Choreographers

Median salary

$55,310

Average salary

$73,100

Employment

2,860

Projected growth

6.1% growth

Annual openings

700

Typical entry education

High school diploma or equivalent

What Choreographers Do

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

See full salary breakdown & percentiles →

Career Outlook

National employment outlook, 2024–2034.

Related work experience: 5 years or more
On-the-job training: Long-term on-the-job training
Self-employed: 24.3%

Source: BLS Employment Projections — 2024-2034.

How Much Preparation Does This Take?

Job Zone 3 of 5

Job Zone Three: Medium Preparation Needed

Experience: Previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is required for these occupations.
Education: Most occupations in this zone require training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree.
Job training: Employees in these occupations usually need one or two years of training involving both on-the-job experience and informal training with experienced workers. A recognized apprenticeship program may be associated with these occupations.

Source: O*NET Job Zones.

Key Knowledge Areas

Subject-matter areas this occupation draws on most, per O*NET.

Fine Artsimportance 4.5/5
Education and Trainingimportance 3.3/5
Administration and Managementimportance 3.3/5
Production and Processingimportance 3.3/5
Designimportance 3.1/5
Communications and Mediaimportance 3.1/5
English Languageimportance 3.0/5
Psychologyimportance 2.9/5

Work Environment

What the day-to-day work setting is like, per O*NET.

Physical Proximity5.0/5
E-Mail4.8/5
Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams4.8/5
Contact With Others4.7/5
Spend Time Bending or Twisting Your Body4.6/5
Work With or Contribute to a Work Group or Team4.5/5

Careers With Similar Skills

Occupations whose Transferable Skills profile most closely matches this one — a mathematical comparison, not observed data about people actually moving between these careers.

History Teachers, Postsecondary98% skill match
Criminal Justice and Law Enforcement Teachers, Postsecondary97% skill match
Social Work Teachers, Postsecondary97% skill match
English Language and Literature Teachers, Postsecondary97% skill match
Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education97% skill match
Anthropology and Archeology Teachers, Postsecondary97% skill match
Psychiatrists97% skill match
Political Science Teachers, Postsecondary97% skill match

Transferable Skills

Cross-functional skills this occupation draws on most, per O*NET — the kind that carry over to other careers.

Instructingimportance 4.0/5
Coordinationimportance 3.9/5
Social Perceptivenessimportance 3.6/5
Time Managementimportance 3.4/5
Service Orientationimportance 3.3/5
Judgment and Decision Makingimportance 3.3/5
Management of Personnel Resourcesimportance 3.1/5
Persuasionimportance 3.0/5

Software & Technologies

Tools and software used in this occupation, per O*NET.

Hot Technologies

Other Software Used

Chorel Technology Dance Designer
Credo Interactive DanceForms
Email software
Salesforce Visualforce
Social media sites
Web browser software
YouTube

Work Style

Personal work characteristics that matter most for this occupation, per O*NET.

Innovation
Adaptability
Leadership Orientation
Social Orientation
Perseverance
Self-Confidence
Cooperation

Career Interests

This occupation’s RIASEC interest profile, per O*NET — how strongly it fits each of the six Holland interest types.

ArtisticHigh
SocialMedium
EnterprisingMedium
RealisticMedium
InvestigativeLow
ConventionalLow

This page includes information from the O*NET 30.3 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.