' Now mathematicians at Queen Mary University of London have calculated just how tough. In a huge study of nearly 2.5 million screen actors dating back to the 1880s, researchers discovered that just two per cent make a living from the profession and 90 per cent are unemployed at any one time.

What percentage of actors are unemployed?

According to SAG-AFTRA, the unemployment rate for its members is about 85%. However, the 15% employed includes minor roles and even extra work. Indeed, many “working actors” collect unemployment a good chunk of their year.

What percentage of actors are employed?

fewer than 14 percent of actors were employed in 2016.

Why are so many actors unemployed?

Actors need to earn a living just like anyone else and it is such a highly competitive industry that there are few jobs to go around. Furthermore the jobs are short and often separated by long periods without pay.

Are actors unemployed?

Though actors have always had to depend on additional jobs to augment their art, those side hustles have now become main hustles—and taken on additional urgency. In 2020, 52.3% of actors were unemployed, compared to 24.7% in 2019, according to a recent study from the National Endowment for the Arts.

Viola Davis explains why actors have a 95% unemployment rate - Dr Boyce Watkins

Do most actors have another job?

Most actors have long periods of unemployment between roles and often hold other jobs in order to make a living. Some actors teach acting classes as a second job.

Is it hard to find a job as an actor?

In the world of entertainment there are two ways actors get jobs. They either know someone or attend an audition. Each of these avenues are highly sought after. The reality is that acting jobs are hard to find.

How do actors survive financially?

One of the most common ways actors survive financially is by diversifying their income streams. Many actors take on additional jobs, such as waiting tables, bartending, or working in retail, to supplement their income between acting gigs. This allows them to have a steady cash flow while pursuing their acting career.

Is there a high demand to be an actor?

The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects 8.2% employment growth for actors between 2021 and 2031. In that period, an estimated 4,100 jobs should open up. Actors perform in the theater, work in films or star in television productions.

Is acting a high paying job?

The median hourly wage for actors was $17.94 in May 2022. The median wage is the wage at which half the workers in an occupation earned more than that amount and half earned less. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $13.20, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $109.46.

What percentage of actors make a livable wage?

A study published in Nature Communications looked at data that discovered only 2% of all actors make a living from the profession and about 90% are unemployed at any time throughout the year.

How likely is it for an actor to make a living?

Very few people become wealthy through acting, although for some the rewards can be immense. On average, actors spend about 80% of their working life 'resting' (not employed as an actor), so it's likely you'll need other ways of generating an income.

What is the average career of an actor?

The average career length was 28.4 years, although there was a wide spread of careers. 46.5% of actors had a film career of between 20 and 40 years.

Why do so many actors quit?

Life in the spotlight sounds like a great idea — until it gets too hectic. Many celebrities have quit Hollywood after they became successful, citing overwhelming attention and a desire for something new as their reasons.

How many actors get employed?

Approximately 63,800 actors are employed in the United States. Motion pictures, television, and the stage are the largest fields of employment for actors. Most of the opportunities for employment in these fields are either in Los Angeles or in New York.

What to do as an unemployed actor?

Take personal responsibility. Work on a monologue that needs to be sharpened, learn a new monologue, learn 20 monologues, or create a project for yourself. Always be improving and always be creating opportunities for yourself. Improving your craft as an actor gives you a strong sense of purpose and direction.

Can you live off being an actor?

Making a living as an actor is not impossible—but it is very, very difficult. Acting is not a steady, salaried gig in which you'll know exactly how much money you have coming in each month. You'll need to take a very different approach to your finances than someone working a traditional 9-to-5 job.

What is the best age to be an actor?

For while both male and female actors peak between 30 and 39, and while the 40s remain fertile territory for all actors, there's a definite gender skewing towards older male actors and younger female actors. Almost 25% of female actors book most of their roles in their 20s, against 11.6% of male actors.

What are the disadvantages of being an actor?

Is acting a stable income?

However, it's important to keep in mind that most actors struggle to find full-time work. In reality, most actors work part-time and therefore earn far less. Many earn closer to $9,000 per year, and the difference (to make ends meet) is usually supplemented by a side hustle.

What is the average salary of a successful actor?

How much does an Actor/Performer make in the United States? The average Actor/Performer salary in the United States is $61,130 as of September 25, 2023, but the range typically falls between $50,375 and $74,637.

Do actors have a stable income?

Due to the unpredictable nature of TV acting and the competitive nature of landing roles, actors traditionally rely on residual payments, paid out when films or movies are replayed, as a form of steady income when work is hard to come by.

What is the hardest thing about being a working actor?

One of the biggest challenges for actors is to be believable and truthful. In fact, for most actors this is all that they are after. And it is a noble goal. For any story to come to life, it must be believable, we must “hold a mirror up to nature”, and audiences are very good at seeing fakes.

Why is acting so hard to get into?

So yes, great acting does take training. It does require skill. You cannot just wake up one day and be a great actor. It takes time to train your eye and brain to look for action in lines, to figure out where and when to make bold choices and when to keep them subtle.

Is being an actor a stressful job?

Career-related stress.

Even on a good day, the lack of recognition alone can be tough: few people will see what it takes to work a day as a barista, only to head home and learn lines for an audition the next day. One of the toughest aspects of an actor's career is the simple lack of control over one's life.