Music Directors and Composers Salary: $63,670 Median Pay (2026 stats)
Executive Summary
About 12,330 music directors and composers work nationally, and $63,670 is the BLS national median annual wage. Employment in the series shown rose about 14% from the first to the last year; projections imply about 2.7% annual growth.
Music Directors and Composers: what the data shows
Common questions about music directors and composers careers, answered from BLS OEWS and O*NET in this repository.
What is a music directors and composers?
Music Directors and Composers is tracked by the Bureau of Labor Statistics under SOC 27-2041.
U.S. employment in our OEWS extract is about 12,330 workers.
What does a music directors and composers do?
O*NET work activities rated highest for this occupation include Thinking Creatively, Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships, Getting Information, Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates, Scheduling Work and Activities, Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work, and related tasks. See Work Activities for the full list.
How much does a music directors and composers make?
BLS national median annual wage: $63,670 (May 2024 in our extract).
Mean annual wage in our occupational extract: $101,136 — higher than the median, which often reflects top earners in the distribution.
Wage percentiles below are from the California OEWS extract (not national unless noted).
| Wage percentile | Annual wage |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $42,926 |
| 25th percentile | $56,413 |
| Median (50th) | $76,792 |
| 75th percentile | $122,501 |
| 90th percentile | $184,029 |
What skills do you need?
O*NET ratings for this occupation emphasize skills such as Active Listening, Speaking, Judgment and Decision Making, Reading Comprehension, Critical Thinking, Active Learning, and knowledge areas including Fine Arts, English Language, Education and Training, Computers and Electronics. See Education & Skills for detail.
Is music directors and composers in demand?
Historical employment trend in our series implies about 2.7% annual growth (compound rate in the extract).
Five-year projected employment change: 14.2%.
Ten-year projected employment change: 30.4%.
Current U.S. headcount: 12,330.
We report federal series only—compare wages, growth, and openings against your target market.
Where do music directors and composerss work?
Top industries by employment share in our OEWS industry extract:
| Industry | Employment | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Cross-industry | 12,330 | 19.5% |
| Cross-industry, Private Ownership only | 11,760 | 18.6% |
| Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation | 5,100 | 8.1% |
| Performing Arts, Spectator Sports, and Related Industries | 5,090 | 8.1% |
| Performing Arts Companies | 4,550 | 7.2% |
| Educational Services | 4,440 | 7.0% |
See Industry for charts.
What degrees lead to this career?
Common majors for Music Directors and Composers in O*NET:
See Related degrees.
What careers are related?
Other occupations linked through shared degree pathways in our mapping:
| Occupation | U.S. employment | Median wage |
|---|---|---|
| Occupational Therapy Assistants | 47,910 | $68,340 |
| Physical Therapist Assistants | 108,010 | $65,510 |
| Physical Therapist Aides | 44,010 | $34,520 |
| Occupational Therapy Aides | 5,000 | $37,370 |
| Art, Drama, and Music Teachers, Postsecondary | 97,890 | $80,190 |
| Aircraft Mechanics and Service Technicians | 136,390 | $78,680 |
| Computer Hardware Engineers | 75,710 | $155,020 |
Employment
Employment and salary information for the Music Directors and Composers workforce.
Employment Over Time
12,330 U.S. workforce (OEWS)
California employment for Music Directors and Composers grew from 6,040 in 2009 to 9,240 in 2025 (53.0%).
Historical employment for Music Directors and Composers from the California OEWS series, 2009–2025. The U.S. workforce figure is national and is not the endpoint of this line.
Yearly Wage Ranking
$63,670 Median pay (BLS national)
Music Directors and Composers earn $63,670 as the BLS national median annual wage.
Wage ranking compared to other occupations.
Wage Distribution
This chart shows the distribution of average salaries by income buckets for Music Directors and Composers.
Salary distribution for Music Directors and Composers.
Employment Growth Projections
2.7% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR)
10,552 Projected Employment (5 years)
Projected growth: 14.2%
12,052 Projected Employment (10 years)
Projected growth: 30.4%
This occupation is projected to grow at 2.7% annually, indicating strong future demand.
Historical employment trends and future projections for Music Directors and Composers.
Industry
Information on the industries that employ Music Directors and Composers and on wages for those in the field.
Occupations by Industries
This graphic shows the share of Music Directors and Composers employed by various industries.
Industry distribution for Music Directors and Composers.
Wage Trends by Industry
-21.1% Average Annual Wage Growth Rate
Historical wage growth trends by industry for Music Directors and Composers.
Geographic Distribution
Employment and wage information by geographic location for Music Directors and Composers.
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:
- CA: 2,410 employees, $98,460 avg wage
- NY: 1,610 employees, $108,980 avg wage
- FL: 670 employees, $69,760 avg wage
- TX: 650 employees, $81,660 avg wage
- TN: 640 employees, N/A avg wage
- IL: 540 employees, $62,740 avg wage
- OR: 470 employees, $73,880 avg wage
- PA: 450 employees, $68,810 avg wage
- WA: 390 employees, $86,200 avg wage
- OH: 380 employees, $70,130 avg wage
Top 10 states by employment for Music Directors and Composers.
Top Metropolitan Areas
Top Metropolitan Areas:
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA: 1,160 employees, $103,600 avg wage
- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ: 1,050 employees, $124,070 avg wage
- Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN: 490 employees, N/A avg wage
- San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA: 480 employees, $110,320 avg wage
- Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN: 440 employees, $64,600 avg wage
- Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV: 280 employees, $89,110 avg wage
- Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA: 250 employees, $69,170 avg wage
- Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA: 250 employees, $86,280 avg wage
- Rochester, NY: 230 employees, $81,680 avg wage
- Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX: 210 employees, $88,470 avg wage
Top 10 metropolitan statistical areas by employment for Music Directors and Composers.
Diversity
Demographic information on Music Directors and Composers in the US.
Gender and Age
The U.S. workforce for Music Directors and Composers is about 12,330 people in our OEWS extract.
Gender and age distribution for Music Directors and Composers.
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 Music Directors and Composers.
Education & Skills
Data on higher education choices and required skills for Music Directors and Composers.
Majors
The most common majors achieved by Music Directors and Composers in 2023 were Business Administration, Business, Social Sciences.
Common majors for Music Directors and Composers.
Education Levels
The main educational levels achieved by Music Directors and Composers workers.
Education level distribution for Music Directors and Composers.
Skills
Music Directors and Composers need many skills, but most especially Active Listening, Speaking, Judgment and Decision Making, Reading Comprehension, Critical Thinking.
Required skills for Music Directors and Composers.
Knowledge & Abilities
Knowledge areas and abilities required for Music Directors and Composers.
Knowledge Areas
The most important knowledge areas for Music Directors and Composers include Fine Arts, English Language, Education and Training, Computers and Electronics, Customer and Personal Service.
Knowledge areas required for Music Directors and Composers.
Abilities
Key abilities needed for Music Directors and Composers include Hearing Sensitivity, Fluency of Ideas, Written Comprehension, Originality, Information Ordering.
Required abilities for Music Directors and Composers.
Work Activities
Common work activities performed by Music Directors and Composers.
Daily Activities
Music Directors and Composers spend their time on activities such as Thinking Creatively, Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships, Getting Information, Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates, Scheduling Work and Activities.
Most important work activities for Music Directors and Composers.
About
Music Directors and Composers
Music Directors and Composers earn $63,670 as the BLS national median annual wage.
SOC Code
27-2041 - Music Directors and Composers
Insights and Analysis
High earnings profile: Music Directors and Composers reports an average salary of $101,136, placing it among stronger-paying occupations.
Labor market presence: The current workforce is approximately 12,330 workers, indicating sustained demand.
Forward outlook: Projected annual growth is 2.7%, 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.