Producers and Directors: salary, outlook & degrees
Produce or direct stage, television, radio, video, or film productions for entertainment, information, or instruction. Responsible for creative decisions, such as interpretation of script, choice of actors or guests, set design, sound, special effects, and choreography.
Middle half $62,670–$134,800. 143,120 jobs.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025
81% hold a bachelor's or higher. Those with one: $67,032.
Census ACS 2020-2024 microdata, workers with at least a high school diploma; EducationGuide calculation
About 12,100 openings a year, including replacements.
BLS Employment Projections 2025-35
Considerable preparation (usually a bachelor's).
BLS; O*NET 31.0 job zone
Degrees that lead to this career
What workers ages 25-34 in this job studied, among those with a bachelor's or higher. This is what people actually did, not a requirement.
| Field of bachelor's degree | Share | Degree pages |
|---|---|---|
| Mass Media | 13% | Broadcasting / Digital Media |
| Film Video And Photographic Arts | 10% | Film and Photography |
| Journalism | 9% | Journalism |
| Communications | 8% | Communications · Communication, Journalism, and Related Programs, Other |
| Drama And Theater Arts | 5% | Theatre · Arts and Entertainment Management |
| English Language And Literature | 4% | English |
| Psychology | 3% | Psychology |
| Fine Arts | 3% | — |
| Political Science And Government | 2% | Political Science |
| Marketing And Marketing Research | 2% | Marketing · Specialized Sales, Merchandising and Marketing Operations |
Census ACS 2020-2024 microdata (ages 25-34, employed, bachelor's or higher; top 10 fields); EducationGuide calculation.
Education workers say the job requires
O*NET 31.0 survey of workers (“required level of education”); small samples, so treat shares as approximate.
Pay by state and metro
| State | Median wage |
|---|---|
| California | $129,790 |
| New Jersey | $119,840 |
| New York | $107,550 |
| District of Columbia | $104,270 |
| Connecticut | $88,260 |
| Oregon | $87,460 |
| Rhode Island | $84,250 |
| Washington | $81,550 |
| Illinois | $81,080 |
| Massachusetts | $80,970 |
| Georgia | $79,950 |
| Florida | $79,920 |
| Maryland | $79,350 |
| Nevada | $78,480 |
| Colorado | $78,060 |
| Minnesota | $76,360 |
| Utah | $76,350 |
| Pennsylvania | $75,460 |
| Tennessee | $73,020 |
| Delaware | $72,650 |
| Texas | $71,710 |
| Maine | $71,320 |
| Ohio | $69,350 |
| Arizona | $67,320 |
| Missouri | $66,460 |
| Wisconsin | $66,390 |
| Hawaii | $66,190 |
| Virginia | $65,900 |
| Michigan | $65,720 |
| North Carolina | $63,700 |
| Alabama | $63,340 |
| Louisiana | $62,920 |
| Oklahoma | $61,600 |
| New Hampshire | $61,560 |
| Idaho | $61,150 |
| Kansas | $60,600 |
| Wyoming | $60,420 |
| South Dakota | $60,260 |
| Indiana | $59,870 |
| Iowa | $58,550 |
| North Dakota | $57,870 |
| South Carolina | $56,030 |
| Vermont | $55,660 |
| Kentucky | $54,550 |
| Alaska | $54,060 |
| Montana | $52,580 |
| Nebraska | $52,580 |
| PR | $48,820 |
| Mississippi | $48,100 |
| West Virginia | $46,660 |
| Arkansas | $38,820 |
Florida metro areas
- Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach$87,980
- Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford$80,960
- Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater$74,810
- Jacksonville$78,340
- Cape Coral-Fort Myers$62,470
- North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota$67,780
- Tallahassee$65,930
- Lakeland-Winter Haven$65,210
Virginia metro areas
- Washington-Arlington-Alexandria$100,270
- Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk$56,730
- Richmond$59,990
- Roanoke$47,960
- Charlottesville$54,140
- Kingsport-Bristol$43,480
- Lynchburg$60,510
- Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford$64,660
California metro areas
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim$131,600
- San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont$130,640
- San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad$99,520
- Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario$97,360
- Fresno$78,730
- Santa Maria-Santa Barbara$76,860
- Bakersfield-Delano$92,510
- Salinas$87,900
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025: median annual wage, all workers in the job. Metro areas: the largest by employment.
What the work takes
Top skills
- Active Listening
- Reading Comprehension
- Speaking
- Critical Thinking
- Monitoring
Knowledge used
- Communications and Media
- English Language
- Telecommunications
- Computers and Electronics
- Administration and Management
Work styles
- Innovation
- Leadership Orientation
- Self-Confidence
- Adaptability
- Achievement Orientation
People in this job tend to have Artistic (creative), Enterprising (leading) interests.
O*NET 31.0 (U.S. Department of Labor, CC BY 4.0): skills and knowledge by importance; work styles; interest high points.
Producers and Directors: questions
How much do producers and Directors make?
Producers and Directors earn a U.S. median $90,360 a year; the middle half earn $62,670 to $134,800 (BLS, May 2025). Workers ages 25-34 in this job earn a median $64,767 (Census ACS 2020-2024).
Is producers and Directors a growing field?
BLS projects growth of 4.0% from 2025 to 2035, with about 12,100 openings a year, including replacements.
What degree do you need to be a producers and Director?
BLS lists the typical entry education as bachelor's degree. In O*NET's survey, 57% of workers say a bachelor's or higher is required. Among workers ages 25-34 with a bachelor's, the most common field of degree is mass Media (13%).
How much do producers and Directors make in Florida?
The median in Florida is $79,920 a year (BLS, May 2025), compared with $90,360 nationally.
Sources: Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35); O*NET 31.0 (U.S. Department of Labor, CC BY 4.0); U.S. Census Bureau ACS microdata. SOC 27-2012. Method
Data: JSON · Markdown · all careers
Cite this: “Producers and Directors: salary, outlook and degrees,” EducationGuide.com, https://educationguide.com/careers/producers-and-directors.