Music Directors and Composers pay in the U.S.
$90,470avg. a year
$43.50 an hour · 12,540 employed
Music Directors and Composers in the U.S. earn an average of $90,470 a year and a median of $73,710. Pay is highest in New Jersey ($133,540) and lowest in Alabama ($51,980).
$73,710Median pay
$43.50Average hourly
+38%Avg. pay since 2020
12,540Jobs in the U.S.
Top-paying states for music directors and composers
Average pay by state. Swipe to see the top 10.
1210 jobs
New Jersey
$133,540
$64.20 an hour
22,510 jobs
California
$108,530
$52.18 an hour
32,370 jobs
New York
$105,520
$50.73 an hour
4120 jobs
Connecticut
$105,300
$50.62 an hour
5140 jobs
District of Columbia
$97,530
$46.89 an hour
6340 jobs
Massachusetts
$93,170
$44.79 an hour
7160 jobs
Colorado
$92,810
$44.62 an hour
8200 jobs
Indiana
$91,240
$43.87 an hour
9200 jobs
Wisconsin
$90,360
$43.44 an hour
1060 jobs
Oklahoma
$88,420
$42.51 an hour
Why people trust JobPayFacts
Official government dataEvery number comes from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics wage survey of employers, not self-reported salaries.
Every state and city830 jobs across all 50 states, D.C. and 199 large metro areas.
Updated every yearNew figures each spring when BLS releases them. This site uses May 2025 data.
Music Directors and Composers pay, charted
Pay over time
United States, annual wage, May of each year
AverageMedian
Where the jobs are
Employment by state, May 2025
Average pay by state
May 2025 · tap a state
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Under $70k$70k–$84k$84k–$91k$91k+
Top-paying metro areas
Average pay, May 2025 (areas with 100+ jobs)
| Metro area | Avg. pay | Hourly |
|---|---|---|
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $136,080 | $65.42 |
| Syracuse, NY | $128,010 | $61.55 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | $120,330 | $57.85 |
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA | $112,260 | $53.97 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | $103,350 | $49.69 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | $101,160 | $48.64 |
| Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA | $98,430 | $47.32 |
| Providence-Warwick, RI-MA | $94,670 | $45.52 |
Related jobs
- Coaches and Scouts$60,160
- Producers and Directors$113,300
- Actors$58.29/hr
- Musicians and Singers$60.46/hr
- Entertainers and Performers, Sports and Related Workers, All Other$30.70/hr
- Umpires, Referees, and Other Sports Officials$53,010
Average U.S. pay, May 2025
Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS
Music Directors and Composers pay in every state
States without a figure had too few jobs or too little survey data for BLS to publish.
| State | Avg. pay | Median | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $51,980 | $42,250 | 70 |
| California | $108,530 | $93,090 | 2,510 |
| Colorado | $92,810 | $88,460 | 160 |
| Connecticut | $105,300 | $77,070 | 120 |
| District of Columbia | $97,530 | $84,040 | 140 |
| Florida | $64,800 | $57,830 | 570 |
| Georgia | $74,460 | $67,100 | – |
| Hawaii | $87,060 | $74,570 | 90 |
| Illinois | $60,360 | $49,270 | – |
| Indiana | $91,240 | $77,270 | 200 |
| Iowa | $66,750 | $61,740 | 120 |
| Maryland | $80,120 | $64,300 | 160 |
| Massachusetts | $93,170 | $78,620 | 340 |
| Michigan | $68,810 | $59,400 | 310 |
| Mississippi | $63,380 | $62,240 | 40 |
| Missouri | $72,810 | $61,670 | 60 |
| Montana | $56,230 | $51,530 | 110 |
| New Jersey | $133,540 | $122,750 | 210 |
| New York | $105,520 | $82,930 | 2,370 |
| North Carolina | $84,340 | $63,380 | 200 |
| Ohio | $73,880 | $61,380 | 440 |
| Oklahoma | $88,420 | $54,250 | 60 |
| Oregon | $69,590 | $60,800 | 500 |
| Pennsylvania | $74,570 | $61,160 | 580 |
| Tennessee | $70,240 | $79,640 | 400 |
| Texas | $85,750 | $65,570 | 480 |
| Utah | $83,970 | $82,570 | 150 |
| Virginia | $79,160 | $59,050 | 370 |
| Washington | $87,600 | $75,060 | 260 |
| Wisconsin | $90,360 | $78,690 | 200 |
Metro areas with the most jobs
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ
$120,330
1,520 jobsLos Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA
$103,350
1,280 jobsSan Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA
$136,080
320 jobsWashington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV
$89,970
320 jobsNashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN
$70,630
310 jobsBoston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH
$91,800
260 jobsPhiladelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD
$74,270
250 jobsSeattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA
$88,000
190 jobsQuestions and answers
How much do music directors and composers make?
The average is $90,470 a year across the U.S. Half earn more than $73,710 and half earn less (the median).
What is the hourly pay?
The average hourly wage is $43.50, and the median is $35.44 an hour.
Which state pays music directors and composers the most?
New Jersey, with an average of $133,540 a year. The best-paying metro area is San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA at $136,080.
What is the pay range?
The lowest-paid 10% earn under $39,880 a year, and the top 10% earn over $165,760.
Sources and notes. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 (trend: May 2020–May 2025), occupation code 27-2041. Wages are gross pay before taxes and don't include overtime premiums, tips, bonuses or benefits; self-employed workers aren't included. Year-to-year changes can partly reflect survey method changes, so treat the trend as a guide. How we use the data. JobPayFacts isn't affiliated with BLS.