SOC 13-1011.00Bright outlook

    Agents and Business Managers of Artists, Performers, and Athletes

    Represent and promote artists, performers, and athletes in dealings with current or prospective employers.

    Median pay
    $82,890
    Growth
    +9.7%
    Much faster than average
    Openings a year
    2,400
    Typical education
    Bachelor's degree

    Data verified Nov 2026 · CollegesRef 2026–27 edition

    Source: BLS 2025 wages · 2025–35 projections

    See the pathway

    Annual pay range

    Lowest 10% earn less than
    $48,010
    Median
    $82,890
    Highest 10% earn more than
    $284,570
    National wages for all workers in this occupation. BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025.

    12,620 people work in this occupation.

    In short

    Agents and business managers represent athletes, artists, and performers to secure contracts and promote their talents. The career offers a median annual pay of $82,890, with top earners making over $284,570.

    Written with AI from the BLS, O*NET and CareerOneStop data on this page. Every figure is checked against that data before it is published.

    What agents and business managers of artists, performers, and athletes do

    Job Zone 4: Considerable preparation

    Represent and promote artists, performers, and athletes in dealings with current or prospective employers. May handle contract negotiation and other business matters for clients.

    Most need a bachelor's degree and several years of related experience.

    What the work is like

    Professionals in this field focus on promoting their clients and negotiating contracts with potential employers. Day-to-day tasks involve gathering information, communicating with external organizations, and scheduling activities. These managers must think creatively to market their clients effectively while organizing and planning complex schedules.

    Success in this career relies heavily on an enterprising interest area. Key skills include persuasion, negotiation, active listening, and social perceptiveness. Agents must be strong communicators who can speak and write clearly to influence others. They also need a solid understanding of sales, marketing, customer service, administration, and the fine arts. Important work styles for this role include self-confidence, initiative, leadership, and adaptability, as agents must navigate a fast-paced and competitive industry.

    How to get there

    Entering this career typically requires a bachelor's degree. Because this occupation is classified under considerable preparation, most individuals also need several years of work experience in a related field before becoming agents or managers.

    Students interested in this path often choose college majors such as business administration, management and operations, arts, entertainment, and media management, or public relations, advertising, and applied communication. Depending on where you plan to practice, some states list specific licensing requirements for people working in this occupation.

    Pay and outlook explained

    The median annual wage for these agents and business managers is $82,890. Earnings can vary significantly based on success and client contracts, with the lowest 10% earning less than $48,010 and the highest 10% earning more than $284,570.

    There are currently 12,620 people employed in this occupation. Between 2025 and 2035, employment is projected to grow by 9.7%, which is much faster than the average for all occupations. This growth is expected to result in approximately 2,400 job openings each year.

    Interest profile

    Realistic (R)
    0 / 100
    Investigative (I)
    13 / 100
    Artistic (A)
    43 / 100
    Social (S)
    52 / 100
    Enterprising (E) · strongest
    91 / 100
    Conventional (C)
    46 / 100
    How strongly each interest area describes the work, from O*NET (scores rescaled to 0–100). The interest code lists the strongest areas in order.

    Interest code ESC. Compare it with yours

    What you'd do

    Getting Information
    88
    Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships
    78
    Thinking Creatively
    75
    Communicating with People Outside the Organization
    74
    Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge
    71
    Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work
    70
    Scheduling Work and Activities
    68
    Working with Computers
    68
    Selling or Influencing Others
    67
    Making Decisions and Solving Problems
    65
    Work activities rated by importance for this occupation, O*NET (0–100).

    Skills and strengths

    Skills

    • Active Listening
    • Negotiation
    • Persuasion
    • Reading Comprehension
    • Speaking
    • Social Perceptiveness
    • Coordination
    • Critical Thinking
    • Time Management
    • Writing

    Knowledge

    • Customer and Personal Service
    • Sales and Marketing
    • English Language
    • Administration and Management
    • Fine Arts
    • Communications and Media
    • Administrative
    • Personnel and Human Resources
    • Economics and Accounting
    • Mathematics

    Abilities

    • Oral Expression
    • Oral Comprehension
    • Written Comprehension
    • Problem Sensitivity
    • Speech Clarity
    • Speech Recognition
    • Deductive Reasoning
    • Inductive Reasoning
    • Written Expression
    • Near Vision

    Work styles

    • Social Orientation
    • Self-Confidence
    • Perseverance
    • Dependability
    • Leadership Orientation
    • Achievement Orientation
    • Adaptability
    • Initiative
    • Integrity
    • Attention to Detail

    Also called

    Acquisition Agent · Advance Agent · Agent · Artist Manager · Artist Representative · Artist's Manager · Artist's Representative · Athlete Manager · Athlete Marketing Agent · Athletic Agent

    Career pathway

    From your interests to agents and business managers of artists, performers, and athletes

    Interests that fit the work, the career, majors that lead there and colleges whose graduates in those majors earn the most. Hover or focus a step to follow one path.

    1. Interests

    2. This career

      • Agents and Business Managers of Artists, Performers, and Athletes$82,890 median pay

    3. Majors

    4. Colleges

    College Scorecard program outcomes

    Colleges with strong outcomes

    Programs that lead to this career, ranked by what their graduates earn four years after finishing. Earnings are for graduates who received federal aid.

    1. 1Carnegie Mellon University logo
      Carnegie Mellon University

      Pittsburgh, PA · Business Administration, Management and Operations · Bachelor's

      1 yr after
      $97,419
      4 yrs after
      $160,783
      Median debt
      $19,000
    2. 2University of Michigan-Ann Arbor Main Campus logo
      University of Michigan-Ann Arbor Main Campus

      Ann Arbor, MI · Business Administration, Management and Operations · Bachelor's

      1 yr after
      $96,806
      4 yrs after
      $144,654
      Median debt
      $19,500
    3. 3University of California-Berkeley CAL logo
      University of California-Berkeley CAL

      Berkeley, CA · Business Administration, Management and Operations · Bachelor's

      1 yr after
      $94,811
      4 yrs after
      $144,599
      Median debt
      $10,656
    4. 4University of Pennsylvania UPENN logo
      University of Pennsylvania UPENN

      Philadelphia, PA · Business Administration, Management and Operations · Bachelor's

      1 yr after
      $108,743
      4 yrs after
      $136,806
      Median debt
      $19,250
    5. 5Emory University-Main Campus logo
      Emory University-Main Campus

      Atlanta, GA · Business Administration, Management and Operations · Bachelor's

      1 yr after
      $87,830
      4 yrs after
      $136,731
      Median debt
      $15,000
    6. 6University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Main Campus logo
      University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Main Campus

      Chapel Hill, NC · Business Administration, Management and Operations · Bachelor's

      1 yr after
      $88,182
      4 yrs after
      $135,874
      Median debt
      $9,250
    7. 7Boston College logo
      Boston College

      Chestnut Hill, MA · Business Administration, Management and Operations · Bachelor's

      1 yr after
      $75,464
      4 yrs after
      $123,144
      Median debt
      $18,625
    8. 8Bismarck State College logo
      Bismarck State College

      Bismarck, ND · Business Administration, Management and Operations · Bachelor's

      1 yr after
      $113,408
      4 yrs after
      $122,948
      Median debt
      $14,482

    Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard field-of-study data, 2025. Programs with few graduates are not listed.

    NCES CIP–SOC crosswalk

    Majors that lead here

    Related programs by four-digit CIP code. They are common routes in, not the only ones.

    CareerOneStop

    Certifications, licenses and pay by state

    What agents and business managers of artists, performers, and athletes may need beyond a degree, where a license is required, and what the work pays in each state.

    Training

    Programs of study that prepare people for this work.

    • Arts, Entertainment, and Media Management, General
    • Arts, Entertainment, and Media Management, Other
    • Fine and Studio Arts Management
    • Purchasing, Procurement/Acquisitions and Contracts Management
    • Sports Communication

    Find training near you on CareerOneStop

    Licenses by state

    32 states list a license for this work. Open your state for the license and the agency that issues it.

    Check license requirements on CareerOneStop

    Data from CareerOneStop, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor (Employment and Training Administration, with the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development). Retrieved November 9, 2026.

    Your plan

    Build my pathway plan

    Courses, majors, colleges, scholarships and a timeline for this career, built from your profile.

    Related careers

    Careers with similar work, interests or skills.

    All careers

    Questions about agents and business managers of artists, performers, and athletes

    Written with AI from the BLS, O*NET and CareerOneStop data on this page. Every figure is checked against that data before it is published.

    What are some alternative job titles for this career?

    People in this field are also known as artist managers, athlete marketing agents, acquisition agents, and athletic agents.

    What college majors are most relevant to this job?

    Relevant majors include business administration, management and operations, public relations, advertising, and applied communication, as well as arts, entertainment, and media management.

    Do I need a license to work as an agent or business manager?

    Licensing requirements vary by location, as some states list a license for individuals performing this type of work.

    Sources and attribution

    Every figure on this page comes from these public datasets. Missing values are shown as not reported, never estimated.

    O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. CollegesRef has modified all or some of this information.

    Data from CareerOneStop, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor (Employment and Training Administration, with the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development). Retrieved November 9, 2026.

    Page data updated November 5, 2026.