Dancer: what the job is, what it pays, and how to get hired.
The work, the skills that matter, the tools in demand and the pay range, from U.S. government data, plus every TryHired page for the role.
Dancers perform dances. The median pay is $24.80 an hour (BLS, May 2025). The most commonly reported education requirement is a high school diploma or equivalent (45% of workers surveyed by O*NET).
- Median pay
- $24.80/hr
- BLS May 2025
- Employed in the U.S.
- 8,130
- BLS May 2025
- Preparation
- Job Zone 3 of 5
- medium preparation
- Most common education
- High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED)
- 45% of workers
Dancers at a glance
Dancers in the United States earned a median hourly wage of $24.80 in May 2025, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025
In its 2025–35 employment projections, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics lists no formal educational credential as the typical entry-level education for dancers in the United States.
Source: BLS Employment Projections, 2025–35
BLS projects employment of dancers in the United States to grow 2.2% from 2025 to 2035, with about 1,600 openings a year on average, including replacement openings.
Source: BLS Employment Projections, 2025–35
BLS estimated that 8,130 people were employed as dancers in the United States in May 2025, not counting the self-employed.
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025
Every page for Dancers
Education, training and the skills to build first.
Open →ResumeDancer resumeKeywords, bullet formulas and the skills to prove.
Open →Interview questionsDancer interview questionsQuestions with what they test, plus practice mode.
Open →Free toolCheck your resumeParsed text, evidence per bullet, fixes first.
Open →What dancers do day to day
Data Core tasks rated most important by workers in the role (O*NET).
- Study and practice dance moves required in roles.
- Harmonize body movements to rhythm of musical accompaniment.
- Train, exercise, and attend dance classes to maintain high levels of technical proficiency, physical ability, and physical fitness.
- Coordinate dancing with that of partners or dance ensembles.
- Develop self-understanding of physical capabilities and limitations, and choose dance styles accordingly.
- Perform classical, modern, or acrobatic dances in productions, expressing stories, rhythm, and sound with their bodies.
- Collaborate with choreographers to refine or modify dance steps.
- Audition for dance roles or for membership in dance companies.
Industries that employ it
Data Share of all dancer jobs in each industry, 2025 (BLS Employment Matrix).
- Performing arts, spectator sports, and related industries33.0% of all jobs in this occupation · +5.1% projected change here 2025–35
- Food services and drinking places15.7% of all jobs in this occupation · +1.2% projected change here 2025–35
- Educational services; state, local, and private4.6% of all jobs in this occupation · +6.1% projected change here 2025–35
- Amusement, gambling, and recreation industries3.6% of all jobs in this occupation · +7.7% projected change here 2025–35
- Motion picture and sound recording industries0.7% of all jobs in this occupation · +7.5% projected change here 2025–35
- Administrative and support services0.5% of all jobs in this occupation · +5.1% projected change here 2025–35
Sources: BLS 2025–35 National Employment Matrix (share of the occupation's jobs, projected change) and BLS OEWS May 2025 industry estimates (mean wage). Different industry estimates are not a pay forecast for any person.
Ranked by importance to the job
Data O*NET importance ratings. The first three are core.
Knowledge areas: Fine Arts, English Language.
Software dancers use
Data Examples reported for the role; employer demand flags from O*NET.
- Adobe PhotoshopGraphics or photo imaging softwareHot technology
- FacebookWeb page creation and editing softwareHot technology
- Apple Final Cut ProVideo creation and editing software
- Choreography softwareGraphics or photo imaging software
- LinkedInWeb page creation and editing software
- PinterestInformation retrieval or search software
- SambaFilesystem software
- Social media sitesWeb page creation and editing software
- YouTubeVideo creation and editing software
- Microsoft Office softwareOffice suite softwareHot technology
- Microsoft OutlookElectronic mail softwareHot technology
- Web browser softwareInternet browser software
Also called: Ballerina, Ballet Company Member, Ballet Dancer, Ballet Soloist, Belly Dancer, Company Dancer.
How this page is built
Tasks, skills, tools, education and related roles come from O*NET 31.0. Pay and employment come from the BLS OEWS May 2025 national estimates. The skill-match score is our calculation: Skill match is the cosine similarity of the two occupations' skill profiles: for each of 35 O*NET skills (10 essential, 25 transferable) we multiply importance by level and subtract the average across all occupations, then compare the direction of the two profiles. 100 means identical shape; 0 means unrelated or opposite (negative values are shown as 0). Only occupations that O*NET itself lists as related are compared.
- How a specific employer defines the job.
- Pay for self-employed workers (OEWS covers employees).
- Your own chances: data describes the occupation, not you.
- O*NET 31.0 Database, U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. TryHired selected, ranked and combined the data; O*NET is not responsible for these pages.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 estimates (public domain).
How TryHired builds this data: sources, methods and downloads. Spotted an error? Report a correction.