Headline risk
2%
Very Low RiskActors
United States AI Work Index tracks this occupation on the shared structural baseline and then layers on local demand resilience, wages, and confidence.
Why This Score
Weighted task overlap from O*NET
Median annual from BLS OEWS
BLS employment projections
O*NET job zone level
Occupation profile
Play parts in stage, television, radio, video, or film productions, or other settings for entertainment, information, or instruction. Interpret serious or comic role by speech, gesture, and body movement to entertain or inform audience. May dance and sing.
Task evidence
100% weighted task match · 10% effective coverage
Method contract
structural_pressure = exposure × (1 - bottleneck)
headline_risk = structural_pressure × (1 - country_demand_resilience)
United States Now
Median Wage
—
Employment 2024
57.0K
Projected Change
0.3%
Openings
6.3K
Wage distribution
Demand outlook
Employment of actors is projected to decline 0 percent from 2024 to 2034.
Role Profile
Tasks
- 1. Portray and interpret roles, using speech, gestures, and body movements, to entertain, inform, or instruct radio, film, television, or live audiences. AI 0%
- 2. Collaborate with other actors as part of an ensemble. AI 0%
- 3. Work closely with directors, other actors, and playwrights to find the interpretation most suited to the role. AI 0%
- 4. Study and rehearse roles from scripts to interpret, learn and memorize lines, stunts, and cues as directed. AI 0%
- 5. Learn about characters in scripts and their relationships to each other to develop role interpretations. AI 100%
- 6. Perform humorous and serious interpretations of emotions, actions, and situations, using body movements, facial expressions, and gestures. AI 0%
Technologies
Requirements
Work context
Related
Source coverage
9/11 source families · O*NET 30.2 / OEWS 2024 / ORS 2025 / OOH 2025-08-28 / Projections 2024-34 / CPS 2025 / Anthropic task penetration
Mapping quality
title_match · employment series present
Narrative & sources
Actors express ideas and portray characters in theater, film, television, and other performing arts media.
Actors work in various settings, including production studios, theaters, and theme parks, or on location. Work assignments are usually short, ranging from 1 day to a few months. Part-time work is common, and work schedules may vary.
A formal education isn’t always required, but actors typically enhance their skills by taking classes in the performing arts. They also develop their skills through years of practice.
The median hourly wage for actors was $23.33 in May 2024.
Employment of actors is projected to decline 0 percent from 2024 to 2034.
Published limitations
This page shows the local country layer, not realised individual job outcomes. The global structural baseline is shared across countries; only the local demand and wage layer changes here.
Built from O*NET occupation descriptions, task statements, technology skills, work context, Job Zones, Anthropic task penetration, BLS OEWS wages, BLS projection tables, BLS ORS requirements, BLS OOH narrative content, BLS skills data, and BLS CPS occupation age tables.