Average theatre major salary

Updated September 14, 2023

$50,427

$25,00010%

$50,427Median

$100,00090%

What is the average theatre major salary in the US?

The national average salary for a theatre major graduate in the United States is $50,427 per year or $24.24 per hour.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 $100,000, while the bottom 10 percent make less than $25,000 annually.education companies and health care companies have the most job opportunities for theatre major graduates.States with the highest salaries for theatre major graduates include California, New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts, and New Jersey.

Best paying cities

$64,094

$60,280

$56,596

Average theatre salary by company

If you are a theatre major graduate, you can expect good job security. However, keep in mind that some industries pay better than others.Most jobs for theatre majors are in education companies and education companies.New York Film Academy and The American Musical and Dramatic Academy are the highest paying companies.Also, companies like Kidville and Draftfcb pay theatre major graduates very well.

Average salary by company

Rank	Company	Zippia score	Average theatre salary
1	1.New York Film Academy	4.1	$87,206
2	2.The American Musical and Dramatic Academy	3.7	$80,317
3	3.Kidville	4.0	$72,404
4	4.Draftfcb	4.3	$67,373
5	5.Emerson College	4.1	$66,062
6	6.Northwestern University	4.6	$61,716
7	7.HBO	4.8	$61,471
8	8.Loyola Marymount University	3.5	$59,256
9	9.Columbia College Chicago	3.8	$57,570
10	10.Sony Pictures	4.8	$57,004
11	11.Wsp USA Buildings Inc.	4.6	$54,522
12	12.The Walt Disney Company	4.6	$54,495
13	13.Holland America Line	4.7	$54,313
14	14.B Street Theatre	3.6	$54,029
15	15.Warner Bros.	4.6	$53,909
16	16.Carnival Cruise Line	4.3	$53,814
17	17.Royal Caribbean International	4.5	$53,687
18	18.Live Nation Entertainment	4.7	$52,462
19	19.Ball Arena	3.8	$52,307
20	20.RCL	4.8	$51,789

Average theatre major salary by city

Theatre major graduates in the US make an average salary of $50,427 per year or $24.24 per hour.Working in San Francisco, CA as a theatre major graduate will pay you the highest wages at around $64,094 per year.The average entry-level salary in San Francisco, CA is $30,000.New York, NY, Washington, DC, Boston, MA, Newark, NJ, Rochester, NH, and Newark, DE also have great salaries for theatre major graduates.Some of the states with the best salaries for theatre majors are California, New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New Hampshire, and Alaska.The lowest earning states are Nebraska, Kansas, Tennessee, South Carolina, and Alabama.

Average salary by location

Rank	City	Average theatre salary	Salary range
1	San Francisco, CA	$64,094	$31k $94k
2	New York, NY	$60,280	$31k $94k
3	Washington, DC	$56,596	$31k $94k
4	Boston, MA	$56,276	$31k $94k
5	Newark, NJ	$55,698	$31k $94k
6	Rochester, NH	$53,742	$31k $94k
7	Newark, DE	$51,791	$31k $94k
8	Baltimore, MD	$50,992	$31k $94k
9	Las Vegas, NV	$50,843	$31k $94k
10	Arlington, VA	$50,221	$31k $94k
11	Eugene, OR	$49,555	$31k $94k
12	Seattle, WA	$49,333	$31k $94k
13	Philadelphia, PA	$49,087	$31k $94k
14	Portland, ME	$48,492	$31k $94k
15	Washington, MI	$48,415	$31k $94k
16	Cleveland, OH	$47,701	$31k $94k
17	Chicago, IL	$47,011	$31k $94k
18	Minneapolis, MN	$45,731	$31k $94k
19	San Antonio, TX	$45,483	$31k $94k
20	Phoenix, AZ	$45,407	$31k $94k

Average theatre major salary by state

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

Average salary

Theatre major average salary by state

State	Average theatre major salary	Average hourly rate
California	$60,971	$29.31
New York	$60,272	$28.98
Connecticut	$59,596	$28.65
Massachusetts	$56,403	$27.12
New Jersey	$55,673	$26.77
New Hampshire	$54,668	$26.28
Alaska	$53,888	$25.91
Rhode Island	$53,239	$25.60
Delaware	$51,803	$24.91
Vermont	$51,641	$24.83
Nevada	$51,249	$24.64
Maryland	$50,828	$24.44
North Dakota	$49,551	$23.82
Washington	$49,077	$23.59
Oregon	$48,964	$23.54
Pennsylvania	$48,733	$23.43
Virginia	$48,510	$23.32
Michigan	$47,915	$23.04
Maine	$47,888	$23.02
Illinois	$46,877	$22.54
Hawaii	$46,721	$22.46
West Virginia	$46,396	$22.31
Ohio	$45,988	$22.11
Minnesota	$45,761	$22.00
Arizona	$45,360	$21.81
New Mexico	$44,973	$21.62
Texas	$44,773	$21.53
Georgia	$44,310	$21.30
North Carolina	$43,924	$21.12
Wisconsin	$43,891	$21.10
Kentucky	$43,618	$20.97
Utah	$43,346	$20.84
Colorado	$43,335	$20.83
Oklahoma	$43,332	$20.83
Iowa	$43,133	$20.74
Idaho	$43,105	$20.72
Missouri	$42,180	$20.28
Louisiana	$42,054	$20.22
Indiana	$42,026	$20.20
South Dakota	$41,939	$20.16
Mississippi	$41,885	$20.14
Florida	$41,861	$20.13
Wyoming	$41,828	$20.11
Montana	$41,797	$20.09
Nebraska	$41,709	$20.05
Kansas	$41,693	$20.04
Tennessee	$41,691	$20.04
South Carolina	$40,222	$19.34
Alabama	$40,192	$19.32
Arkansas	$40,187	$19.32

Highest paying jobs for theatre majors

Rank	Job title	Average salary	Open jobs
1	Professor	$157,570	21,861
2	Executive Producer	$117,841	74,007
3	Performance Test Lead	$96,572	42,925
4	Real Estate Agent	$91,787	41,399
5	User Experience Designer	$91,159	52,582
6	Art Model	$90,336	4,470
7	Assistant Professor	$87,099	30,531
8	Product Specialist	$85,931	103,863
9	Adjunct Faculty	$83,069	26,791
10	Producer	$72,201	10,610
11	Account Executive	$69,618	205,561
12	Teaching Artist	$66,565	4,493
13	Designer	$66,346	52,433
14	Writer	$66,142	13,931
15	Technical Writer	$65,329	75,090
16	Planner	$63,160	15,269
17	Operations Analyst	$63,082	141,707
18	Copy Editor	$62,598	4,866
19	Content Creator	$61,988	9,142
20	Production Artist	$61,869	59,103

Average theatre major salary by industry

Wages for theatre major graduates can differ based on the industry they work in.Our data shows that technology companies, internet companies, and professional companies tend to have the highest salaries for theatre major graduates.Salaries for theatre major graduates in technology companies average $112,071 annually, while internet companies and professional companies pay $97,105 and $76,720, respectively.The average theatre major salary in the retail industry is lower than the rest, coming in at $33,186.

Average salary by industry

Rank	Industry	Average theatre major salary	Range
1	Technology	$112,071	$27k $145k
2	Internet	$97,105	$27k $145k
3	Professional	$76,720	$27k $145k
4	Education	$63,902	$27k $145k
5	Government	$50,756	$27k $145k
6	Manufacturing	$48,888	$27k $145k
7	Media	$40,302	$27k $145k
8	Retail	$33,186	$27k $145k

Salary history for theatre major graduates

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

Theatre major salary by experience level

Average salary by experience level salaries by experience level

The salary for a theatre major graduate can range from $27,441 to $45,171 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	$27,400	$13.19
Mid-level average salary by experience level	$49,200	$23.65
Senior-level average salary by experience level	$45,200	$21.72

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	Music	$52,899	$33k $85k
4	Art Studies	$52,801	$33k $85k
5	Visual And Performing Arts	$52,654	$33k $85k
6	Music Performance	$52,211	$33k $85k
7	Graphic Design	$50,589	$33k $85k
8	Fine Arts	$50,533	$33k $85k
9	Entertainment Business	$48,049	$33k $85k
10	Photography	$47,855	$33k $85k
11	Dance	$45,818	$33k $85k