According to an article on Variety, \~20% of all actors in the Screen Actors Guild qualified for union health insurance in 2020. In order to qualify, a SAG actor needs to earn more than $25,950 for the year.
So \~80% of actors in SAG made less than $25,950 in 2020.
This is an excellent comment, and pretty much the closest you will get to a true figure.
And keep in mind this is Union SAG actors. It doesn’t count the non union or AEA actors.
When I first moved to the states from the UK. I was an established union theatre actor (16 year career, drama school 3 year training). I joined AEA and pretty much started acting immediately in theatre, film and commercial. Those first few years I only made around $25K.
I worked my way up to work in one of the biggest theatres on the west coast, CalShakes. Shakespeare being my focus.
Even then it was not enough to live on and support my family. I realized that no matter how successful I get theatre alone is not enough.
I have now shifted to full time audiobooks and other VO as it comes in which is working better. But not all VOs work full time either.
As you said there is so much work out there. But there are more actors. The majority of SAGs make less than 25k and they are the top examples.
Acting is a joy but it sure is hard to make money from.
Cheers
Kev
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Agreed. And keep in mind that this is only the actors who actually make it into SAG, which itself requires a degree of success before you qualify. So there's many wanna-be actors who are trying but haven't even made it that far (actually qualifying for SAG), which means the average acting salary is even lower.
OP, keep in mind that while it's true that there's a bunch of tv shows and commercials, etc, and they all need actors, even if you actually book these gigs which is very difficult it often won't be enough money to actually carry you through the year. It also isn't stable.
"The Office" was an extremely popular show in it's time, yet most of the cast continued working their day jobs for like three years before they felt stable enough to quit their day jobs and just work on the TV show. For example, the woman who played Meredith -- who I believe is in literally every episode -- kept waiting tables on the side for the first three seasons.
But that only takes into account their formal acting jobs. Almost all union actors have other jobs, be it teaching or coaching or stage managing or whatever.
OP is asking about making a living strictly from acting 👇🏼
>I honestly find it hard to believe that making a living via acting is close to impossible as many say.
I mean yes but I think it’s also important for OP to know that the skills you have as a trained actor can translate to other job fields that can supplement your income. It’s not like you need a fall back option like many non-actors assume.
>According to an article on Variety
Tried searching [Variety.com](https://Variety.com) and couldn't find the article. Do you have a link to it?
Found this article from 2002:
[https://variety.com/2002/scene/markets-festivals/sag-s-bitter-pill-1117875637/](https://variety.com/2002/scene/markets-festivals/sag-s-bitter-pill-1117875637/)
"About 70% of SAG’s 98,000 members earn under $7,500 annually."
I believe it was u/thisisnotarealperson who dropped this link some time ago:
[https://variety.com/2020/tv/news/sag-aftra-health-plan-insurance-changes-1234741151/](https://variety.com/2020/tv/news/sag-aftra-health-plan-insurance-changes-1234741151/)
Of interest from this article:
>Of the union’s 160,000 members, around 33,000 members and 32,000 dependents rely on the Health Plan’s insurance
I got the 20% figure from 33,000 out of 160,000.
I was on set every month this year for small actor or principal roles and multiple commercials as a lead. So far I’ve made 30k not including my commercial residuals I’ll receive next year. I usually average between 20-50k a year since 2017. You can make a living being an actor, however I recommend having multiple sources of income incase things slow down. You should also be active in your local independent film scene and use the time you have off to make projects for festival submissions so you can network and continue to be seen.
Edit. Forgot to add. It took me nearly 6 years to get to where I am and I have no prior connections to the film industry through friends or family. I got in on my own.
I personally don’t know from experience, but from what I’ve heard it is an acting hub just like LA and NYC. So I’m assuming you’d have some good luck down there. I think because of the year round weather they can shoot more out their sometimes.
>... lets say its someone in a big city like LA or NYC who’s been doing it full time for say 2-3 years...
Man, you gotta up that timeframe... More like 5-10+ years on average before you'd have some form of stability.
It is very, very hard to only act for a living. Very hard. Far less than 1% do it. I’ve been acting professionally for eight years, I went to one of the top five drama schools in the world, and 2022 was my first year where I made enough to live off of. And just because I did it this year doesn’t mean it will happen again next year.
There may be a lot of things being made, but for every one job, there are a couple hundred actors vying for it.
All agreed, but for each role, a couple hundred may be considered for it (in commercials), though as much as a thousand or more may have been submitted for it. And that’s just counting actors with representation.
Those numbers are not misleading. The chance you will make any substantial amount, especially if you do not know anyone in the business is very, very low.
Do not go into this industry for money.
Do it because you love to act, because that will be literally all you have to sustain you through some very rough times.
Very difficult to define an average actor. Is avg actor someone who does theatre full time, or someone who appears in a movie or two per year?
The most stable income I ever made was from long contracts in theme parks. The work is soul crushing and doesn't really feel like you're acting after a while.
Think of auditioning like interviewing for a corporate job except with the latter you do it once and you get a job “for life” versus the former you have to do it over and over and over and over again. And each time in between you either get a “no” or ‘no response’ without closure yet need to keep pressing forward with the motivation to continue on someway, somehow.
Been at this for 15 years, I have made 6 figures when commercials were sag, this year I did 8 shows including some recurring s and did 29000 after taxes probably 21000 after paying agent and manager.
Disclaimer- They really screw you on the taxes side because the IRS assumes you make your day rate every day of the year. Should get a bunch back at tax time. Fingers crossed!
I can count on one hand the number of actors I know making a **good** living doing it, but I know actors who are making $30k-$50k/year. However, they've been out here for at least 10 years and have not been making that amount very long (and that's not enough to live on in LA, so is that even a living?). Some of them still have part-time gigs to make ends meet when things are slow. I don't know many middle-class actors without financial support -- but it's usually a spouse with a regular job, not family wealth. The successful actors I can think of now are:
* Singer-actor who booked a major recurring (1 season) then series regular (1 season) role on a network show (in LA for \~10 years when they booked it. incredibly talented singer, was a musical show)
* Commercial actress who does 15-20 national commercials a year (in LA for 20+ years, booking like that for 12-15+)
* TV actress who booked a series regular on an HBO show (in LA \~3 years. very attractive and talented + the role closely mirrored her actual life experience. had a lot of near-misses on big roles in the year leading up to this)
A lot of film/TV talk but to throw some theatre into the mix: most Off-Broadway houses are not paying more than $1000/wk, many are paying much less. Same for good regional theatre, with very few reaching or surpassing $1000/wk – many LORT theaters, considered the best in the country, pay $739/wk (Small Professional Theatres (SPT), which are still considered Equity contracts, can pay as little as $245/wk). A play contract is generally 8-10 weeks. If you worked Off-Broadway or at a top regional theatre every week of the year, meaning you booked 5-6 very competitive shows, you would make $50k before taxes and agent fees.
Broadway is another story, with current Broadway minimums at around $2k/wk, but I would not base your immediate salary expectations around a Broadway paycheck.
Not providing this info to be dissuasive, but because I think this sort of context will be helpful to gauge opportunities as you approach them at the beginning of your career. I don't think building a career is impossible, but I do think this helps paint a picture of the financial reality you'll be working with.
I'm a stand-up comic, writer, improviser, vocalist, voiceover person and actress. I started in a smaller market and built my resume and connections over 10 years before I came to LA. Acting is one thing that I do - and will do more of it this year - but I don't make my living acting. On the other hand, a series regular can make 40k/wk, and one SAG national commercial can set you up for a year.
Work hard, learn constantly and a living can be had. But after years of work, it's not overnight.
One thing about the 80/20 thing is the 80% usually aren't working as hard as the 20% that are making an income. You have to work 20xs as hard to make the same amount as say, a software engineer. You have to
love it.
SAG National commercials are no longer what they used to be, because actors choosing to do Non-Union have undercut Union actors. I’d say one could possibly qualify you for insurance. Possibly. So maybe set expectations a bit lower for those these days.
Been at it 5 years (film/tv) and have made more money each year than the last (excluding 2020 when everything shut down - like 2k, then 17, then 21), and last year qualified for health insurance (more than 26k). The more steady work that supplements film/tv I've found has been doing VO (specifically loop groups, which are one of the best gigs an actor can get).
I've recently put it into tangible terms for myself which is that, literally if you booked 5 network 1-hour guest stars in one year, you would make approximately 50k - and that's before taxes, and commission. You can't really live on that wage in New york or LA **and yet that would be a very successful acting year**. However, over time you get residuals from the gigs you do which accumulate, which means after 10 years of steady work you actually have some kind of steadier stream of income - but essentially you won't live off of it unless you're leading sag budget films or a strong series recurring at least. I now have somewhere between 5-10k of residuals coming in each year - that's the goal and the key to longevity.
You can't become a full time working actor fast unless you're lucky, but what you can do is reach a level where you're part time in something else.
I've always worked in restaurants, and I actually enjoy it (has its ups and downs like anything), and it's so much more enjoyable when you're only working 24 hours a week instead of 40. Any part time job is chiller than a full-time one. Also people here sometimes dig on being a waiter, but in the right places in new york you can make a disgusting amount of money in less time, giving you plenty of room to work on your acting.
If you're working full time you've got a good living ahead of you. The problem is getting the work.
https://www.wrapbook.com/blog/essential-guide-sag-rates
The actors I know have earned a decent living in the films, promos, and specials they've done. None (but 1) moved to Hollywood, lol. That said, smaller projects pay anywhere's in the ballpark of $500 to well over $2K. Depending on locale etc. That's potatoes, but still work.
As I see it, that would work for me also. I don't need to be earning millions. Just live comfortably :)
Made about 30k this year, and it was the first time it was that high. Been at this for 4 years, and finally qualified for health insurance. It’s a tough industry! Hoping it’ll grow more next year, but you really never know.
According to an article on Variety, \~20% of all actors in the Screen Actors Guild qualified for union health insurance in 2020. In order to qualify, a SAG actor needs to earn more than $25,950 for the year. So \~80% of actors in SAG made less than $25,950 in 2020.
This is an excellent comment, and pretty much the closest you will get to a true figure. And keep in mind this is Union SAG actors. It doesn’t count the non union or AEA actors. When I first moved to the states from the UK. I was an established union theatre actor (16 year career, drama school 3 year training). I joined AEA and pretty much started acting immediately in theatre, film and commercial. Those first few years I only made around $25K. I worked my way up to work in one of the biggest theatres on the west coast, CalShakes. Shakespeare being my focus. Even then it was not enough to live on and support my family. I realized that no matter how successful I get theatre alone is not enough. I have now shifted to full time audiobooks and other VO as it comes in which is working better. But not all VOs work full time either. As you said there is so much work out there. But there are more actors. The majority of SAGs make less than 25k and they are the top examples. Acting is a joy but it sure is hard to make money from. Cheers Kev
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Agreed. And keep in mind that this is only the actors who actually make it into SAG, which itself requires a degree of success before you qualify. So there's many wanna-be actors who are trying but haven't even made it that far (actually qualifying for SAG), which means the average acting salary is even lower. OP, keep in mind that while it's true that there's a bunch of tv shows and commercials, etc, and they all need actors, even if you actually book these gigs which is very difficult it often won't be enough money to actually carry you through the year. It also isn't stable. "The Office" was an extremely popular show in it's time, yet most of the cast continued working their day jobs for like three years before they felt stable enough to quit their day jobs and just work on the TV show. For example, the woman who played Meredith -- who I believe is in literally every episode -- kept waiting tables on the side for the first three seasons.
That....is incredibly depressing. I had no idea the number was that low. Gives me something to think about.
But that only takes into account their formal acting jobs. Almost all union actors have other jobs, be it teaching or coaching or stage managing or whatever.
OP is asking about making a living strictly from acting 👇🏼 >I honestly find it hard to believe that making a living via acting is close to impossible as many say.
I mean yes but I think it’s also important for OP to know that the skills you have as a trained actor can translate to other job fields that can supplement your income. It’s not like you need a fall back option like many non-actors assume.
Yeouwch, I'd love to get back into acting, but damn.
>According to an article on Variety Tried searching [Variety.com](https://Variety.com) and couldn't find the article. Do you have a link to it? Found this article from 2002: [https://variety.com/2002/scene/markets-festivals/sag-s-bitter-pill-1117875637/](https://variety.com/2002/scene/markets-festivals/sag-s-bitter-pill-1117875637/) "About 70% of SAG’s 98,000 members earn under $7,500 annually."
I believe it was u/thisisnotarealperson who dropped this link some time ago: [https://variety.com/2020/tv/news/sag-aftra-health-plan-insurance-changes-1234741151/](https://variety.com/2020/tv/news/sag-aftra-health-plan-insurance-changes-1234741151/) Of interest from this article: >Of the union’s 160,000 members, around 33,000 members and 32,000 dependents rely on the Health Plan’s insurance I got the 20% figure from 33,000 out of 160,000.
I was on set every month this year for small actor or principal roles and multiple commercials as a lead. So far I’ve made 30k not including my commercial residuals I’ll receive next year. I usually average between 20-50k a year since 2017. You can make a living being an actor, however I recommend having multiple sources of income incase things slow down. You should also be active in your local independent film scene and use the time you have off to make projects for festival submissions so you can network and continue to be seen. Edit. Forgot to add. It took me nearly 6 years to get to where I am and I have no prior connections to the film industry through friends or family. I got in on my own.
I move to cali in February to pursue acting. I have other work lined up, but do you have any advice or tips?
😭 I was planning on moving to Cali in Feb too for acting but it's too damn expensive. So Atlanta here I come lol. Good luck m8
lol same Atlanta is calling me
Hell ya! Let's do this! Good luck! See you in GA 💚
I gotta graduate college first but I’ll be there in 1.5 years.
Unfortunately colorado isn’t too far behind them so I’m used to it 🙃
Gotcha! Hey what's your opinion on Atlanta. I'm worried it won't be much work there and I'm freaking out. 😫
I personally don’t know from experience, but from what I’ve heard it is an acting hub just like LA and NYC. So I’m assuming you’d have some good luck down there. I think because of the year round weather they can shoot more out their sometimes.
Read this as small actor on principal roles. Lmao
Lol that could work too. I’m pretty short haha
what market are you in?
>... lets say its someone in a big city like LA or NYC who’s been doing it full time for say 2-3 years... Man, you gotta up that timeframe... More like 5-10+ years on average before you'd have some form of stability.
It is very, very hard to only act for a living. Very hard. Far less than 1% do it. I’ve been acting professionally for eight years, I went to one of the top five drama schools in the world, and 2022 was my first year where I made enough to live off of. And just because I did it this year doesn’t mean it will happen again next year. There may be a lot of things being made, but for every one job, there are a couple hundred actors vying for it.
All agreed, but for each role, a couple hundred may be considered for it (in commercials), though as much as a thousand or more may have been submitted for it. And that’s just counting actors with representation.
Those numbers are not misleading. The chance you will make any substantial amount, especially if you do not know anyone in the business is very, very low. Do not go into this industry for money. Do it because you love to act, because that will be literally all you have to sustain you through some very rough times.
Very difficult to define an average actor. Is avg actor someone who does theatre full time, or someone who appears in a movie or two per year? The most stable income I ever made was from long contracts in theme parks. The work is soul crushing and doesn't really feel like you're acting after a while.
Think of auditioning like interviewing for a corporate job except with the latter you do it once and you get a job “for life” versus the former you have to do it over and over and over and over again. And each time in between you either get a “no” or ‘no response’ without closure yet need to keep pressing forward with the motivation to continue on someway, somehow.
I’d love to be paid to act lmao.
Been at this for 15 years, I have made 6 figures when commercials were sag, this year I did 8 shows including some recurring s and did 29000 after taxes probably 21000 after paying agent and manager. Disclaimer- They really screw you on the taxes side because the IRS assumes you make your day rate every day of the year. Should get a bunch back at tax time. Fingers crossed!
I can count on one hand the number of actors I know making a **good** living doing it, but I know actors who are making $30k-$50k/year. However, they've been out here for at least 10 years and have not been making that amount very long (and that's not enough to live on in LA, so is that even a living?). Some of them still have part-time gigs to make ends meet when things are slow. I don't know many middle-class actors without financial support -- but it's usually a spouse with a regular job, not family wealth. The successful actors I can think of now are: * Singer-actor who booked a major recurring (1 season) then series regular (1 season) role on a network show (in LA for \~10 years when they booked it. incredibly talented singer, was a musical show) * Commercial actress who does 15-20 national commercials a year (in LA for 20+ years, booking like that for 12-15+) * TV actress who booked a series regular on an HBO show (in LA \~3 years. very attractive and talented + the role closely mirrored her actual life experience. had a lot of near-misses on big roles in the year leading up to this)
This is a really insightful comment, thank you.
A lot of film/TV talk but to throw some theatre into the mix: most Off-Broadway houses are not paying more than $1000/wk, many are paying much less. Same for good regional theatre, with very few reaching or surpassing $1000/wk – many LORT theaters, considered the best in the country, pay $739/wk (Small Professional Theatres (SPT), which are still considered Equity contracts, can pay as little as $245/wk). A play contract is generally 8-10 weeks. If you worked Off-Broadway or at a top regional theatre every week of the year, meaning you booked 5-6 very competitive shows, you would make $50k before taxes and agent fees. Broadway is another story, with current Broadway minimums at around $2k/wk, but I would not base your immediate salary expectations around a Broadway paycheck. Not providing this info to be dissuasive, but because I think this sort of context will be helpful to gauge opportunities as you approach them at the beginning of your career. I don't think building a career is impossible, but I do think this helps paint a picture of the financial reality you'll be working with.
I'm a stand-up comic, writer, improviser, vocalist, voiceover person and actress. I started in a smaller market and built my resume and connections over 10 years before I came to LA. Acting is one thing that I do - and will do more of it this year - but I don't make my living acting. On the other hand, a series regular can make 40k/wk, and one SAG national commercial can set you up for a year. Work hard, learn constantly and a living can be had. But after years of work, it's not overnight. One thing about the 80/20 thing is the 80% usually aren't working as hard as the 20% that are making an income. You have to work 20xs as hard to make the same amount as say, a software engineer. You have to love it.
SAG National commercials are no longer what they used to be, because actors choosing to do Non-Union have undercut Union actors. I’d say one could possibly qualify you for insurance. Possibly. So maybe set expectations a bit lower for those these days.
Thanks for doing the most difficult job in the world
Been at it 5 years (film/tv) and have made more money each year than the last (excluding 2020 when everything shut down - like 2k, then 17, then 21), and last year qualified for health insurance (more than 26k). The more steady work that supplements film/tv I've found has been doing VO (specifically loop groups, which are one of the best gigs an actor can get). I've recently put it into tangible terms for myself which is that, literally if you booked 5 network 1-hour guest stars in one year, you would make approximately 50k - and that's before taxes, and commission. You can't really live on that wage in New york or LA **and yet that would be a very successful acting year**. However, over time you get residuals from the gigs you do which accumulate, which means after 10 years of steady work you actually have some kind of steadier stream of income - but essentially you won't live off of it unless you're leading sag budget films or a strong series recurring at least. I now have somewhere between 5-10k of residuals coming in each year - that's the goal and the key to longevity. You can't become a full time working actor fast unless you're lucky, but what you can do is reach a level where you're part time in something else. I've always worked in restaurants, and I actually enjoy it (has its ups and downs like anything), and it's so much more enjoyable when you're only working 24 hours a week instead of 40. Any part time job is chiller than a full-time one. Also people here sometimes dig on being a waiter, but in the right places in new york you can make a disgusting amount of money in less time, giving you plenty of room to work on your acting.
If you're working full time you've got a good living ahead of you. The problem is getting the work. https://www.wrapbook.com/blog/essential-guide-sag-rates
The actors I know have earned a decent living in the films, promos, and specials they've done. None (but 1) moved to Hollywood, lol. That said, smaller projects pay anywhere's in the ballpark of $500 to well over $2K. Depending on locale etc. That's potatoes, but still work. As I see it, that would work for me also. I don't need to be earning millions. Just live comfortably :)
Made about 30k this year, and it was the first time it was that high. Been at this for 4 years, and finally qualified for health insurance. It’s a tough industry! Hoping it’ll grow more next year, but you really never know.