# Actors

US SOC code 27-2011. Markdown version of https://futurehistory.earth/timeline/27-2011

Also called: Actress, Performer, Stage actor, Film actor, TV actor.

## In brief

In May 2025, [BLS](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm25nat.zip) counted **55,000** US actors. Median pay was **$26,460** a year in May 2003. Of the BLS counts since 2003, the highest was **70,540**, in May 2012. The last full technology era for actors: Streaming on-demand, 2007 to 2020.

## What the sources say

### Official outlook

BLS projects little or no change in employment from 2025 to 2035 (0%). Source: [BLS Employment Projections 2025-35](https://data.bls.gov/projections/nationalMatrix?queryParams=27-2011&ioType=o).

### AI exposure studies

- **15.6%** of this job's tasks are exposed to large language models. Not a forecast of job losses. [Eloundou and others, 2023](https://github.com/openai/GPTs-are-GPTs/blob/main/data/occ_level.csv)

Data as of BLS OEWS May 2025; BLS Employment Projections 2025-35. BLS publishes these counts as yearly survey snapshots and cautions against reading them as a precise trend. In May 2021 BLS changed how it estimates these counts (a model-based method using three years of survey data) and moved fully to the 2018 occupation codes, so part of a change across 2021 can come from the method rather than the work.

## Actors employment and pay by year

- On record since: 1750
- Latest US employment: 55,000 (May 2025). Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 [8]
- Latest US median pay: $26,460 (May 2003). Source: BLS OEWS May 2003 [12]
- Outlook: +0% by 2035. Source: BLS Employment Projections 2025-35 [29]

### In other countries

The latest figure each country's statistics agency publishes for this job. Each uses its own occupation definition, survey basis and currency, so the numbers are not directly comparable with each other or with the US figures.

- **Canada** (NOC 53121)
  - Employment, 2020: 13,970. Source: Statistics Canada Census 2021 [9]. Statistics Canada Census of Population 2021: number of persons with employment income in NOC 53121 Actors, comedians and circus performers, Canada, reference year 2020. A recipients basis (anyone with employment income during the year), slightly broader than a point-in-time employed count. Statistics Canada Open Licence.
  - Median pay, 2020: C$37,200. Source: Statistics Canada Census 2021 [13]. Statistics Canada Census of Population 2021 (Table 98-10-0586): median employment income for NOC 53121 Actors, comedians and circus performers, Canada, reference year 2020, full-year full-time workers (the basis comparable to the US OEWS full-time median). Statistics Canada Open Licence.

### All 31 years of cited US data

| Year | US employment | Annual pay (median unless marked) | Source |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1870 | 5,000 | n/a | Decennial Census 1950 [1] |
| 1900 | 9,500 | n/a | Decennial Census 1900 [2] |
| 1920 | 17,000 | n/a | Decennial Census 1920 [3] |
| 1937 | n/a | $2,600 (estimate) | Est., Salaries of Hollywood in 1937 [10] |
| 1940 | 21,000 | n/a | Decennial Census 1940 [4] |
| 1960 | 35,000 (estimate) | n/a | Est., SAG-AFTRA [5] |
| 1990 | 49,000 (estimate) | n/a | Est., National Endowment for the Arts [6] |
| 2000 | 63,500 | $25,920 | BLS OEWS 2000 [7] |
| 2003 | 51,840 | $26,460 | BLS OEWS May 2003 [8] |
| 2004 | 59,000 | n/a | BLS OEWS May 2004 [8] |
| 2005 | 59,590 | n/a | BLS OEWS May 2005 [8] |
| 2006 | 51,880 | n/a | BLS OEWS May 2006 [8] |
| 2007 | 44,860 | n/a | BLS OEWS May 2007 [8] |
| 2008 | 44,360 | n/a | BLS OEWS May 2008 [8] |
| 2009 | 39,880 | n/a | BLS OEWS May 2009 [8] |
| 2010 | 54,740 | n/a | BLS OEWS May 2010 [8] |
| 2011 | 60,830 | n/a | BLS OEWS May 2011 [8] |
| 2012 | 70,540 | n/a | BLS OEWS May 2012 [8] |
| 2013 | 63,230 | n/a | BLS OEWS May 2013 [8] |
| 2014 | 59,210 | n/a | BLS OEWS May 2014 [8] |
| 2015 | 50,570 | n/a | BLS OEWS May 2015 [8] |
| 2016 | 48,620 | n/a | BLS OEWS May 2016 [8] |
| 2017 | 43,470 | n/a | BLS OEWS May 2017 [8] |
| 2018 | 47,430 | n/a | BLS OEWS May 2018 [8] |
| 2019 | 52,620 | n/a | BLS OEWS May 2019 [8] |
| 2020 | 44,460 | n/a | BLS OEWS May 2020 [8] |
| 2021 | 30,100 | n/a | BLS OEWS May 2021 [8] |
| 2022 | 54,160 | n/a | BLS OEWS May 2022 [8] |
| 2023 | 62,560 | n/a | BLS OEWS May 2023 [8] |
| 2024 | 38,800 | n/a | BLS OEWS May 2024 [8] |
| 2025 | 55,000 | n/a | BLS OEWS May 2025 [8] |

## Sources (77)

### Employment series

1. [IPUMS USA -- OCC1950 variable: 1950 Census Bureau occupational classification applied to historical Census samples including 1870](https://usa.ipums.org/usa-action/variables/OCC1950), IPUMS / University of Minnesota
2. [1900 Census Special Reports: Occupations at the Twelfth Census (Census Bureau publication)](https://www.census.gov/library/publications/1904/dec/occupations.html), US Census Bureau
3. [1920 Census: Volume 4. Population, Occupations -- US Census Bureau historical publication](https://www.census.gov/library/publications/1923/dec/vol-04-occupations.html), US Census Bureau
4. [1940 Census of Population, Vol. III The Labor Force -- occupation counts (actors and actresses)](https://www.census.gov/library/publications/1943/dec/population-vol-3.html), U.S. Census Bureau
5. [SAG-AFTRA -- Our History: 1960s (guild history documentation)](https://www.sagaftra.org/about/our-history/1960s), SAG-AFTRA
6. [National Endowment for the Arts -- Artists in the Workforce 1990-2005 (NEA Research Report, census-derived counts)](https://www.arts.gov/sites/default/files/ArtistsInWorkforce.pdf), National Endowment for the Arts
7. [BLS OES 2000 national estimates (flat file)](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oes00nat.zip), Bureau of Labor Statistics
8. BLS OEWS, national cross-industry estimates (flat file), Bureau of Labor Statistics. Editions: [2003](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm03nat.zip), [2004](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm04nat.zip), [2005](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm05nat.zip), [2006](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm06nat.zip), [2007](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm07nat.zip), [2008](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm08nat.zip), [2009](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm09nat.zip), [2010](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm10nat.zip), [2011](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm11nat.zip), [2012](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm12nat.zip), [2013](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm13nat.zip), [2014](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm14nat.zip), [2015](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm15nat.zip), [2016](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm16nat.zip), [2017](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm17nat.zip), [2018](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm18nat.zip), [2019](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm19nat.zip), [2020](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm20nat.zip), [2021](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm21nat.zip), [2022](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm22nat.zip), [2023](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm23nat.zip), [2024](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm24nat.zip), [2025](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm25nat.zip)
9. [Statistics Canada, Census of Population 2021, Table 98-10-0586 (Employment income statistics by occupation unit group, NOC 2021), income reference year 2020](https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/t1/tbl1/en/tv.action?pid=9810058601), Statistics Canada

### Wage series

10. [Salaries of Hollywood in 1937 -- film historian compilation of studio contract player pay rates](https://stuffnobodycaresabout.com/2014/08/30/salaries-hollywood-1937/), Stuff Nobody Cares About (film history research)
11. [BLS OES 2000 national estimates (flat file)](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oes00nat.zip), Bureau of Labor Statistics
12. [BLS OEWS May 2003, national cross-industry estimates (flat file)](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm03nat.zip), Bureau of Labor Statistics
13. [Statistics Canada, Census of Population 2021, Table 98-10-0586 (Employment income statistics by occupation unit group, NOC 2021), income reference year 2020](https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/t1/tbl1/en/tv.action?pid=9810058601), Statistics Canada

### Tool eras

14. [Elizabethan Theatre -- World History Encyclopedia (professional acting company origins)](https://www.worldhistory.org/Elizabethan_Theatre/), World History Encyclopedia
15. [Act 1: History of the Theatre through the Ages -- QMUL Library Services](https://www.qmul.ac.uk/library/archives/blogs/items/-act-1-history-of-the-theatre-through-the-ages.html), Queen Mary University of London Library
16. [PBS American Masters -- Vaudeville: About Vaudeville (employment and circuit history)](https://www.pbs.org/wnet/americanmasters/vaudeville-about-vaudeville/721/), PBS / WNET
17. [Wikipedia -- Vaudeville (circuit history and performer numbers)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vaudeville), Wikipedia
18. [Brewminate -- Elizabethan Theater: First Professional Actors (professional acting lineage)](https://brewminate.com/elizabethan-theater-first-professional-actors-with-non-religious-themes/), Brewminate
19. [Hollywood Studio System Era -- CinemaWaves (studio employment data, contract player system)](https://cinemawavesblog.com/film-blog/hollywood-studio-system-era/), CinemaWaves
20. [Golden Age of Television -- Wikipedia (employment and programming history 1948-1958)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_Age_of_Television), Wikipedia
21. [SAG-AFTRA -- Our History: 1960s (SAG 1960 strike, residuals, television employment)](https://www.sagaftra.org/about/our-history/1960s), SAG-AFTRA
22. [SAG-AFTRA Wikipedia -- guild history, 1975-2012 (cable television and merger)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SAG-AFTRA), Wikipedia
23. [History of SAG-AFTRA -- Voices.com blog (guild history timeline)](https://www.voices.com/blog/history-sag-aftra/), Voices.com
24. [Sherwood News -- LA's streaming gold rush is over: Film and TV workers have been left in the dust](https://sherwood.news/business/hollywood-worker-strikes-media-streaming-impacts/), Sherwood News
25. [BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook -- Actors, 2024-25](https://www.bls.gov/ooh/entertainment-and-sports/actors.htm), Bureau of Labor Statistics
26. [SAG-AFTRA -- AI Bargaining and Policy Work Timeline 2023-2025](https://www.sagaftra.org/contracts-industry-resources/member-resources/artificial-intelligence/sag-aftra-ai-bargaining-and), SAG-AFTRA
27. [Gecic Law -- The 2023 Hollywood Strike: Labor, Scripts and the AI Showdown](https://www.geciclaw.com/hollywood-strike/), Gecic Law
28. [NPR -- Where things stand two years after the Hollywood actors and writers strike (2025)](https://www.npr.org/2025/07/29/nx-s1-5420787/where-things-stand-two-years-after-the-hollywood-actors-and-writers-strike), NPR

### Forecasts and exposure studies

29. [BLS Employment Projections 2025-35, National Employment Matrix: 27-2011 Actors (2025: 67.5 thousand; 2035: 67.5 thousand; 0.0%)](https://data.bls.gov/projections/nationalMatrix?queryParams=27-2011&ioType=o), Bureau of Labor Statistics
30. [Eloundou, Manning, Mishkin & Rock (2023), "GPTs are GPTs", occupation-level exposure data occ\_level.csv (O\*NET-SOC 27-2011.00, human-rated β 0.156)](https://github.com/openai/GPTs-are-GPTs/blob/main/data/occ_level.csv), OpenAI

### Historical notes

31. [QMUL Library -- Act 1: History of the Theatre through the Ages (colonial-era theatre prohibition)](https://www.qmul.ac.uk/library/archives/blogs/items/-act-1-history-of-the-theatre-through-the-ages.html), Queen Mary University of London Library
32. [SAG-AFTRA -- Our History: 1930s (union origins and predecessors)](https://www.sagaftra.org/about/our-history/1930s), SAG-AFTRA
33. [Wikipedia -- Silent film (transition to sound, Jazz Singer 1927)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silent_film), Wikipedia
34. [EBSCO Research Starters -- Hollywood Studio System Is Transformed (Paramount antitrust decision)](https://www.ebsco.com/research-starters/history/hollywood-studio-system-transformed), EBSCO
35. [SAG-AFTRA -- Our History: 1960s (1960 strike and residuals)](https://www.sagaftra.org/about/our-history/1960s), SAG-AFTRA
36. [NPR -- Where things stand two years after the Hollywood actors and writers strike (2025)](https://www.npr.org/2025/07/29/nx-s1-5420787/where-things-stand-two-years-after-the-hollywood-actors-and-writers-strike), NPR
37. [NBC News -- Scarlett Johansson demands OpenAI pull "Sky" AI voice (May 2024)](https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/tech-news/scarlett-johansson-openai-sky-voice-chatgpt-rcna152174), NBC News

### Predecessors & successors

38. [World History Encyclopedia -- Elizabethan Theatre (professional acting lineage)](https://www.worldhistory.org/Elizabethan_Theatre/), World History Encyclopedia
39. [PBS American Masters -- Vaudeville (vaudeville-to-film performer transition)](https://www.pbs.org/wnet/americanmasters/vaudeville-about-vaudeville/721/), PBS / WNET

### Present-day analysis

- [O\*NET 30.3 — Actors (27-2011.00)](https://www.onetonline.org/link/summary/27-2011.00), accessed 2026-05-24
- [BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook — Actors, 2024-25](https://www.bls.gov/ooh/entertainment-and-sports/actors.htm), accessed 2026-05-24
- [SAG-AFTRA 2023 TV/Theatrical Contract — AI Provisions and Consent Framework](https://www.sagaftra.org/sag-aftra-reaches-tentative-agreement-ai-framework), accessed 2026-05-24
- [Hollywood Reporter — Actors' AI Protections: What's In SAG-AFTRA's Deal, and Where to Worry (Nov 2023)](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/where-sag-aftra-deal-may-miss-ai-protections-1235646988/), accessed 2026-06-21
- [Rolling Stone — One Year After the Actors' Strike, AI Remains a Persistent Threat (2024)](https://www.rollingstone.com/tv-movies/tv-movie-features/actors-strike-sag-aftra-ai-one-year-later-1235059882/), accessed 2026-06-21
- [NBC News — Scarlett Johansson demands OpenAI pull "Sky" AI voice (May 2024)](https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/tech-news/scarlett-johansson-openai-sky-voice-chatgpt-rcna152174), accessed 2026-05-24
- [The Wrap — SAG-AFTRA's New AI Protections: What They Mean for Real and Synthetic Actors (2025)](https://www.thewrap.com/industry-news/tech/sag-aftra-ai-protections-in-new-contract-synthetic/), accessed 2026-06-21
- [Backstage — Voice Acting Jobs Are Disappearing: What VO Artists Are Doing About It (2025)](https://www.backstage.com/magazine/article/voice-acting-ai-jobs-disappearing-2025/), accessed 2026-05-24
- [Eloundou et al. 2024 — GPTs are GPTs (Science)](https://arxiv.org/abs/2303.10130), accessed 2026-05-24
- [Backstage — SAG-AFTRA AI Deal, Explained: Is It Enough to Protect Actors? (2025)](https://www.backstage.com/magazine/article/sag-aftra-ai-deal-explained-76821/), accessed 2026-06-21
- [Variety — Runway Gen-4 Ultra: AI Video in Working Productions (Apr 2026)](https://variety.com/2026/digital/news/runway-gen-4-ultra-ai-video-productions/), accessed 2026-05-24
- [Replica Studios — AI Voice Acting for Games and Animation](https://www.replicastudios.com/), accessed 2026-05-24
- [ElevenLabs — Voice Cloning and AI Dubbing for Production](https://elevenlabs.io/dubbing-studio), accessed 2026-05-24
- [Deadline — SAG-AFTRA Reaches Agreement on AI Interim Agreements for Commercials (2024)](https://deadline.com/2024/07/sag-aftra-ai-commercials-interim-agreement-1235975000/), accessed 2026-05-24
- [Synthesia — AI Video Generation with Digital Human Presenters](https://www.synthesia.io/), accessed 2026-05-24
- [HeyGen — AI Avatar Video for Commercial and Corporate Content](https://www.heygen.com/), accessed 2026-05-24

How to read these figures: https://futurehistory.earth/methodology. Every figure links to its own source; gaps stay gaps.