Money · 1 of 5

What actors make while working

Median rate

$50,000

Low end

$35,000

High end

$83,000

Read this range carefully. Job Bank's national median is $24.13 an hour, about $50,000 a year if you worked full-time hours all year. Almost nobody does. Acting is paid by the day or the contract, so these numbers describe the rate for time on set or on stage, not what a typical performer takes home in a year.