Actors

The wage scale for actors is largely controlled through bargaining agreements reached by various unions in negotiations with producers. These agreements normally control the minimum salaries, hours of work permitted per week, and other conditions of employment. In addition, each artist enters into a separate contract that may provide a higher salary.

In 2023-2024, the minimum daily salary of any member of SAG-AFTRA in a speaking role in a television or film production was $1,158 for one day or $4,019 for a five-day workweek. Motion picture actors may also receive additional payments known as residuals as part of their guaranteed salary. Many motion picture actors receive residuals whenever films, TV shows, and TV commercials in which they appear are rerun, sold for TV exhibition, or put on blu-ray or streaming services. Residuals often exceed the actors' original salary and account for about one-third of all actors' income.

The Actors' Equity Association's 2022–2023 Theatrical Season Report includes a breakdown of average weekly salaries for actors performing in live theater by contract type and location. In 2022–23, AEA members earned collectively $484,919,343 nationwide, an increase of 1.2% over 2018-19 ($479,292,411). The Eastern region, including Broadway, accounted for the majority of earnings (82.77%), followed by the Western (10.68%) and Central (6.55%).

According to the U.S. Department of Labor, the median hourly earnings of all actors was $20.50 an hour, or $42,640 per year, as of May 2023. The department also reported that the lowest-paid 10 percent earned $13.00 an hour ($27,040 annually), while the highest-paid 10 percent made more than $100.01 an hour ($208,020 annually).

Frequent periods of unemployment affect the annual earnings of persons in television and movies. Unions offer health, welfare, and pension funds for members working several weeks a year. Depending on the work contract, some actors are eligible for paid vacation and sick time.

In all fields, some well-known actors have salary rates above the minimum. The salaries of top stars are many times higher. The North American film market, which includes the United States and Canada, ranked Samuel L. Jackson as the highest-grossing lead actor in August 2023. In the United States, films starring Jackson as a lead character earned $5.72 billion.

Some actors cannot receive unemployment compensation when waiting for their next part, primarily because they need to work more to meet the minimum eligibility requirements for compensation. Sick leaves and paid vacations are not usually available to many actors, and they must work when a film or play is in production. However, union actors who earn the minimum qualifications now receive full medical and health insurance under all the actors' unions. Those who earn health plan benefits for 10 years become eligible for a pension upon retirement. The acting field is very uncertain. Aspirants never know whether they will be able to get into the profession, and once in, there are uncertainties as to whether their show or performance will be well received and, if not, whether the actors' talent can survive a bad show.