Music Directors and Composers Salary by State and Metro Area
Music Directors and Composers in the United States earn a median salary of $73,710/year ($35.44/hr). Salaries range from $39,880 to $165,760 depending on experience. Below, compare salaries across 30 states and 30 metro areas where BLS publishes data.
$40K
10th percentile
$53K
25th percentile
$74K
Median
$104K
75th percentile
$166K
90th percentile
Where Music Directors and Composers have the most money left over after rent
Median pay minus estimated federal + state + FICA taxes, minus 12 months of rent at HUD's 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent. Darker green means more money left over each year. Hover any state for the breakdown.
View map data as a table
| State | Median (nominal) | Rent/mo (2BR) | Left after rent |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Jersey | $123K | $2,067 | $64K |
| Tennessee | $80K | $1,215 | $50K |
| Indiana | $77K | $1,144 | $47K |
| Utah | $83K | $1,350 | $46K |
| Wisconsin | $79K | $1,202 | $46K |
| Colorado | $88K | $1,832 | $45K |
| New York | $83K | $1,917 | $40K |
| Washington | $75K | $1,830 | $39K |
| California | $93K | $2,471 | $39K |
| Connecticut | $77K | $1,679 | $39K |
| Texas | $66K | $1,415 | $38K |
| District of Columbia | $84K | $2,146 | $37K |
| Iowa | $62K | $1,064 | $36K |
| Mississippi | $62K | $1,077 | $36K |
| Missouri | $62K | $1,097 | $36K |
| Ohio | $61K | $1,188 | $36K |
| Georgia | $67K | $1,434 | $35K |
| North Carolina | $63K | $1,284 | $35K |
| Pennsylvania | $61K | $1,351 | $33K |
| Massachusetts | $79K | $2,347 | $32K |
| Michigan | $59K | $1,272 | $32K |
| Oklahoma | $54K | $1,081 | $31K |
| Florida | $58K | $1,658 | $29K |
| Hawaii | $75K | $2,240 | $29K |
| Maryland | $64K | $1,795 | $29K |
| Montana | $52K | $1,129 | $28K |
| Oregon | $61K | $1,555 | $27K |
| Virginia | $59K | $1,646 | $27K |
| Illinois | $49K | $1,407 | $22K |
| Alabama | $42K | $1,085 | $21K |
Music Directors and Composers salary by state
| State | Median | Hourly | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Jersey | $123K | $59.02/hr | 210 |
| California | $93K | $44.76/hr | 2,510 |
| Colorado | $88K | $42.53/hr | 160 |
| District of Columbia | $84K | $40.41/hr | 140 |
| New York | $83K | $39.87/hr | 2,370 |
| Utah | $83K | $39.7/hr | 150 |
| Tennessee | $80K | $38.29/hr | 400 |
| Wisconsin | $79K | $37.83/hr | 200 |
| Massachusetts | $79K | $37.8/hr | 340 |
| Indiana | $77K | $37.15/hr | 200 |
| Connecticut | $77K | $37.06/hr | 120 |
| Washington | $75K | $36.09/hr | 260 |
| Hawaii | $75K | $35.85/hr | 90 |
| Georgia | $67K | $32.26/hr | , |
| Texas | $66K | $31.53/hr | 480 |
| Maryland | $64K | $30.91/hr | 160 |
| North Carolina | $63K | $30.47/hr | 200 |
| Mississippi | $62K | $29.92/hr | 40 |
| Iowa | $62K | $29.68/hr | 120 |
| Missouri | $62K | $29.65/hr | 60 |
| Ohio | $61K | $29.51/hr | 440 |
| Pennsylvania | $61K | $29.41/hr | 580 |
| Oregon | $61K | $29.23/hr | 500 |
| Michigan | $59K | $28.56/hr | 310 |
| Virginia | $59K | $28.39/hr | 370 |
| Florida | $58K | $27.81/hr | 570 |
| Oklahoma | $54K | $26.08/hr | 60 |
| Montana | $52K | $24.77/hr | 110 |
| Illinois | $49K | $23.69/hr | , |
| Alabama | $42K | $20.31/hr | 70 |
Showing 1–10 of 30 states with published data
BLS does not publish data for every state when sample sizes are too small
Top paying metro areas
| Metro area | Median | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| Syracuse, NY | $140K | 120 |
| Trenton-Princeton, NJ | $115K | 30 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $113K | 320 |
| Colorado Springs, CO | $105K | 40 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | $98K | 1,520 |
| Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA | $95K | 110 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | $93K | 1,280 |
| Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN | $85K | 310 |
| Rochester, NY | $84K | 180 |
| Las Vegas-Henderson-North Las Vegas, NV | $83K | , |
| Salt Lake City-Murray, UT | $83K | 100 |
| Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood, IN | $82K | 90 |
| Madison, WI | $80K | 70 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | $79K | 260 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | $79K | 320 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | $77K | 130 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | $75K | 190 |
| Cleveland, OH | $74K | 100 |
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA | $74K | 170 |
| Scranton--Wilkes-Barre, PA | $74K | 40 |
| Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT | $72K | 40 |
| Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ | $72K | 40 |
| Lancaster, PA | $71K | 40 |
| Urban Honolulu, HI | $69K | 70 |
| Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC | $68K | 40 |
| Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA | $67K | 160 |
| Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood, MI | $65K | 60 |
| Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA | $64K | , |
| Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD | $64K | 110 |
| Providence-Warwick, RI-MA | $64K | 150 |