Arts, Design, Media, and Sports · Career brief

Choreographers

Is it a good career to pursue?

The 30-second read

Choreographers at a glance

Six signals to look at before you spend time on the full guide.

1Pay

$55,310

Middle-of-the-pack pay

2025 national median. Near the middle of ChooseField careers for pay.

2Demand

3.1%

Slow projected growth

Projected employment growth for 2025–2035. Near the middle of ChooseField careers for growth.

3Openings

600

Low national opening volume

Average openings per year in 2025–2035, including replacement hiring. Bottom quarter for openings among careers on ChooseField.

4Route in

High school

A four-year degree is not the typical entry route

High school diploma or equivalent + related experience. Related work experience is typically required.

5The work

Creative

Original ideas and creative judgment matter

Direct rehearsals to instruct dancers in dance steps and in techniques to achieve desired effects.

6The catch

Know this first

What could make this a poor fit

BLS lists 5 years or more of related experience. This is normally reached through feeder roles, not directly from school.

ChooseField take

The national benchmarks are mixed, so the work itself and the route in matter more than any standout pay or demand signal. It makes the most sense if creative work appeals to you and you are comfortable with a high-school entry path. Main tradeoff: BLS lists 5 years or more of related experience. This is normally reached through feeder roles, not directly from school.

Before choosing, compare:Merchandise Displayers and Window Trimmers Floral Designers Photographers

National labor-market measures: BLS 2025 wages and 2025–2035 projections. Work-profile signals: O*NET. See sources and caveats.

Compare Choreographers with another field Explore rankings in Arts, Design, Media, and Sports Open shareable infographic

Want the evidence behind the snapshot?

Market and path

Pay, outlook, and the route in

National median pay (2025)

$55,310

A midpoint for workers nationwide, not a starting salary.

2025–2035 outlook

3.1%employment growth600openings per year

Openings include replacement hiring, not only newly created jobs.

Typical entry route

High school diploma or equivalent; Prior related experience: 5 years or more; More than 12 months of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing

BLS reports the usual education, related experience, and on-the-job training, not a guaranteed minimum for every employer.

2025 employment

4,700

A small national occupation; local availability may be uneven.

Source: BLS 2025 wages and 2025–2035 occupational projections ↗ · Choreographers (27-2032).

Actual responsibilities

What you would be trusted to own

Selected O*NET task statements, not a list of traits that applies to almost every career.

Direct rehearsals to instruct dancers in dance steps and in techniques to achieve desired effects.
Advise dancers on standing and moving properly, teaching correct dance techniques to help prevent injuries.
Record dance movements and their technical aspects, using a technical understanding of the patterns and formations of choreography.
Develop ideas for creating dances, keeping notes and sketches to record influences.

Decision-changing realities

What could make this a poor fit

BLS lists 5 years or more of related experience. This is normally reached through feeder roles, not directly from school.
This is a small national occupation (4,700 jobs in 2025), so location and employer concentration can matter more than the national median suggests.
The job can require working in cramped or physically awkward positions for meaningful stretches of time.

Work profile

What the work emphasizes

O*NET importance scores. Bars are relative to the highest score shown within this chart.

Thinking Creatively4.9
Guiding, Directing, and Motivating Subordinates4.5
Performing General Physical Activities4.5
Coaching and Developing Others4.3
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work4.2

Interest profile

Career interests

O*NET interest scores describe work someone may enjoy, not personality requirements. Bars are relative to the highest score shown within this chart.

Relative mix of the interest scores below, not percentages of your workday.

Artistic7.0
Social4.0
Enterprising3.8
Realistic3.6
Investigative2.2
Conventional2.1

Preparation

What the training must make you competent at

Subject matter

Fine Arts Production and Processing Communications and Media Design

Before choosing the major or training

Run a cheaper test first

Complete a creative brief for someone else, meet the deadline, invite blunt criticism, and revise the work once.
Ask someone doing this job which feeder role built the required experience, what that earlier job paid, and how long the transition actually took.

The fuller career guide

How the evidence fits together

Pay and demand: reading the benchmark

The pay and outlook figures describe Choreographers nationally. They do not establish the salary or number of vacancies available in your area.

Median pay is the middle wage across workers, not a starting offer. Projected openings include replacements as well as growth; neither measure predicts an individual worker's job security.

Before choosing a program

O*NET lists Active Listening, Speaking, Monitoring among this occupation's skills. Ask a program to show the assignments, supervised practice, and assessment that develop these skills. Compare those examples with local job descriptions.

Common questions

Questions people ask about this career

Can I enter this occupation without related work experience?

Prior related experience: 5 years or more. Look for the preceding roles and promotion route before treating this as a first job.

What should I check before paying for training?

Get the full prerequisite and completion timeline, total cost, placement arrangements, and any licensing eligibility in writing. Ask local employers whether they hire graduates from the route you are considering and whether paid training is available.

Adjacent options