SALARY DATA — SOC 13-1011
Agents and Business Managers of Artists, Performers, and Athletes
13-0000 Business and Financial Operations Occupations
The 90/10 ratio for Agents and Business Managers of Artists, Performers, and Athletes is 5.93× — the top decile earns $284,570 against the bottom decile at $48,010. That spread is 5.93× wide. The band is wider than employers typically represent; knowing where you sit in it is the whole game.
BLS OEWS reference period: May 2025. Employment: 12,620.
Wage distribution — the receipts
National OEWS annual wage percentiles. "vs. median" column shows each percentile relative to the occupation's own national median — this is where your position in the band lives. Source and series IDs: methodology page.
| Percentile | Annual wage | vs. median | Hourly (est.) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th pct — bottom decile | $48,010 | -42% | ~$23 |
| 25th pct — lower quartile | $63,670 | -23% | ~$31 |
| Median — 50th pct | $82,890 | — | $39.85/hr |
| Mean — average | $141,580 | +71% | $68.07/hr |
| 75th pct — upper quartile | $146,430 | +77% | ~$70 |
| 90th pct — top decile | $284,570 | +243% | ~$137 |
Source: BLS OEWS national estimates. Annual wage ÷ 2,080 hrs = hourly estimate. Hourly-median is direct from OEWS when available; others are estimates only.
Pay by metro area
BLS publishes May 2025 wage estimates for Agents and Business Managers of Artists, Performers, and Athletes in 11 metro areas; the 10 with the most jobs are below, ranked by employment.
| Metro | Jobs | Median | 10th pct | 90th pct |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | 4,120 | $97,750 | $73,630 | $290,360 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | 2,490 | $83,820 | $52,370 | $220,470 |
| Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN | 630 | $75,390 | $44,540 | $159,630 |
| Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL | 500 | $100,650 | $31,660 | $512,110 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN | 320 | $57,410 | $31,200 | $137,660 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | 180 | $103,730 | $78,620 | $332,220 |
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA | 160 | $98,930 | $56,550 | $306,680 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | 110 | $83,360 | $38,470 | $249,990 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | 100 | $74,620 | $51,250 | $363,410 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | 60 | $90,530 | $36,330 | $124,380 |
Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 — metropolitan area estimates (oesm25ma/MSA_M2025_dl.xlsx). Jobs are rounded to the nearest ten and exclude the self-employed; a dash means BLS suppressed that percentile.
Pay by industry
Across 7 detailed industries with a publishable estimate, the 5 that employ the most Agents and Business Managers of Artists, Performers, and Athletes are below, with the median wage each one pays.
| Industry | NAICS | Jobs | Median |
|---|---|---|---|
| Agents and Managers for Artists, Athletes, Entertainers, and Other Public Figures | 711400 | 9,970 | $95,570 |
| Performing Arts Companies | 711100 | 440 | $52,850 |
| Promoters of Performing Arts, Sports, and Similar Events | 711300 | 440 | $88,100 |
| Independent Artists, Writers, and Performers | 711500 | 270 | $64,380 |
| Spectator Sports | 711200 | 140 | $90,530 |
Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 — national 4-digit NAICS industry estimates (oesm25in4/nat4d_M2025_dl.xlsx), all ownerships combined. Industries where BLS suppresses the wage are omitted rather than shown as zero.
What it pays vs. what it buys
The wage is only half the number. Below, the metro median for Agents and Business Managers of Artists, Performers, and Athletes is divided by that metro's BEA Regional Price Parity — the federal measure of what a dollar actually buys there. Nominal is what the job pays. Real is what it buys at local prices. Which reorders the answer: New York ranks #8 of 13 on the paycheck and #11 once you spend it.
| Metro | Nominal | Prices | Real | Rank shift |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Denver | $123,950 | 99.4 | $124,740 | — |
| Las Vegas | $108,580 | 98.7 | $109,960 | — |
| San Diego | $98,930 | 99.6 | $99,305 | +2 |
| San Francisco | $103,730 | 106.2 | $97,688 | -1 |
| Miami | $100,650 | 109.1 | $92,248 | -1 |
| Dallas | $90,530 | 99.7 | $90,771 | +1 |
| Los Angeles | $97,750 | 113.6 | $86,073 | -1 |
| Cleveland | $76,790 | 93.9 | $81,758 | +2 |
| Washington | $83,360 | 102.3 | $81,503 | — |
| Nashville | $75,390 | 95.1 | $79,295 | +1 |
Top 10 of 13 metros by real wage. Rank shift = places gained or lost against the nominal ranking. Cleveland gains 2 places. Sources: BLS OEWS May 2025 metropolitan estimates; BEA Regional Price Parities (national = 100). Metros where BLS suppresses the estimate are omitted rather than shown as zero. Full data at /salaries-metro.json.
Is this job growing or dying?
BLS projects employment in Agents and Business Managers of Artists, Performers, and Athletes to move from 26,900 to 29,500 over 2025–2035 — +9.7% , with about 2,400 openings a year once retirements and career changes are counted . Typical entry requirement: bachelor's degree, plus less than 5 years of related experience.
Source: BLS Employment Projections, Table 1.2 (2025–2035). Openings count growth and replacement need together, which is why a shrinking occupation can still hire. Full data at /employment-projections.json.
Salary FAQ
- What is the median salary for Agents and Business Managers of Artists, Performers, and Athletes?
- The median annual salary for Agents and Business Managers of Artists, Performers, and Athletes is $82,890, and the mean is $141,580 (BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025).
- What is the salary range for Agents and Business Managers of Artists, Performers, and Athletes?
- Most Agents and Business Managers of Artists, Performers, and Athletes earn between $48,010 and $284,570 a year. The wage gap inside the occupation is a 5.93× ratio — workers at the 90th percentile earn 5.93 times those at the 10th (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
- Where does pay for Agents and Business Managers of Artists, Performers, and Athletes fall the most after adjusting for cost of living?
- Local prices reorder the ranking. New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA ranks #8 by nominal pay but #11 of 13 metros once local prices are applied (BEA Regional Price Parities).
- Is employment for Agents and Business Managers of Artists, Performers, and Athletes growing or shrinking?
- BLS projects Agents and Business Managers of Artists, Performers, and Athletes employment to grow 9.7% over the 2025–2035 window, with about 2,400 openings a year once retirements and career changes are counted (BLS Employment Projections, 2025–2035).
- How many Agents and Business Managers of Artists, Performers, and Athletes jobs are there in the US?
- BLS counts about 12,620 workers in Agents and Business Managers of Artists, Performers, and Athletes nationally (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Figures from this page's OEWS / Employment Projections / BEA data, above. Methodology at /methodology#oews-salaries.
Related occupations
Other Business and Financial Operations Occupations whose national median wage is closest to that of Agents and Business Managers of Artists, Performers, and Athletes: same SOC major group, nearest median first.
- Business Operations Specialists, All Other $83,050
- Logisticians $82,320
- Credit Analysts $83,510
- Accountants and Auditors $83,680
- Insurance Underwriters $81,370
- Financial Specialists, All Other $81,100
- Compliance Officers $80,730
- Market Research Analysts and Marketing Specialists $78,760
The national wage distribution and the metro and industry tables above are BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates for Agents and Business Managers of Artists, Performers, and Athletes (SOC 13-1011): percentiles from the OEWS API series, metro and industry rows from the published bulk tables — how they are fetched, what OEWS leaves out (equity, bonuses, benefits) and how the 90/10 ratio is read are documented at /methodology#oews-salaries and #oews-breakdown. The other sections keep their own sources and periods: the cost-adjusted metro table divides OEWS metro medians by BEA Regional Price Parities (/methodology#burnout-index); the outlook and its FAQ entry are BLS Employment Projections for 2025–2035.
Methodology · About Office Blues · Meeting Tax Calculator · Daily Pulse
Raw JSON: /salaries/agents-and-business-managers-of-artists-performers-and-athletes-13-1011.json · License: CC BY 4.0 · Source: BLS OEWS · Cite as: Office Blues OEWS Salary Data, Agents and Business Managers of Artists, Performers, and Athletes, officeblues.net/salaries/agents-and-business-managers-of-artists-performers-and-athletes-13-1011
The Salary Negotiation Script at /products/salary-negotiation-script uses frameworks like these to build a case — this is the data layer.