Occupation salary profile

Agents and Business Managers of Artists, Performers, and Athletes

SOC 13-1011 BLS OEWS May 2025 H-1B LCAs, last 12 months

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

National median · BLS
$82,890
▼ -13.93% YoY
H-1B sponsor median
$85,500
▼ -14.5% YoY · 27 LCAs
Average salary · BLS
$141,580
Mean annual wage
U.S. employment
12,620
Jobs (BLS)
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Enter your pay and a location to see where you stand against BLS and H-1B pay, your estimated take-home pay, and your purchasing power.

Pay range for Agents and Business Managers of Artists, Performers, and Athletes

Annual base pay at each percentile. BLS covers all U.S. workers in this occupation; H-1B covers 27 certified Labor Condition Applications filed by sponsoring employers in the last 12 months.

Percentile All U.S. workers (BLS) H-1B sponsored
10th — entry pay$48,010$58,622
25th$63,670$64,979
Median (50th)$82,890$85,500
75th$146,430$135,643
90th — top pay$284,570$163,108
H-1B sponsors pay a median of $85,500 for Agents and Business Managers of Artists, Performers, and Athletes — 3.1% above the BLS national median of $82,890.

Hourly ⇄ annual pay

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Based on hrs/week × weeks/year = 2,080 hrs
Projections 2025–2035

Job outlook for Agents and Business Managers of Artists, Performers, and Athletes

BLS projects employment of agents and business managers of artists, performers, and athletes to grow 9.7% from 2025 to 2035, faster than the 3.5% average for all occupations. About 2,400 openings are projected each year, on average, from new jobs and from replacing workers who retire or move to other occupations.

Jobs 2025 → 2035
26,900 → 29,500
+2,600 jobs
Projected change
+9.7%
All occupations: +3.5%
Openings per year
2,400
Average, 2025–2035
Typical entry education
Bachelor's degree
Plus less than 5 years experience
Self-employed
45.4% of workers (2025)
Preparation needed (O*NET Job Zone 4)
Considerable Preparation Needed. Most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.
Fastest-growing jobs → Best-paying jobs that need a bachelor's degree →

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2025–2035

H-1B sponsored pay

Pay by H-1B wage level

Employers assign every H-1B filing a Department of Labor prevailing-wage level, from Level I (entry) to Level IV (fully competent). Pay rises steeply with level.

H-1B median $85,500
Change vs prior year -14.5%
After inflation (CPI-U) -17.09%
Wage level LCAs Share P25 Median P75
Level I 10 37% $57,416 $64,740 $65,750
Skills & tools

Skills needed for Agents and Business Managers of Artists, Performers, and Athletes

How important each skill and knowledge area is for this job, rated by O*NET on a 1–5 scale from surveys of workers and occupational analysts.

Top skills
  • Active Listening4.0
  • Negotiation4.0
  • Persuasion4.0
  • Reading Comprehension4.0
  • Speaking4.0
  • Social Perceptiveness3.9
  • Coordination3.8
  • Critical Thinking3.8
  • Time Management3.8
  • Writing3.6
Top knowledge areas
  • Customer and Personal Service4.4
  • Sales and Marketing4.0
  • English Language3.9
  • Administration and Management3.8
  • Fine Arts3.7
  • Communications and Media3.7
  • Administrative3.4
  • Personnel and Human Resources3.1
Software and technology used
Adobe PhotoshopApple macOSFacebookMicrosoft ExcelMicrosoft Office softwareMicrosoft OutlookMicrosoft PowerPointMicrosoft WordSalesforce softwareZoomAvid Technology iNEWSDatabase softwareEmail softwareFinancial accounting softwareLexisNexisLinkedInSalesforce Marketing CloudStatistical analysis software

Highlighted = in demand: frequently listed in employer job postings for this occupation (O*NET).

Source: 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. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.

About the job

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

  • Collect fees, commissions, or other payments, according to contract terms.
  • Send samples of clients' work and other promotional material to potential employers to obtain auditions, sponsorships, or endorsement deals.
  • Keep informed of industry trends and deals.
  • Conduct auditions or interviews to evaluate potential clients.
  • Negotiate with managers, promoters, union officials, and other persons regarding clients' contractual rights and obligations.
  • Confer with clients to develop strategies for their careers, and to explain actions taken on their behalf.
  • Develop contacts with individuals and organizations, and apply effective strategies and techniques to ensure their clients' success.
  • Schedule promotional or performance engagements for clients.
Also called
AgentBooking AgentTalent AgentTheatrical AgentAthlete Marketing AgentBookerEntertainment SpecialistLiterary AgentPrint AgentTalent Representative
More job titles for this occupation (40)
Acquisition AgentAdvance AgentArtist ManagerArtist RepresentativeArtist's ManagerArtist's RepresentativeAthlete ManagerAthletic AgentAuthor's AgentBand ManagerBooking ManagerBoxing PromoterBusiness AgentBusiness ManagerCircus AgentConcert PromoterContracting AgentCopyright ManagerDramatic AgentEntertainment AgentFight ManagerFilm BookerJockey's AgentMedia PromoterModeling AgentMusic AgentMusic PromoterPicture BookerPromoterPromotional AgentPromotional Marketing AgentPromotional RepresentativeRepertoire ManagerSports AgentTalent Acquisition TeamTalent BookerTalent ManagerTalent Solutions ManagerTouring AgentTouring Production Manager

Source: O*NET 31.0 (USDOL/ETA, CC BY 4.0). These are general job titles, not H-1B filings; for titles employers actually filed, see “Job titles” above.