Choreographers Salary and Pay
How much do Choreographers make?
In May 2024 the middle Choreographers worker earned $55,600 a year, the average was $62,020, and the survey counted 3,430 jobs. The 25th percentile is $39,600 and the 75th is $71,190.
The complete pay picture for Choreographers: 3,430 jobs nationally, a median of $55,600, and the state and metro tables that show where that median is beaten and where it is not.
Updated November 5, 2026
Salary converter for this occupation
Hourly figures use the BLS full-time convention of 2,080 hours a year. The converter loads this occupation's own ladder, median $55,600 first; type any offer into the custom box to price it against the same year.
The national wage ladder (BLS OEWS, May 2024)
| Pay level | Annual wage | Hourly wage |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $33,080 | $15.91 |
| 25th percentile | $39,600 | $19.04 |
| Median (50th) | $55,600 | $26.73 |
| 75th percentile | $71,190 | $34.23 |
| 90th percentile | $94,090 | $45.24 |
Percentiles answer the question a single average cannot: where would a given Choreographers offer sit among all 3,430 workers doing this job? The survey top-codes at $239,200+ and withholds unreliable cells, shown as n/p in the table.
Employment and concentration
BLS counted 3,430 Choreographers jobs in May 2024, which is 0.00% of all U.S. employment in the survey. Work is most concentrated in South Dakota, where the location quotient is 20.64, meaning the occupation holds 20.64 times its national share of local jobs. California employs the most people outright, 800 of them, and the three largest state employers together account for 45.5% of the national total.
Pay inside the occupation is wide: $61,010 separates the ends of its ladder. The 90th percentile ($94,090) is 2.8 times the 10th percentile ($33,080), a gap of $61,010 a year. The mean of $62,020 sitting above the median of $55,600 tells you the top end pulls the average up: most workers cluster below the mean, and the high tail is thin.
Pay by state
Sorted by employment, the table below puts California first at 800 jobs; sorted by median pay instead, New York would lead at $94,090. Both orderings are printed in one table:
| State | Employment | Jobs per 1,000 | Location quotient | Mean annual | Median annual |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| California | 800 | 0.0 | 1.98 | $72,810 | $61,320 |
| Texas | 490 | 0.0 | 1.59 | $47,010 | $44,660 |
| New York | 270 | 0.0 | 1.25 | $108,470 | $94,090 |
| Louisiana | 220 | 0.1 | 5.19 | $52,730 | $44,880 |
| South Dakota | 210 | 0.5 | 20.64 | $45,890 | $38,230 |
| Florida | 170 | 0.0 | 0.78 | $44,980 | $35,270 |
| Maryland | 160 | 0.1 | 2.57 | $63,330 | $64,770 |
| Utah | 160 | 0.1 | 4.29 | $48,150 | $37,710 |
| Ohio | 140 | 0.0 | 1.16 | $58,340 | $62,970 |
| North Carolina | 50 | 0.0 | 0.50 | $73,630 | $79,630 |
| Alabama | 40 | 0.0 | 0.75 | $39,430 | $37,580 |
| New Jersey | 40 | 0.0 | 0.48 | n/p | n/p |
| Kansas | 30 | 0.0 | 0.99 | $38,940 | $33,790 |
| Illinois | n/p | n/p | n/p | $32,660 | $31,570 |
| South Carolina | n/p | n/p | n/p | $45,910 | $42,580 |
| Tennessee | n/p | n/p | n/p | $62,430 | $62,500 |
| Virginia | n/p | n/p | n/p | $46,730 | $44,740 |
The occupation in context
Ranked against all 826 published occupations, Choreographers stands number 776 by employment and number 463 by median pay. Inside its own major group, Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media Occupations, the group median wage is $66,220 across 36 detailed occupations, so this occupation pays 16% less than its group median, and it supplies 0.2% of the group's 1,989,300 jobs. In 6 of the 16 states with a published median, the state median beats the national median of $55,600, which is the single best quick test of whether this occupation's pay is set nationally or locally: a high count means local markets regularly outbid the national figure.
Metropolitan areas: where the jobs and the pay sit
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ is the largest metro employer with 270 jobs, 7.9% of the national total. The first table ranks metros by employment; the second ranks them by mean pay among metros with at least 500 jobs in the occupation, because a three-person metro can top a pay table by accident.
Largest metro employers
| Metropolitan area | Employment | Mean annual | Median annual |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | 270 | $109,750 | $94,090 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | 240 | $78,210 | $61,090 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | 190 | $87,340 | $64,910 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | 160 | $49,350 | $44,660 |
| Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD | 90 | $62,300 | $65,180 |
| Sioux Falls, SD-MN | 90 | $48,650 | $53,010 |
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA | 70 | $63,610 | $56,930 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | 70 | $70,770 | $62,300 |
| Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA | 60 | $64,840 | $57,320 |
| Salt Lake City-Murray, UT | 60 | $55,760 | $60,870 |
What the median pay looks like as a budget
As a household number, $55,600 a year is $4,633 a month gross, $2,138 every two weeks, $1,069 a week. Moving from the 25th percentile ($39,600) to the 75th ($71,190) is worth $31,590 a year, which is the realistic size of the experience and specialization premium inside this occupation. The next step from a gross figure is a net one: run the $4,633 monthly figure through the paycheck calculator applies your state's taxes, the salary calculator compares two offers in any unit, and the raise vs inflation calculator tells you whether a nominal raise is a real one.
To place a real offer: a salary of $61,160 would sit between the median ($55,600) and the 75th percentile ($71,190), inside the top half but outside the top quarter of this occupation's ladder. An offer at the 25th percentile, $39,600, is $16,000 under the median, the typical size of the discount attached to entry-level or low-cost-market postings in this field.
Related occupations in Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media Occupations
The occupations BLS groups with this one, by size: Writers and Authors, News Analysts, Reporters, and Journalists, Floral Designers, Commercial and Industrial Designers, Film and Video Editors, Camera Operators, Television, Video, and Film. Every one of the 826 published occupations is indexed on the Careers hub.
Frequently asked questions
What is the average salary for Choreographers?
BLS publishes both centers: the mean annual wage is $62,020 and the median is $55,600 (May 2024). The median is usually the better answer to what a typical worker makes, because the mean is pulled by the highest earners.
Where do Choreographers earn the most?
At state level, New York posts the highest median at $94,090. At metro level, BLS publishes no metro estimates for this occupation.
How many Choreographers jobs are there?
3,430 nationally in May 2024. The biggest metro employer is New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ with 270 jobs.
Is $55,600 a good salary for Choreographers?
It is the exact middle of the occupation: half of the 3,430 counted workers earn more, half earn less. Against the occupation's own ladder, an offer above $71,190 is a top-quartile offer and one below $39,600 is a bottom-quartile one.