia score	Average music salary
1	1.Apple	4.8	$119,508
2	2.Uber Technologies	4.7	$102,647
3	3.Music Academy of the West	3.9	$91,938
4	4.Bose	4.4	$84,201
5	5.Lyft	4.4	$81,406
6	6.New York University	4.8	$78,609
7	7.Deloitte	4.7	$77,209
8	8.The Juilliard School	4.3	$75,486
9	9.Cleveland Institute of Music	4.6	$73,777
10	10.Metropolitan Opera	4.0	$71,320
11	11.Full Sail University	4.0	$69,222
12	12.San Francisco Conservatory of Music	4.4	$68,566
13	13.Northwestern University	4.6	$67,959
14	14.Montclair State University	4.2	$65,082
15	15.Columbia College Chicago	3.8	$64,708
16	16.Carnegie Mellon University	4.5	$64,066
17	17.The University of the Arts	4.4	$61,706
18	18.Duquesne University	4.6	$60,515
19	19.Florida State University	4.6	$60,185
20	20.Los Angeles Unified School District	4.7	$60,139

Average music major salary by city

Music major graduates in the US make an average salary of $52,899 per year or $25.43 per hour.The city with the highest salaries for music major graduates is New York, NY at $66,125 per year.The average starting salary in New York, NY for music major graduates is $33,000.San Francisco, CA, Hartford, CT, Boston, MA, Washington, DC, Philadelphia, PA, and Portland, ME are the best cities for music major graduates looking for a higher than average salary.The top 5 states with the highest reported salaries for music major graduates are New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts, California, and New Jersey.On the other hand, Arkansas, Alabama, Missouri, Iowa, and Kansas report the lowest wages for music major graduates.

Average salary by location

Rank	City	Average music salary	Salary range
1	New York, NY	$66,125	$33k $94k
2	San Francisco, CA	$64,636	$33k $94k
3	Hartford, CT	$62,043	$33k $94k
4	Boston, MA	$61,401	$33k $94k
5	Washington, DC	$56,952	$33k $94k
6	Philadelphia, PA	$55,660	$33k $94k
7	Portland, ME	$55,206	$33k $94k
8	Baltimore, MD	$55,204	$33k $94k
9	Richmond, VA	$53,931	$33k $94k
10	Des Moines, WA	$53,878	$33k $94k
11	Portland, OR	$52,249	$33k $94k
12	Phoenix, AZ	$51,544	$33k $94k
13	Columbus, OH	$50,748	$33k $94k
14	Chicago, IL	$50,436	$33k $94k
15	Richmond, IN	$50,017	$33k $94k
16	Madison, WI	$49,935	$33k $94k
17	San Antonio, TX	$49,690	$33k $94k
18	Raleigh, NC	$48,965	$33k $94k
19	Saint Paul, MN	$48,458	$33k $94k
20	Atlanta, GA	$48,324	$33k $94k

Average music major salary by state

The darker areas on the map show where music majors earn the highest salaries across all 50 states.

Average salary

Music major average salary by state

State	Average music major salary	Average hourly rate
New York	$66,199	$31.83
Connecticut	$62,363	$29.98
Massachusetts	$61,568	$29.60
California	$61,469	$29.55
New Jersey	$59,251	$28.49
New Hampshire	$57,190	$27.50
Rhode Island	$55,656	$26.76
Pennsylvania	$55,299	$26.59
Maryland	$55,120	$26.50
Alaska	$54,995	$26.44
Maine	$54,602	$26.25
Michigan	$54,399	$26.15
Virginia	$54,309	$26.11
Delaware	$54,276	$26.09
Vermont	$53,863	$25.90
Washington	$53,652	$25.79
Oregon	$52,861	$25.41
West Virginia	$52,065	$25.03
Arizona	$51,590	$24.80
Ohio	$51,471	$24.75
Wisconsin	$50,734	$24.39
Nevada	$50,429	$24.24
Illinois	$50,214	$24.14
Idaho	$49,722	$23.90
North Dakota	$49,481	$23.79
Indiana	$49,425	$23.76
Hawaii	$49,408	$23.75
Texas	$48,955	$23.54
New Mexico	$48,680	$23.40
Minnesota	$48,551	$23.34
Georgia	$48,443	$23.29
North Carolina	$48,103	$23.13
Utah	$47,805	$22.98
Florida	$47,392	$22.78
Kentucky	$47,035	$22.61
Tennessee	$46,997	$22.59
Louisiana	$46,699	$22.45
South Carolina	$46,530	$22.37
Oklahoma	$45,930	$22.08
Mississippi	$45,716	$21.98
Colorado	$45,397	$21.83
Montana	$45,340	$21.80
South Dakota	$45,211	$21.74
Nebraska	$45,101	$21.68
Arkansas	$44,837	$21.56
Alabama	$44,655	$21.47
Missouri	$44,610	$21.45
Iowa	$44,509	$21.40
Kansas	$44,214	$21.26
Wyoming	$43,043	$20.69

Highest paying jobs for music majors

Rank	Job title	Average salary	Open jobs
1	Executive Producer	$117,841	74,007
2	Software Development Engineer	$109,146	356,971
3	Software Engineer	$100,259	339,938
4	Technical Specialist	$88,772	121,151
5	Software Developer	$87,521	294,329
6	Assistant Professor	$87,099	30,531
7	Implementation Consultant	$80,194	70,450
8	Design Consultant	$77,802	59,470
9	Epic Credentialed Trainer	$75,929	41,467
10	Business Analyst	$74,430	170,514
11	Data Analyst	$74,342	167,520
12	Quality Assurance Tester	$74,139	82,396
13	Associate Consultant	$73,340	94,983
14	Analyst	$73,007	253,138
15	Producer	$72,201	10,610
16	Finance Analyst	$69,887	138,600
17	Account Executive	$69,618	205,561
18	Sales Leader	$68,699	458,558
19	Data Specialist	$68,325	100,301
20	Researcher	$67,145	30,498

Average music major salary by industry

The type of industry that a music major graduate works in can influence their earning potential.By looking at our data, we can see that government companies, education companies, and retail companies pay music major graduates well.government companies pay music major graduates an average salary of $64,369, education companies pay $50,100, and retail companies come in at $34,852.The average music major salary in the hospitality industry is lower than the rest, coming in at $25,900.

Average salary by industry

Rank	Industry	Average music major salary	Range
1	Government	$64,369	$22k $86k
2	Education	$50,100	$22k $86k
3	Retail	$34,852	$22k $86k
4	Hospitality	$25,900	$22k $86k

Salary history for music major graduates

This data shows the national average salary between 2011-2020 among Music major graduates.

Music major salary by experience level

Average salary by experience level salaries by experience level

The salary for a music major graduate can range from $27,512 to $51,496 depending on the amount of work experience that the person has. Data on how experience level affects salary is provided by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) as part of their National Compensation Survey, which is based on factors such as knowledge, complexity, contacts, and environment.

Experience level	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
Entry-level average salary by experience level	$27,500	$13.23
Mid-level average salary by experience level	$51,300	$24.66
Senior-level average salary by experience level	$51,500	$24.76

Salaries for related majors

Rank	Major	Average salary	Range
1	Design And Visual Communication	$61,809	$33k $85k
2	Interior Design	$56,785	$33k $85k
3	Art Studies	$52,801	$33k $85k
4	Visual And Performing Arts	$52,654	$33k $85k
5	Music Performance	$52,211	$33k $85k
6	Graphic Design	$50,589	$33k $85k
7	Fine Arts	$50,533	$33k $85k
8	Theatre	$50,427	$33k $85k
9	Entertainment Business	$48,049	$33k $85k
10	Photography	$47,855	$33k $85k
11	Dance	$45,818	$33k $85k