Musicians and Singers (2026 stats)
TL;DR
The national workforce is about 38,350 musicians and singers. Projections imply about 5.5% annual decline; about 62% of workers are women.
Key Statistics
Musicians and Singers: what the data shows
Common questions about musicians and singers careers, answered from BLS OEWS and O*NET in this repository.
What is a musicians and singers?
Musicians and Singers is tracked by the Bureau of Labor Statistics under SOC 27-2042.
U.S. employment in our OEWS extract is about 38,350 workers.
What does a musicians and singers do?
O*NET work activities rated highest for this occupation include Performing for or Working Directly with the Public, Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships, Processing Information, Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events, Thinking Creatively, Getting Information, and related tasks. See Work Activities for the full list.
What education do you need?
For Musicians and Singers, O*NET incumbent surveys in our extract most often report: Some college (29%), High School or Equivalent (27%), Bachelors Degree (22%).
These are education levels of current workers, not minimum legal requirements.
What skills do you need?
O*NET ratings for this occupation emphasize skills such as Speaking, Monitoring, Active Listening, Social Perceptiveness, Reading Comprehension, Coordination, and knowledge areas including Fine Arts, English Language, Foreign Language, Education and Training. See Education & Skills for detail.
Is musicians and singers in demand?
Historical employment trend in our series implies about 5.5% annual decline (compound rate in the extract).
Five-year projected employment change: -24.5%.
Ten-year projected employment change: -43.1%.
Current U.S. headcount: 38,350.
We report federal series only—compare wages, growth, and openings against your target market.
What degrees lead to this career?
Common majors for Musicians and Singers in O*NET:
See Related degrees.
Employment
Employment and salary information for the Musicians and Singers workforce.
Employment Over Time
38,350 Workforce in 2023
The Musicians and Singers workforce has been growing over time.
Historical employment trends for Musicians and Singers.
Yearly Wage Ranking
$N/A Average Wage
In 2023, Musicians and Singers earned an average of $N/A.
Wage ranking compared to other occupations.
Wage Distribution
This chart shows the distribution of average salaries by income buckets for Musicians and Singers.
Salary distribution for Musicians and Singers.
Employment Growth Projections
-5.5% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR)
10,050 Projected Employment (5 years)
Projected growth: -24.5%
7,583 Projected Employment (10 years)
Projected growth: -43.1%
This occupation is experiencing a decline. Consider related fields with better growth prospects.
Historical employment trends and future projections for Musicians and Singers.
Industry
Information on the industries that employ Musicians and Singers and on wages for those in the field.
Occupations by Industries
This graphic shows the share of Musicians and Singers employed by various industries.
Industry distribution for Musicians and Singers.
Wage Trends by Industry
Wage trend data by industry is not available for this occupation.
Historical wage growth trends by industry for Musicians and Singers.
Geographic Distribution
Employment and wage information by geographic location for Musicians and Singers.
State employment and wages are from the U.S. BLS OEWS May 2024 state extract. Metropolitan areas use the national MSA file when available.
Top States by Employment
Top States by Employment:
- NY: 6,070 employees, N/A avg wage
- IL: 2,140 employees, N/A avg wage
- TN: 1,980 employees, N/A avg wage
- FL: 1,880 employees, N/A avg wage
- PA: 1,400 employees, N/A avg wage
- OH: 1,290 employees, N/A avg wage
- TX: 1,100 employees, N/A avg wage
- MI: 1,050 employees, N/A avg wage
- MD: 790 employees, N/A avg wage
- OR: 790 employees, N/A avg wage
Top 10 states by employment for Musicians and Singers.
Top Metropolitan Areas
Top Metropolitan Areas:
- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ: 4,920 employees, N/A avg wage
- Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN: 1,740 employees, N/A avg wage
- Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN: 1,490 employees, N/A avg wage
- San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA: 1,010 employees, N/A avg wage
- Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV: 730 employees, N/A avg wage
- Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL: 550 employees, N/A avg wage
- Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI: 540 employees, N/A avg wage
- Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH: 530 employees, N/A avg wage
- Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA: 530 employees, N/A avg wage
- Urban Honolulu, HI: 510 employees, N/A avg wage
Top 10 metropolitan statistical areas by employment for Musicians and Singers.
Diversity
Demographic information on Musicians and Singers in the US.
Gender and Age
The workforce of Musicians and Singers in 2023 was 38,350 people, with 62.0% women and 38.0% men.
Gender and age distribution for Musicians and Singers.
Races
Racial and ethnic shares when present in the career dataset. If the chart area shows a notice instead, occupational race/ethnicity fields are not yet populated for this extract.
Race and ethnicity distribution for Musicians and Singers.
Education & Skills
Data on higher education choices and required skills for Musicians and Singers.
Majors
The most common majors achieved by Musicians and Singers in 2023 were Business Administration, Business, Social Sciences.
Common majors for Musicians and Singers.
Education Levels
The main educational levels achieved by Musicians and Singers workers.
Education level distribution for Musicians and Singers.
Skills
Musicians and Singers need many skills, but most especially Speaking, Monitoring, Active Listening, Social Perceptiveness, Reading Comprehension.
Required skills for Musicians and Singers.
Knowledge & Abilities
Knowledge areas and abilities required for Musicians and Singers.
Knowledge Areas
The most important knowledge areas for Musicians and Singers include Fine Arts, English Language, Foreign Language, Education and Training, Communications and Media.
Knowledge areas required for Musicians and Singers.
Abilities
Key abilities needed for Musicians and Singers include Oral Expression, Oral Comprehension, Hearing Sensitivity, Written Comprehension, Speech Recognition.
Required abilities for Musicians and Singers.
Work Activities
Common work activities performed by Musicians and Singers.
Daily Activities
Musicians and Singers spend their time on activities such as Performing for or Working Directly with the Public, Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships, Processing Information, Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events, Thinking Creatively.
Most important work activities for Musicians and Singers.
About
Musicians and Singers
The average yearly wage for Musicians and Singers was $N/A in 2023.
SOC Code
27-2042 - Musicians and Singers
Insights and Analysis
Labor market presence: The current workforce is approximately 38,350 workers, indicating sustained demand.
Forward outlook: Projected annual decline is -5.5%, which should inform long-term career planning.
Data Sources
This page uses data from the following sources:
- College Scorecard - U.S. Department of Education
- Institutional characteristics, costs, completion rates, and earnings data
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: collegescorecard.ed.gov
- Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)
- Employment and wage data by occupation
- Latest data: May 2024
- Source: bls.gov/oes
- O*NET Online - U.S. Department of Labor
- Occupational skills, knowledge, abilities, and work activities
- Database version: 28.0 (August 2023)
- Source: onetcenter.org
- IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) - National Center for Education Statistics
- Institutional data, completions, enrollment, and financial aid
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: nces.ed.gov/ipeds
- Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS)
- Demographic and workforce data
- Latest data: 2023 ACS 5-Year Estimates
- Source: census.gov/acs
Data Processing: All data has been processed, cleaned, and aggregated for presentation. Where specific data points are unavailable, estimates are based on available data and clearly marked.
Last Updated: Data reflects the most recent available information as of January 2025.
Methodology
Data for this profile is sourced from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS), and O*NET Online.
All wage figures represent annual averages and may vary by location, industry, and experience level.