~160,000

SAG-AFTRA states it represents approximately 160,000 actors, announcers, broadcast journalists, dancers, DJs and other media professionals.

Source: SAG-AFTRA-About · Data: Undated (current website text, retrieved 2026)

51,000+

Actors' Equity Association states it represents more than 51,000 professional actors and stage managers.

Source: Actors' Equity Association-About · Data: Undated (current website text, retrieved 2026)

47,717

Actors' Equity (US) had 47,717 total active members as of June 2024, down from 48,143 as of June 2022.

Source: Actors' Equity Association Annual Report 2023-2024 and 2022-2023 · Data: June 2024 / June 2022

28,000+

ACTRA states it represents over 28,000 professional performers across Canada.

Source: ACTRA (Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists)-homepage · Data: Undated (current homepage text, retrieved 2026)

67,500

Actors held about 67,500 jobs in the United States in 2025.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook-Actors · Data: 2025

$29.05

The median hourly wage for actors (SOC 27-2011) was $29.05 in May 2025; the lowest 10 percent earned less than $16.50 and the highest 10 percent earned more than $143.68.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook-Actors · Data: May 2025

23%

23% of actors were self-employed workers, the largest share of any 'industry' in BLS's breakdown; theater companies and dinner theaters employed 10%.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook-Actors · Data: 2025

Part-time

BLS states: 'Part-time work is common for actors' and 'actors often hold another job in order to make a living'; assignments are 'usually short, ranging from 1 day to a few months'.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook-Actors · Data: 2025

22,220

Highest-employment states for actors, May 2023: California 22,220; Florida 8,550; Illinois 6,460; New York 6,120; Georgia 5,380.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS-Actors (27-2011), May 2023 · Data: May 2023

$58.91

Top-paying states for actors by mean hourly wage, May 2023: New York $58.91; Georgia $49.68; California $45.76; Minnesota $38.90; Pennsylvania $32.24.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS-Actors (27-2011), May 2023 · Data: May 2023

18,140

Metropolitan areas with the highest actor employment, May 2023: Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim 18,140 (mean hourly $48.63); New York-Newark-Jersey City 6,220 ($54.47); Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford 6,110 ($21.87); Chicago-Naperville-Elgin 3,800 ($33.61); Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell 3,400 ($53.41).

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS-Actors (27-2011), May 2023 · Data: May 2023

0%

BLS projects employment of actors to show little or no change from 2025 to 2035 (0% change, 67,500 jobs in 2025 and 67,500 projected in 2035), versus 3% for all occupations.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook-Actors · Data: 2025-2035 projection

6,300

About 6,300 openings for actors are projected each year, on average, over the decade, mostly from workers who transfer to other occupations or leave the labor force.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook-Actors · Data: 2025-2035 projection

14%

14% of SAG-AFTRA members make at least $26,470 annually to qualify for SAG-AFTRA health plan coverage, per SAG-AFTRA chief economist David Viviano.

Source: Rolling Stone, quoting SAG-AFTRA chief economist David Viviano · Data: 2023 (strike coverage; page undated)

7%

Only 7% of SAG-AFTRA actors and performers earn $80,000 or more a year, per SAG-AFTRA chief economist David Viviano.

Source: Rolling Stone, quoting SAG-AFTRA chief economist David Viviano · Data: 2023 (strike coverage; page undated)

$476.6M

Actors' Equity members earned $476,608,031 across all Equity contracts in the 2023-24 season, generating 271,562 work weeks.

Source: Actors' Equity Association Annual Report 2023-2024 · Data: 2023-24 season (June 2023-May 2024)

£17,500

UK audiovisual performers' median annual earnings from performing were GBP 17,500, compared with a UK all-worker median of GBP 34,963 and GBP 23,795 for full-time (40-hour) national minimum wage.

Source: CREATe, University of Glasgow survey for the British Equity Collecting Society (BECS) · Data: 2024 (published 3 Oct 2024)

£7,500

UK audiovisual performers with disabilities had a median annual earnings of GBP 7,500, versus GBP 17,500 for performers without disabilities.

Source: BECS-Report on Actors' Earnings Survey 2024 (CREATe, University of Glasgow) · Data: 2024

£17,000

A study by the UK charity Actors' Trust of 3,700 professionals found average actor income of GBP 17,000 per year including second jobs, and 73% of actors with little to no savings.

Source: Theatre-News.com reporting an Actors' Trust study · Data: Published 14 April 2026

A$23,200

Australian artists' income from creative work averaged A$23,200 in 2021-22; average gross income from all sources was A$54,500.

Source: Macquarie University / Creative Australia-'Artists as Workers' (Throsby and Petetskaya), reported by Macquarie University Lighthouse and InDaily · Data: 2021-22 financial year (published May 2024)

24%

In Australia, male artists' mean income was 24 per cent higher than for women artists in 2021-22; only 15 per cent of about 50,000 professional artists earned more than $50,000.

Source: InDaily reporting the Macquarie University 'Artists as Workers' report · Data: 2021-22 financial year (published May 2024)

92%

In a SAG-AFTRA survey of 9,300 members (about 5% of the guild), 92% of roles required a self-recorded upload, 15% required a virtual audition on Zoom or another live platform, and under 4% required an in-person audition.

Source: Deadline, reporting a SAG-AFTRA member survey (via SAG-AFTRA low-budget self-tape guidelines) · Data: Survey reported December 2022

62%

In the same SAG-AFTRA survey, 91% of members were required to supply their own recording equipment, 62% incurred out-of-pocket self-tape expenses, and 34% experienced long, burdensome auditions without pay.

Source: Deadline, reporting a SAG-AFTRA member survey · Data: Survey reported December 2022

516

The number of adult scripted series in the US fell to 516 in 2023 from an all-time high of 600 the year before.

Source: Fortune, reporting FX Chairman John Landgraf (FX Research count) at TCA, 12 Feb 2024 · Data: 2022 and 2023

1,122

Luminate's 2025 Year-End Film & TV Report (as reported) counted 1,122 TV shows premiering in 2025, an 11% drop from 1,266 in 2024 and about a third below the 1,695 peak in 2022.

Source: Indian Television, reporting Luminate's 2025 Year-End Film & TV Report · Data: 2022-2025

£6.8bn

UK film and high-end TV (HETV) production spend was GBP 6.8 billion in 2025, a 22% increase on the first reported figures for 2024.

Source: British Film Institute (BFI)-official statistics 2025 · Data: 2025 (published 5 Feb 2026)

85%

Inward investment films and HETV delivered GBP 5.8 billion, or 85% of combined UK production spend in 2025.

Source: British Film Institute (BFI)-official statistics 2025 · Data: 2025

A$2.7bn

A record A$2.7 billion was spent on 174 Australian and international drama titles in 2024/25, up 43% on the previous year; 71 titles were Australian (down from 89).

Source: Screen Australia-Drama Report 2024/25 · Data: 2024/25 (published 4 Dec 2025)

19%

19% of UK audiovisual performers surveyed had been asked to provide images or audio to create a digital lookalike or soundalike, and 8% had a digital lookalike or soundalike made without their consent.

Source: CREATe, University of Glasgow survey for BECS · Data: 2024 (published Oct 2024)

84%

The same UK survey found 69.3% of performers believe the value of initial fees is decreasing, 84% believe residuals and royalties are decreasing, 64% are not confident they receive all fees owed, and 96% perceive buyouts as increasing.

Source: CREATe, University of Glasgow survey for BECS · Data: 2024

78.33%

SAG-AFTRA members ratified the 2023 TV/Theatrical contract by 78.33% to 21.67% on 38.15% turnout, ending a 118-day strike.

Source: NBC News · Data: December 2023