Producers and directors
Salary, job outlook, AI risk & career information
Producers and directors in the United States earn a median salary of $90,360 per year — about $43 per hour, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Roughly 167K people work in this occupation nationwide, with projected employment growth of +5%.
AI & Automation Risk
Producers and directors are highly exposed because their core work products—scripts, visual aesthetics, and edited video—are increasingly being generated or enhanced by AI tools. While the role requires significant human leadership and physical presence on set, the rapid advancement of generative AI in pre-production (scripting/storyboarding) and post-production (editing/VFX) allows a single director to do the work of a much larger team, potentially consolidating the industry.
Salary by City — What You Actually Take Home
Real purchasing power = salary adjusted for cost of living. Higher = more money in your pocket.
| City | Local Salary | Cost of Living | Real Purchasing Power |
|---|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CABEST VALUE | $131,600 | Above avg (113.6) | $115,880 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $130,640 | Above avg (115.6) | $112,998 |
| Trenton-Princeton, NJ | $110,190 | Above avg (103.2) | $106,794 |
| Waterbury-Shelton, CT | $102,340 | Average (99.8) | $102,568 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | $108,460 | Above avg (112.6) | $96,355 |
| Salem, OR | $98,900 | Above avg (103.6) | $95,418 |
| Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury, CT Metropolitan Statistical Area | $100,060 | Above avg (106.9) | $93,633 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | $100,270 | Above avg (108.9) | $92,089 |
| Bakersfield-Delano, CA | $92,510 | Average (100.9) | $91,698 |
| Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA | $97,360 | Above avg (106.4) | $91,468 |
| Provo-Orem-Lehi, UT | $89,390 | Average (98.2) | $90,999 |
| Bellingham, WA | $92,220 | Above avg (103.3) | $89,245 |
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA | $99,520 | Above avg (111.9) | $88,947 |
| St. Louis, MO-IL | $82,750 | Below avg (95.1) | $87,025 |
| Rochester, NY | $83,030 | Average (97.0) | $85,567 |