Producers and Directors Salary: $165,848 Median Pay (2026 stats)
TL;DR
About 145,270 producers and directors nationally earn a mean of $165,848. Employment in the series shown fell about 20% from the first to the last year; projections imply about 3.8% annual growth.
Key Statistics
Producers and Directors: what the data shows
Common questions about producers and directors careers, answered from BLS OEWS and O*NET in this repository.
What is a producers and directors?
Producers and Directors is tracked by the Bureau of Labor Statistics under SOC 27-2012.
U.S. employment in our OEWS extract is about 145,270 workers.
What does a producers and directors do?
O*NET work activities rated highest for this occupation include Getting Information, Thinking Creatively, Working with Computers, Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events, Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates, Making Decisions and Solving Problems, and related tasks. See Work Activities for the full list.
How much does a producers and directors make?
BLS national median annual wage: $83,480 (May 2024 in our extract).
Mean annual wage in our occupational extract: $165,848 — 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 | $53,002 |
| 25th percentile | $80,490 |
| Median (50th) | $125,470 |
| 75th percentile | $175,360 |
What education do you need?
For Producers and Directors, 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 Active Listening, Monitoring, Critical Thinking, Speaking, Reading Comprehension, Coordination, and knowledge areas including Communications and Media, English Language, Telecommunications, Computers and Electronics. See Education & Skills for detail.
Is producers and directors in demand?
Historical employment trend in our series implies about 3.8% annual growth (compound rate in the extract).
Five-year projected employment change: 20.7%.
Ten-year projected employment change: 45.7%.
Current U.S. headcount: 145,270.
We report federal series only—compare wages, growth, and openings against your target market.
Where do producers and directorss work?
Top industries by employment share in our OEWS industry extract:
| Industry | Employment | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Cross-industry | 145,270 | 19.1% |
| Cross-industry, Private Ownership only | 139,980 | 18.4% |
| Information | 90,050 | 11.8% |
| Motion Picture and Sound Recording Industries | 42,030 | 5.5% |
| Broadcasting and Content Providers | 41,340 | 5.4% |
| Motion Picture and Video Industries | 40,200 | 5.3% |
See Industry for charts.
What degrees lead to this career?
Common majors for Producers and Directors in O*NET:
See Related degrees.
Employment
Employment and salary information for the Producers and Directors workforce.
Employment Over Time
145,270 Workforce in 2023
The Producers and Directors workforce has been growing over time.
Historical employment trends for Producers and Directors.
Yearly Wage Ranking
$165,848 Average Wage
In 2023, Producers and Directors earned an average of $165,848.
Wage ranking compared to other occupations.
Wage Distribution
This chart shows the distribution of average salaries by income buckets for Producers and Directors.
Salary distribution for Producers and Directors.
Employment Growth Projections
3.8% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR)
168,531 Projected Employment (5 years)
Projected growth: 20.7%
203,400 Projected Employment (10 years)
Projected growth: 45.7%
This occupation is projected to grow at 3.8% annually, indicating strong future demand.
Historical employment trends and future projections for Producers and Directors.
Industry
Information on the industries that employ Producers and Directors and on wages for those in the field.
Occupations by Industries
This graphic shows the share of Producers and Directors employed by various industries.
Industry distribution for Producers and Directors.
Wage Trends by Industry
-1.9% Average Annual Wage Growth Rate
Historical wage growth trends by industry for Producers and Directors.
Geographic Distribution
Employment and wage information by geographic location for Producers and Directors.
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: 35,650 employees, $161,460 avg wage
- NY: 29,720 employees, $137,300 avg wage
- FL: 8,160 employees, $97,420 avg wage
- TX: 7,270 employees, $80,440 avg wage
- PA: 4,400 employees, $82,760 avg wage
- NC: 3,520 employees, $79,200 avg wage
- MA: 3,520 employees, $94,380 avg wage
- GA: 3,470 employees, $97,700 avg wage
- IL: 3,380 employees, $86,030 avg wage
- NJ: 3,060 employees, $116,970 avg wage
Top 10 states by employment for Producers and Directors.
Top Metropolitan Areas
Top Metropolitan Areas:
- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ: 28,760 employees, $138,960 avg wage
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA: 24,110 employees, $160,500 avg wage
- San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA: 4,850 employees, $153,780 avg wage
- Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV: 4,610 employees, $103,940 avg wage
- Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH: 2,820 employees, $93,620 avg wage
- Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL: 2,580 employees, $98,110 avg wage
- Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA: 2,560 employees, $101,410 avg wage
- Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN: 2,410 employees, $89,800 avg wage
- Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL: 2,410 employees, $105,970 avg wage
- Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX: 2,360 employees, $84,290 avg wage
Top 10 metropolitan statistical areas by employment for Producers and Directors.
Diversity
Demographic information on Producers and Directors in the US.
Gender and Age
The workforce of Producers and Directors in 2023 was 145,270 people, with 62.0% women and 38.0% men.
Gender and age distribution for Producers and Directors.
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 Producers and Directors.
Education & Skills
Data on higher education choices and required skills for Producers and Directors.
Majors
The most common majors achieved by Producers and Directors in 2023 were Business Administration, Engineering, Business.
Common majors for Producers and Directors.
Education Levels
The main educational levels achieved by Producers and Directors workers.
Education level distribution for Producers and Directors.
Skills
Producers and Directors need many skills, but most especially Active Listening, Monitoring, Critical Thinking, Speaking, Reading Comprehension.
Required skills for Producers and Directors.
Knowledge & Abilities
Knowledge areas and abilities required for Producers and Directors.
Knowledge Areas
The most important knowledge areas for Producers and Directors include Communications and Media, English Language, Telecommunications, Computers and Electronics, Administration and Management.
Knowledge areas required for Producers and Directors.
Abilities
Key abilities needed for Producers and Directors include Oral Expression, Oral Comprehension, Deductive Reasoning, Speech Clarity, Problem Sensitivity.
Required abilities for Producers and Directors.
Work Activities
Common work activities performed by Producers and Directors.
Daily Activities
Producers and Directors spend their time on activities such as Getting Information, Thinking Creatively, Working with Computers, Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events, Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates.
Most important work activities for Producers and Directors.
About
Producers and Directors
The average yearly wage for Producers and Directors was $165,848 in 2023.
SOC Code
27-2012 - Producers and Directors
Insights and Analysis
High earnings profile: Producers and Directors reports an average salary of $165,848, placing it among stronger-paying occupations.
Labor market presence: The current workforce is approximately 145,270 workers, indicating sustained demand.
Forward outlook: Projected annual growth is 3.8%, 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.