SOC 27-2032.00

    Choreographers

    Create new dance routines.

    Median pay
    $55,310
    Growth
    +3.1%
    As fast as average
    Openings a year
    600
    Typical education
    High school diploma

    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
    $34,090
    Median
    $55,310
    Highest 10% earn more than
    $138,630
    National wages for all workers in this occupation. BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025.

    2,860 people work in this occupation.

    In short

    Choreographers design and direct dance routines for performances, earning a median annual wage of $55,310. They work in creative settings to bring movement to life on stage or screen.

    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 choreographers do

    Job Zone 3: Medium preparation

    Create new dance routines. Rehearse performance of routines. May direct and stage presentations.

    Usually vocational training, an associate degree or related experience.

    What the work is like

    Choreographers spend their days creating original dance routines and directing performers to bring these movements to life. This career is highly artistic and physical, requiring professionals to perform physical activities while guiding, coaching, and training dancers. Choreographers must organize, plan, and prioritize rehearsals, make creative decisions, and solve problems when routines need adjustment.

    Success in this role relies on strong skills in instructing, coordinating, and active listening. Choreographers must communicate clearly with dancers and production staff, using social perceptiveness to understand their cast. They apply knowledge of the fine arts, education, and psychology to motivate their performers. Key work styles for this job include innovation, adaptability, leadership, and perseverance, which help choreographers guide a cast through demanding rehearsals to a finished production.

    How to get there

    Entering this career typically requires a high school diploma, though many professionals prepare through vocational training, an associate degree, or significant experience in dance. Common college majors that align with this career path include dance, drama, theatre arts, and stagecraft.

    Because choreography is a highly specialized artistic field, building a background as a dancer is a common way to gain the necessary experience. Developing skills in administration, management, and production during school or early in a dance career can also help prepare individuals for the leadership demands of directing and staging performances.

    Pay and outlook explained

    The median annual pay for choreographers was $55,310 in 2025. Earnings can vary widely based on the production and location; the lowest 10% of earners make less than $34,090, while the highest 10% earn more than $138,630.

    There are 2,860 people employed in this occupation. Between 2025 and 2035, employment is projected to grow by 3.1%, which is as fast as the average for all occupations. About 600 job openings are expected to become available each year during this ten-year period.

    Interest profile

    Realistic (R)
    44 / 100
    Investigative (I)
    20 / 100
    Artistic (A) · strongest
    100 / 100
    Social (S)
    49 / 100
    Enterprising (E)
    46 / 100
    Conventional (C)
    19 / 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 ASE. Compare it with yours

    What you'd do

    Thinking Creatively
    97
    Guiding, Directing, and Motivating Subordinates
    88
    Performing General Physical Activities
    88
    Coaching and Developing Others
    82
    Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work
    81
    Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships
    80
    Making Decisions and Solving Problems
    80
    Training and Teaching Others
    79
    Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates
    76
    Coordinating the Work and Activities of Others
    76
    Work activities rated by importance for this occupation, O*NET (0–100).

    Skills and strengths

    Skills

    • Instructing
    • Active Listening
    • Coordination
    • Speaking
    • Monitoring
    • Learning Strategies
    • Social Perceptiveness
    • Reading Comprehension
    • Critical Thinking
    • Time Management

    Knowledge

    • Fine Arts
    • Education and Training
    • Administration and Management
    • Production and Processing
    • Communications and Media
    • Design
    • English Language
    • Psychology
    • Personnel and Human Resources
    • Customer and Personal Service

    Abilities

    • Gross Body Coordination
    • Gross Body Equilibrium
    • Oral Expression
    • Originality
    • Fluency of Ideas
    • Oral Comprehension
    • Dynamic Strength
    • Extent Flexibility
    • Stamina
    • Trunk Strength

    Work styles

    • Innovation
    • Adaptability
    • Leadership Orientation
    • Social Orientation
    • Perseverance
    • Self-Confidence
    • Cooperation
    • Achievement Orientation
    • Optimism
    • Intellectual Curiosity

    Also called

    Ballet Director · Choreographer · Choreography Director · Dance Choreographer · Dance Director · Dance Instructor · Dance Maker · Dance Master · Dancing Master · Musical Choreographer

    Career pathway

    From your interests to choreographers

    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

      • Choreographers$55,310 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. 1University of Notre Dame-South Bend IN logo
      University of Notre Dame-South Bend IN

      Notre Dame, IN · Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft · Bachelor's

      1 yr after
      $62,573
      4 yrs after
      $64,880
      Median debt
      $19,000
    2. 2University of Iowa logo
      University of Iowa

      Iowa City, IA · Dance · Bachelor's

      1 yr after
      Not reported
      4 yrs after
      $60,188
      Median debt
      Not reported
    3. 3University of California-Davis logo
      University of California-Davis

      Davis, CA · Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft · Bachelor's

      1 yr after
      $31,185
      4 yrs after
      $56,823
      Median debt
      Not reported
    4. 4Muhlenberg College logo
      Muhlenberg College

      Allentown, PA · Dance · Bachelor's

      1 yr after
      $34,496
      4 yrs after
      $56,503
      Median debt
      $26,000
    5. 5University of California-Berkeley CAL logo
      University of California-Berkeley CAL

      Berkeley, CA · Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft · Bachelor's

      1 yr after
      $43,297
      4 yrs after
      $55,555
      Median debt
      $9,273
    6. 6
      University of South Carolina-Columbia Main Campus

      Columbia, SC · Dance · Bachelor's

      1 yr after
      Not reported
      4 yrs after
      $55,274
      Median debt
      Not reported
    7. 7Drake University logo
      Drake University

      Des Moines, IA · Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft · Bachelor's

      1 yr after
      $27,600
      4 yrs after
      $54,950
      Median debt
      $24,250
    8. 8Miami University-Oxford logo
      Miami University-Oxford

      Oxford, OH · Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft · Bachelor's

      1 yr after
      Not reported
      4 yrs after
      $54,215
      Median debt
      Not reported

    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 choreographers 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.

    • Ballet
    • Dance, General
    • Dance, Other
    • Musical Theatre
    • Theatre and Dance

    Find training near you 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 6, 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 choreographers

    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 choreographers?

    People in this field may also be called dance directors, ballet directors, choreography directors, dance instructors, or dance makers. Others are known as dance masters, dancing masters, or musical choreographers.

    What college majors are related to this career?

    Students interested in this career path often major in dance. Another common and highly relevant major is drama, theatre arts, and stagecraft.

    What are some related careers in the performing arts?

    Related occupations include dancers, actors, musicians, and singers. Other similar roles are music directors and composers, talent directors, and postsecondary art, drama, and music teachers.

    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 6, 2026.

    Page data updated November 5, 2026.