Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2011

27-2041 Music Directors and Composers

Conduct, direct, plan, and lead instrumental or vocal performances by musical groups, such as orchestras, bands, choirs, and glee clubs. Includes arrangers, composers, choral directors, and orchestrators.


National estimates for this occupation
Industry profile for this occupation
Geographic profile for this occupation

National estimates for this occupation: Top

Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for this occupation:

Employment (1) Employment
RSE (3)
Mean hourly
wage
Mean annual
wage (2)
Wage RSE (3)
25,290 2.1 % $25.84 $53,760 1.9 %

Percentile wage estimates for this occupation:

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median)
75% 90%
Hourly Wage $10.67 $17.00 $22.80 $29.90 $41.24
Annual Wage (2) $22,190 $35,370 $47,410 $62,180 $85,770


Industry profile for this occupation: Top

Industries with the highest published employment and wages for this occupation are provided. For a list of all industries with employment in this occupation, see the Create Customized Tables function.

Industries with the highest levels of employment in this occupation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Elementary and Secondary Schools 16,880 0.20 $24.20 $50,340
Religious Organizations 4,060 2.21 $22.42 $46,640
Performing Arts Companies 2,250 1.99 $37.51 $78,030
Other Schools and Instruction 370 0.11 $31.76 $66,070
Independent Artists, Writers, and Performers 320 0.67 $53.61 $111,500

Industries with the highest concentration of employment in this occupation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Religious Organizations 4,060 2.21 $22.42 $46,640
Performing Arts Companies 2,250 1.99 $37.51 $78,030
Sound Recording Industries 270 1.61 $32.31 $67,210
Independent Artists, Writers, and Performers 320 0.67 $53.61 $111,500
Elementary and Secondary Schools 16,880 0.20 $24.20 $50,340

Top paying industries for this occupation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Independent Artists, Writers, and Performers 320 0.67 $53.61 $111,500
Junior Colleges 70 0.01 $38.31 $79,680
Performing Arts Companies 2,250 1.99 $37.51 $78,030
Sound Recording Industries 270 1.61 $32.31 $67,210
Other Schools and Instruction 370 0.11 $31.76 $66,070


Geographic profile for this occupation: Top

States and areas with the highest published employment, location quotients, and wages for this occupation are provided. For a list of all areas with employment in this occupation, see the Create Customized Tables function.





States with the highest employment level in this occupation:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
New York 2,880 0.34 1.74 $32.65 $67,910
Texas 2,760 0.27 1.36 $24.21 $50,360
California 2,660 0.19 0.96 $32.22 $67,010
Illinois 1,650 0.30 1.50 $25.48 $52,990
Pennsylvania 1,270 0.23 1.16 $26.49 $55,100




States with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in this occupation:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Montana 250 0.58 2.93 $16.40 $34,110
Oregon 850 0.54 2.73 $24.09 $50,110
Kansas 630 0.48 2.46 $20.59 $42,820
Idaho 240 0.40 2.04 $20.15 $41,900
Iowa 510 0.35 1.80 $21.05 $43,770




Top paying States for this occupation:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
New York 2,880 0.34 1.74 $32.65 $67,910
California 2,660 0.19 0.96 $32.22 $67,010
District of Columbia 120 0.18 0.93 $31.44 $65,390
Maryland 400 0.16 0.82 $29.28 $60,910
New Jersey 600 0.16 0.80 $29.00 $60,320





Metropolitan areas with the highest employment level in this occupation:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
New York-White Plains-Wayne, NY-NJ Metropolitan Division 1,090 0.22 1.09 $48.66 $101,210
Chicago-Joliet-Naperville, IL Metropolitan Division 1,010 0.28 1.42 $27.93 $58,090
Dallas-Plano-Irving, TX Metropolitan Division 830 0.41 2.07 $20.92 $43,500
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale, CA Metropolitan Division 550 0.14 0.73 $31.59 $65,700
Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA 480 0.49 2.50 $21.06 $43,810
Rochester, NY 380 0.78 3.97 $21.59 $44,900
Philadelphia, PA Metropolitan Division 330 0.18 0.93 $32.88 $68,400
Nassau-Suffolk, NY Metropolitan Division 310 0.26 1.31 $33.74 $70,180
Oakland-Fremont-Hayward, CA Metropolitan Division 310 0.33 1.66 $29.92 $62,230
Kansas City, MO-KS 310 0.32 1.64 $22.40 $46,580




Metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in this occupation:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Sheboygan, WI 60 1.13 5.75 $14.99 $31,180
Missoula, MT 60 1.02 5.18 (8) (8)
Pocatello, ID 30 0.97 4.94 $17.91 $37,260
Rochester, NY 380 0.78 3.97 $21.59 $44,900
Sioux City, IA-NE-SD 50 0.71 3.62 $20.91 $43,490
Medford, OR 50 0.69 3.50 $25.46 $52,950
Mansfield, OH 30 0.65 3.32 $23.13 $48,110
Glens Falls, NY 30 0.64 3.22 $25.61 $53,280
Amarillo, TX 70 0.64 3.23 $24.04 $49,990
Salem, OR 80 0.57 2.88 $25.02 $52,040




Top paying metropolitan areas for this occupation:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
New York-White Plains-Wayne, NY-NJ Metropolitan Division 1,090 0.22 1.09 $48.66 $101,210
San Diego-Carlsbad-San Marcos, CA 290 0.24 1.20 $45.87 $95,410
San Francisco-San Mateo-Redwood City, CA Metropolitan Division 240 0.25 1.26 $35.96 $74,800
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA 250 0.29 1.45 $34.86 $72,510
Seattle-Bellevue-Everett, WA Metropolitan Division 60 0.05 0.24 $34.49 $71,740
Fort Worth-Arlington, TX Metropolitan Division 80 0.10 0.50 $34.32 $71,380
Nassau-Suffolk, NY Metropolitan Division 310 0.26 1.31 $33.74 $70,180
Edison-New Brunswick, NJ Metropolitan Division 80 0.09 0.44 $33.57 $69,820
Philadelphia, PA Metropolitan Division 330 0.18 0.93 $32.88 $68,400
Jacksonville, FL 60 0.10 0.50 $32.68 $67,970

Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest employment in this occupation:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Kansas nonmetropolitan area 230 0.59 3.01 $21.04 $43,770
Southwest New York nonmetropolitan area 180 0.95 4.84 $22.83 $47,480
West Northwestern Ohio nonmetropolitan area 130 0.61 3.08 $20.46 $42,560
Northwestern Texas nonmetropolitan area 130 0.54 2.72 $24.97 $51,950
West Central Wisconsin nonmetropolitan area 100 0.59 3.00 $31.00 $64,480

Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in this occupation:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Eastern Montana nonmetropolitan area 40 1.10 5.57 $16.32 $33,950
North Missouri nonmetropolitan area 90 1.07 5.42 $17.59 $36,600
Southwest New York nonmetropolitan area 180 0.95 4.84 $22.83 $47,480
Central Montana nonmetropolitan area 30 0.86 4.37 $14.57 $30,300
Coastal Oregon nonmetropolitan area 50 0.77 3.90 $26.48 $55,090

Top paying nonmetropolitan areas for this occupation:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
West Central Wisconsin nonmetropolitan area 100 0.59 3.00 $31.00 $64,480
Southern Texas nonmetropolitan area 30 0.39 1.98 $30.30 $63,010
Northeastern Pennsylvania nonmetropolitan area 60 0.41 2.05 $28.68 $59,660
South Georgia nonmetropolitan area 40 0.24 1.21 $28.27 $58,800
Middle Georgia nonmetropolitan area 30 0.26 1.31 $26.57 $55,260


About May 2011 National, State, Metropolitan, and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

These estimates are calculated with data collected from employers in all industry sectors, all metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas, and all states and the District of Columbia. The top employment and wage figures are provided above. The complete list is available in the downloadable XLS files.

The percentile wage estimate is the value of a wage below which a certain percent of workers fall. The median wage is the 50th percentile wage estimate--50 percent of workers earn less than the median and 50 percent of workers earn more than the median. More about percentile wages.


(1) Estimates for detailed occupations do not sum to the totals because the totals include occupations not shown separately. Estimates do not include self-employed workers.

(2) Annual wages have been calculated by multiplying the hourly mean wage by a "year-round, full-time" hours figure of 2,080 hours; for those occupations where there is not an hourly mean wage published, the annual wage has been directly calculated from the reported survey data.

(3) The relative standard error (RSE) is a measure of the reliability of a survey statistic. The smaller the relative standard error, the more precise the estimate.

(8) Estimate not released.

(9) The location quotient is the ratio of the area concentration of occupational employment to the national average concentration. A location quotient greater than one indicates the occupation has a higher share of employment than average, and a location quotient less than one indicates the occupation is less prevalent in the area than average.


Other OES estimates and related information:

May 2011 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2011 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2011 Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2011 National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

List of Occupations in SOC Code Number Order

List of Occupations in Alphabetical Order

Download May 2011 Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates in Zipped XLS files

Technical Notes

 

Last Modified Date: March 27, 2012