Costume Attendants vs Makeup Artists, Theatrical and Performance: $50K vs $97K Median Pay

Costume Attendants vs Makeup Artists, Theatrical and Performance: what changes?

Consider Costume Attendants if you want to select, fit, and take care of costumes for cast members, and aid entertainers. Consider Makeup Artists, Theatrical and Performance if you would rather apply makeup to performers to reflect period, setting, and situation of their role. Entry credentials differ: Costume Attendants, high school diploma or equivalent; Makeup Artists, Theatrical and Performance, postsecondary nondegree award.

Try this next: Compare three local entry-level postings for Costume Attendants and Makeup Artists, Theatrical and Performance. List the duties, credentials, prior experience, and paid training each employer actually asks for. Try a supervised class or sample project from each field before choosing a program.

BLS 2025 wages and 2025–2035 projections. National medians are not starting offers. Occupation size is not a count of vacancies. View the BLS data.

Compare the practical differences

Costume Attendants

National median pay (2025): $50,400
Route into the job: High school diploma or equivalent; One month or less of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing
Prior related experience: No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.
Training and licensing: One month or less of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing.
Work to investigate: Create worksheets for dressing lists, show notes, or costume checks.
Annual openings (2025–2035): 1,700

Know before you choose

This is a small national occupation (6,600 jobs in 2025), so location and employer concentration can matter more than the national median suggests.

See the full Costume Attendants brief

Makeup Artists, Theatrical and Performance

National median pay (2025): $97,150
Route into the job: Postsecondary nondegree award
Prior related experience: No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.
Training and licensing: BLS does not list a separate on-the-job training requirement. Employers may still provide orientation and role-specific training.
Work to investigate: Clean supplies such as makeup brushes.
Annual openings (2025–2035): 600

Know before you choose

This is a small national occupation (4,300 jobs in 2025), so location and employer concentration can matter more than the national median suggests.

See the full Makeup Artists, Theatrical and Performance brief

How the national numbers differ

Makeup Artists, Theatrical and Performance has the edge on median pay

Makeup Artists, Theatrical and Performance is at $97,150, compared with $50,400 for Costume Attendants.

Costume Attendants has the edge on annual openings

Costume Attendants is at 1,700 annual openings, compared with 600 annual openings for Makeup Artists, Theatrical and Performance.

Typical preparation differs.

Costume Attendants: High school diploma or equivalent; One month or less of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing Makeup Artists, Theatrical and Performance: Postsecondary nondegree award Preparation categories do not establish admission difficulty, calendar time, tuition, time without earnings, or licensing difficulty.

Makeup Artists, Theatrical and Performance has the edge on projected growth

Makeup Artists, Theatrical and Performance is at 6.1% projected growth, compared with 5.9% projected growth for Costume Attendants.

50.5/ 100

Costume Attendants

54.7/ 100

Makeup Artists, Theatrical and Performance

Each available metric is ranked from 0 to 100 against the careers on ChooseField. The weighted average uses this profile: pay 30%, growth 25%, openings 30%, preparation level 15%. Missing values are not scored as zero; their weights are redistributed across available metrics. Occupation size has zero weight: employment is not accessible vacancies. Preparation categories do not measure admission difficulty or years without earnings. The score summarizes national measures; local opportunities and personal fit still need separate consideration.

Detailed evidence

Costume Attendants vs Makeup Artists, Theatrical and Performance

Dimension	Costume Attendants	Makeup Artists, Theatrical and Performance
Median pay (2025)	$50,400	$97,150
Pay percentile	33.6 percentile	80.8 percentile
Projected growth (2025–2035)	5.9%	6.1%
Annual openings (2025–2035)	1,700	600
2025 employment	6,600	4,300
How you qualify	High school diploma or equivalent; One month or less of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing	Postsecondary nondegree award
O*NET preparation group	Job Zone 2	Job Zone 3
Related work experience	No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.	No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.
On-the-job training	One month or less of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing.	BLS does not list a separate on-the-job training requirement. Employers may still provide orientation and role-specific training.

The table reports national benchmarks and reviewed work descriptions. It does not rate personal suitability, job security, or physical safety.

Read Costume Attendants brief Read Makeup Artists, Theatrical and Performance brief

Costume Attendants vs Makeup Artists, Theatrical and Performance: what changes?

The facts most likely to affect your decision

Costume Attendants

Makeup Artists, Theatrical and Performance

How the national numbers differ

Makeup Artists, Theatrical and Performance has the edge on median pay

Costume Attendants has the edge on annual openings

Typical preparation differs.

Makeup Artists, Theatrical and Performance has the edge on projected growth

Costume Attendants vs Makeup Artists, Theatrical and Performance

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