Actors

Actors is a notable career in the 27 category. This page provides verified data from BLS OEWS 2024 + O*NET 29.0 (2024), helping you compare Actors against similar careers and make data-driven decisions.

Live DataLast updated: April 17, 2026·Source: BLS OEWS 2024 + O*NET 29.0

Verified

Sources: BLS OEWS 2024 + O*NET 29.0Updated: 2024 data · Verified April 2026How we compile →

Explore Similar careers

Education Administrators, All Other

53,330

tot emp

View details →

Personal Service Managers, All Other

Managers, All Other

Buyers and Purchasing Agents

486,900

tot emp

View details →

Business Operations Specialists, All Other

1,128,200

tot emp

View details →

Data Overview

soc	27-2011
title	Actors
onet code	27-2011.00
description	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.
job zone	2
major group	27
tot emp	38,800
a mean	N/A
a median	N/A
a pct10	N/A
a pct25	N/A
a pct75	N/A
a pct90	N/A
h mean	44
h median	23

Typical Tasks for Actors

The day-to-day work of a actors typically centers on collaborate with other actors as part of an ensemble. Every task listed below is classified as Core in O*NET — they collectively define the role. Task descriptions below are quoted from the U.S. Department of Labor's O*NET 29.0 occupation profile.

Collaborate with other actors as part of an ensemble.Core
Portray and interpret roles, using speech, gestures, and body movements, to entertain, inform, or instruct radio, film, television, or live audiences.Core
Work closely with directors, other actors, and playwrights to find the interpretation most suited to the role.Core
Perform humorous and serious interpretations of emotions, actions, and situations, using body movements, facial expressions, and gestures.Core
Study and rehearse roles from scripts to interpret, learn and memorize lines, stunts, and cues as directed.Core
Learn about characters in scripts and their relationships to each other to develop role interpretations.Core
Attend auditions and casting calls to audition for roles.Core
Sing or dance during dramatic or comedic performances.Core

Top Skills for Actors

Workers in this occupation rely most on Speaking, Reading Comprehension, and Social Perceptiveness. Across the top 7 skills, the average O*NET importance score is 3.47 out of 5 — moderately weighted for this role. Importance reflects how essential each skill is for adequate job performance.

Speaking

3.88

Reading Comprehension

3.88

Social Perceptiveness

3.75

Active Listening

3.75

Critical Thinking

3.00

Monitoring

3.00

Time Management

3.00

Education & Entry Qualifications

Among working actors, the most common entry qualification is a Less than a High School Diploma (45.4%). Bachelor's-degree-or-higher credentials are reported by 35% of incumbents. Entry pathways are mixed; a meaningful minority enters without a four-year degree.

Less than a High School Diploma

45.4%

Bachelor's Degree

20.7%

High School Diploma

16.2%

First Professional Degree

13.9%

Post

3.8%

Also Known As

Recruiters and job boards use several alternate titles for actors. Knowing these variants widens your job search — listings for Actor or Actor Understudy frequently describe the same role. The list below is a sample of the most common industry variants.

ActorActor UnderstudyActressCharacter PerformerComedianComicCommunity Theater ActorDoubleDramatic ReaderElocutionistEnsemble MemberEntertainerExtraIllusionistImpersonator

💡 Why it matters: Actors

This data helps you understand how Actors compares to others in the 27 category. Use it to make informed decisions based on verified data from BLS OEWS 2024 + O*NET 29.0.

Key Takeaways

Actors has a job zone of 2.
Actors has a tot emp of 38,800.
Actors has a h mean of 44.
Actors has a h median of 23.

Similar careers

careers with the closest data values to Actors

Education Administrators, All Other11 Personal Service Managers, All Other11 Managers, All Other11 Buyers and Purchasing Agents13 Business Operations Specialists, All Other13

BLS OEWS 2024 + O*NET 29.0

📊

CertifyWize Editorial TeamData Specialists

The CertifyWize editorial team aggregates and verifies careers data from BLS OEWS 2024 + O*NET 29.0. Every statistic on this site is cross-referenced against the official source before publication, with quarterly re-verification cycles.

✓ Sourced from BLS OEWS 2024 + O*NET 29.0✓ Quarterly review✓ No paid placements

Read our full methodology or contact us with corrections.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Actors?

Actors is a career in the 27 category tracked in our database with detailed statistics and comparisons. Data is sourced from BLS OEWS 2024 + O*NET 29.0 (2024).

Where does the data for Actors come from?

All data for Actors is sourced from BLS OEWS 2024 + O*NET 29.0 (2024). We verify and cross-reference data to ensure accuracy. Our methodology page explains how we process and validate the data.

What is the job zone of Actors?

Actors has a job zone of 2. This metric is one of the key data points tracked for careers in our database. Use our comparison tool to see how this compares to similar careers.

How does the tot emp of Actors compare to average?

Actors has a tot emp of 38,800. To see how this compares, visit our rankings page or use the comparison tool to compare Actors against similar careers.

How does Actors compare to other careers?

You can compare Actors with similar careers using our side-by-side comparison tool. Check the "Similar careers" section on this page for the closest matches based on data values, or visit the compare page for a full analysis.

What other careers are in the 27 category?

There are multiple careers in the 27 category. See the "Related careers" section below for others in the same category, or use the search to browse all 27 careers.

Explore More Data Tools

For adjacent public-data tools, methodology notes, and network updates, visit DataPeek Facts.

Data Overview

soc

27-2011

title

Actors

onet code

27-2011.00

description

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.

job zone

major group

tot emp

38,800

a mean

N/A

a median

N/A

a pct10

N/A

a pct25

N/A

a pct75

N/A

a pct90

N/A

h mean

h median

Typical Tasks for Actors

Collaborate with other actors as part of an ensemble.Core

Portray and interpret roles, using speech, gestures, and body movements, to entertain, inform, or instruct radio, film, television, or live audiences.Core

Work closely with directors, other actors, and playwrights to find the interpretation most suited to the role.Core

Perform humorous and serious interpretations of emotions, actions, and situations, using body movements, facial expressions, and gestures.Core

Study and rehearse roles from scripts to interpret, learn and memorize lines, stunts, and cues as directed.Core

Learn about characters in scripts and their relationships to each other to develop role interpretations.Core

Attend auditions and casting calls to audition for roles.Core

Sing or dance during dramatic or comedic performances.Core

Top Skills for Actors

Speaking

3.88

Reading Comprehension

3.88

Social Perceptiveness

3.75

Active Listening

3.75

Critical Thinking

3.00

Monitoring

3.00

Time Management

3.00

Education & Entry Qualifications

Less than a High School Diploma

45.4%

Bachelor's Degree

20.7%

High School Diploma

16.2%

First Professional Degree

13.9%

Post

3.8%

Also Known As

ActorActor UnderstudyActressCharacter PerformerComedianComicCommunity Theater ActorDoubleDramatic ReaderElocutionistEnsemble MemberEntertainerExtraIllusionistImpersonator

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Actors?

Actors is a career in the 27 category tracked in our database with detailed statistics and comparisons. Data is sourced from BLS OEWS 2024 + O*NET 29.0 (2024).

Where does the data for Actors come from?

All data for Actors is sourced from BLS OEWS 2024 + O*NET 29.0 (2024). We verify and cross-reference data to ensure accuracy. Our methodology page explains how we process and validate the data.

What is the job zone of Actors?

Actors has a job zone of 2. This metric is one of the key data points tracked for careers in our database. Use our comparison tool to see how this compares to similar careers.

How does the tot emp of Actors compare to average?

Actors has a tot emp of 38,800. To see how this compares, visit our rankings page or use the comparison tool to compare Actors against similar careers.

How does Actors compare to other careers?

What other careers are in the 27 category?

There are multiple careers in the 27 category. See the "Related careers" section below for others in the same category, or use the search to browse all 27 careers.