Music Directors and Composers Salary
The median pay for a music directors and composers in Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ is $71,800/year ($34.52/hour), per BLS data. The range runs from $44K at the entry level to $101K for experienced workers. Adjusted for local prices (RPP 99.97), that's roughly $71,822 in purchasing power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $1,634/month, about 34% of take-home, which is tight.
So what does $72K get you in Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton?
Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton’s Regional Price Parity (99.97). Rent from HUD Fair Market Rents. Taxes estimated for single filer, standard deduction. * Healthcare is the employee-paid share only (premiums + out-of-pocket). Actual costs vary by coverage type: employer-sponsored, ACA marketplace, or uninsured.
About music directors and composers
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What this looks like in Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton
Music directors and composers pay in Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton tracks closely to the national median, $72K locally vs. $74K nationwide, a 3% difference. Rent runs $1,634/month for a 2-bedroom (HUD FMR), taking 34.6% of the median take-home. That's within the 30% rule, though not by much. Cost of living (RPP 99.97) is near the national average, so spending patterns here track the typical American budget fairly closely. Pay and costs are both near average, leaving limited margin for savings at the median wage.
Compared to nearby metros
Median pay for music directors and composers in metros near Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, adjusted for local cost of living.
| Metro | Median pay | COL-adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington | $61K | $60K |
| Pittsburgh | $58K | $61K |
| Lancaster | $71K | $72K |
| Scranton--Wilkes-Barre | $74K | $79K |
COL-adjusted = median salary ÷ (BEA Regional Price Parity ÷ 100). Expresses purchasing power in national-average dollars.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ
Entry-level music directors and composers (10th percentile) start around $44K. Mid-career wages sit at $72K. Top earners bring in $101K or more, a $57K spread from bottom to top.
Music Directors and Composers pay across states
Median income ranked highest to lowest, compared to the national figure
View Music Directors and Composers salary in all states
| State | Median salary | vs. national | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Jersey | $123K | +67% | 210 |
| California | $93K | +26% | 2,510 |
| Colorado | $88K | +20% | 160 |
| District of Columbia | $84K | +14% | 140 |
| New York | $83K | +13% | 2,370 |
| Utah | $83K | +12% | 150 |
| Tennessee | $80K | +8% | 400 |
| Wisconsin | $79K | +7% | 200 |
| Massachusetts | $79K | +7% | 340 |
| Indiana | $77K | +5% | 200 |
| Connecticut | $77K | +5% | 120 |
| Washington | $75K | +2% | 260 |
| Hawaii | $75K | +1% | 90 |
| Georgia | $67K | -9% | N/A |
| Texas | $66K | -11% | 480 |
| Maryland | $64K | -13% | 160 |
| North Carolina | $63K | -14% | 200 |
| Mississippi | $62K | -16% | 40 |
| Iowa | $62K | -16% | 120 |
| Missouri | $62K | -16% | 60 |
| Ohio | $61K | -17% | 440 |
| Pennsylvania | $61K | -17% | 580 |
| Oregon | $61K | -18% | 500 |
| Michigan | $59K | -19% | 310 |
| Virginia | $59K | -20% | 370 |
| Florida | $58K | -22% | 570 |
| Oklahoma | $54K | -26% | 60 |
| Montana | $52K | -30% | 110 |
| Illinois | $49K | -33% | N/A |
| Alabama | $42K | -43% | 70 |
Showing 1–10 of 30 states
BLS does not publish data for every state when sample sizes are too small
Track music directors and composers salary changes
BLS updates this data quarterly. We'll email you when Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton numbers change.
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Frequently asked questions
Can a music directors and composer afford a 2BR apartment alone in Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $72K, rent takes 34.6% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,634/month. The 30% guideline puts the comfortable ceiling at roughly $1,400/month in rent — so roommates or a 1-bedroom would ease the math significantly.
What’s the entry-level salary for music directors and composers in Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new music directors and composers typically earn — is $44K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $2,654/month. At HUD’s $1,634/month FMR, rent would take 62% of that take-home — above the 30% guideline, so a 1-bedroom or shared housing is likely necessary starting out.
Is music directors and composer a high-paying job in Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton?
Pay here is roughly in line with the national average — $72K locally vs. $74K nationally, a 3% difference.
How does Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton compare to the national average for music directors and composers?
Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton pays $72K median vs. the U.S. average of $74K — that’s -3%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 99.97), the purchasing-power equivalent is $72K — below the national median.
How much do music directors and composers make in Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ?
The median is $71,800 a year, that works out to about $35 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $44,230, and experienced music directors and composers can clear $101,110. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $72K enough to live in Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $4,724/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,634/month, which eats 34.6% of your paycheck. That's above the 30% rule of thumb, housing will be a stretch at the median salary, though you can manage with roommates or a smaller place.
How far does a music directors and composers salary go in Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton?
Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton has a Regional Price Parity of 99.97 (100 is the national average). That's below average, your money stretches further here than the raw salary number suggests. After cost-of-living adjustment, the median music directors and composers salary is worth about $71,822 in national-average purchasing power.
Where do music directors and composers get paid the most?
The table above ranks every state by median pay for this role. Keep in mind that the highest-paying states tend to have the highest costs of living, so the top salary doesn't always mean the most money in your pocket.