How much do Broadway actors get paid? A look at salaries and earnings

Broadway is one of the most celebrated stages in the world, but how much do Broadway actors get paid for performing on it? The answer ranges dramatically, from a union-mandated minimum of $2,799 per week for ensemble members to reported totals of millions for Hollywood A-listers. Whether you are a chorus dancer or a Tony-nominated star, the pay structure is more complex than most people realise.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Key takeaways

• The current Actors' Equity Association minimum for Broadway actors is $2,799 per week (up from $2,717 on 28 September 2026).
• The average Broadway performer earns between $45,000 and $220,000 per year.
• George Clooney was reportedly 2025's highest-paid Broadway performer, earning a total of $6 million for Good Night and Good Luck.
• The original Hamilton cast negotiated a landmark profit-sharing deal, with 22 members receiving 1% of the show's net profits.
• A new three-year Equity Production Contract was ratified in October 2025, covering Broadway actors through September 2028.

Summary

Detail	Information
Union governing pay	Actors' Equity Association (AEA)
Current weekly minimum	$2,799 (since 28 Sept 2026)
Next minimum increase	About $2,883 (expected Sept 2027, at 3%)
Average annual earnings	$45,000–$220,000
Top star earnings	$100,000–$150,000+ per week
Contract term	October 2025 – September 2028
Annual pay increase	3% per year under new contract

Professional Broadway performers working under the Actors' Equity Association Production Contract receive a minimum weekly salary. Since 28 September 2026, the Broadway minimum has been $2,799 per week.

That is up from $2,717 under the current agreement between the Actors' Equity Association and The Broadway League.

For a performer who stays with a hit show for an entire year (52 weeks), this translates to an annual gross income of roughly $145,548.

The average Broadway performer makes between $45,000 and $220,000 per year. That wide range reflects the gulf between ensemble work and top-billed starring roles.

What factors affect a Broadway actor's pay?

Several variables push earnings above the union floor:

• Role type — leads negotiate individually above the minimum
• Additional duties — understudies, swings, and dance captains receive extra weekly stipends
• Star power — celebrity names command a percentage of box office receipts
• Show length — a long-running hit pays far more than a short run

Actors earn additional amounts for performing more duties. These include understudies for principal roles ($60 additional per week), understudies for chorus roles ($17.50 additional per week), swings who cover multiple ensemble tracks ($116.15 additional per week), dance captains ($464.60 additional per week), assistant dance captains ($232.30 additional per week), and fight captains ($100 additional per week).

Swings, actors who can go on for multiple roles in a show, receive an additional 6 per cent in pay on top of their current salary under the new contract.

Do Broadway actors get paid well?

A Broadway actor's compensation is a complex tapestry of union-mandated minimums, negotiated "bumps" for additional responsibilities, and the rare, stratospheric pay cheques reserved for international celebrities.

For most working performers, the reality is humbling. Anthony Ramos, who originated dual roles in Hamilton, explained the financial squeeze on the SoFi podcast Richer Lives:

You get paid better on Broadway, but even on Broadway it can still be tough. If you're an ensemble member, you're a chorus member, you're probably making like $1,800 a week. But they're paying their agent, 10 per cent to the agent, 10 per cent to the manager, 20 per cent of the top — and then in New York you're paying 30, 40 per cent tax.

After all those deductions, Ramos estimated a take-home of around $1,000–$1,100 per week. "Getting that first paycheck was great because I was getting paid to do something I loved, but I was still struggling in New York."

Who is the highest-paid actor on Broadway?

The most recent updated figures (2025) show that George Clooney is 2026's highest-paid Broadway performer, with $6 million total for his Cold War play Good Night, and Good Luck. The production, which premiered in March 2025 at the Winter Garden Theatre, marked Clooney's Broadway debut.

Good Night, and Good Luck broke its own record for the highest weekly gross for a play, bringing in $3.9 million in a single week and playing to more than 100 per cent capacity.

Other top earners in Broadway history include the following:

• Bette Midler received $150,000 weekly for Broadway's revival of Hello, Dolly! In 2017, Julia Roberts made $150,000 per week for starring opposite Paul Rudd and Bradley Cooper in Three Days of Rain.
• Probably the highest known base salary for a celebrity Broadway show went to Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick in The Producers, where their salaries were over $100,000 per week.
• It was reported that the base salary of Hugh Jackman and Daniel Craig in A Steady Rain was about $40,000 weekly, though, combined with their percentage of the box office, they netted more than $100,000 a week.

How much did Hamilton actors make?

Hamilton is one of the most financially significant shows in Broadway history, and its cast pay became a landmark story.

Base salaries

Ensemble members and supporting roles earned at least $2,439 per week under the 2024 equity contract. Lead actors, those playing Alexander Hamilton, Aaron Burr, and Eliza Schuyler, negotiated higher salaries, often between $5,000 and $10,000 per week.

Lin-Manuel Miranda's earnings

Lin-Manuel Miranda, who played Alexander Hamilton, made around $6.4 million from the show, according to The New York Times. As the sole writer of the music, lyrics, and book, Miranda received a 7 per cent cut from the average $1.5 million Hamilton grossed each week — amounting to $105,000 a week in royalties alone.

The profit-sharing breakthrough

Some Hamilton cast members secured a profit-sharing deal after successfully petitioning the show's producers for a cut of its net profits. After protracted negotiations, 22 members of the original cast secured what some have called "Broadway's best deal."

In addition to 1 per cent of net profits from the New York production, all 22 original cast members share in 0.33 per cent of net profits from other US productions.

In November 2016, Hamilton broke a box office record for the most money grossed in a single week in New York City, making $3.3 million for an eight-show week.

Latest news: new Broadway contract ratified

Actors' Equity members voted to ratify their new Broadway contract in October 2025, after having threatened to strike. The vote followed a tentative agreement with the Broadway League reached on 18 October.

The new contract includes 3 per cent annual raises, with the Broadway minimum salary immediately increasing to $2,717 from $2,638. The new stage manager minimum for a musical is $4,464 and $3,837 for a play.

Producer contributions to the Equity Health Fund increased from $150 to $175 per week per employee, with an additional $25 added each year. The contract also ensures that any actor may request physical therapy, even in productions where it was not previously provided.

The new Production Contract will govern Broadway productions through September 2028, following approval by a vote of Equity membership.

Equity Executive Director Al Vincent, Jr. described the deal as achieving "progress across all of Equity's priority areas: safe staffing, humane scheduling, sustainable working conditions and stabilising the Equity-League Health Fund."

FAQs

1. How much do Broadway actors get paid per year? The average Broadway performer makes between $45,000 and $220,000 per year, depending on role, run length, and whether they have negotiated above the union minimum.
2. What is the minimum salary for a Broadway actor in 2026? Since 28 September 2026, the minimum has been $2,799 per week, up from $2,717.
3. Do Broadway actors get paid during rehearsals? During the rehearsal period, which typically lasts four to eight weeks, actors are paid the same weekly minimum, ensuring performers can sustain their lives in Manhattan while no tickets are being sold.
4. Who is the highest-paid actor on Broadway? George Clooney is 2025's highest-paid Broadway performer, with $6 million total for Good Night and Good Luck.
5. How much did Lin-Manuel Miranda make from Hamilton? Lin-Manuel Miranda made around $6.4 million from Hamilton, according to The New York Times, during his run as the title character from January 2015 to July 2016.
6. What extra pay do Broadway understudies receive? Understudies for principal roles receive $60 additional per week, while understudies for chorus roles receive $17.50 additional per week.
7. How does Broadway actor pay compare to Off-Broadway? Anthony Ramos recalled earning just $420 a week when Hamilton was Off-Broadway, describing his first pay cheque as far less impressive than he expected. Broadway pay is substantially higher under the AEA Production Contract.
8. How often do Broadway actor salaries increase? The new Equity agreement, which runs through September 2028, provides a 3 per cent pay raise annually on the minimum salary for performers on Broadway.

We also highlighted facts about the earnings behind Obsession, including its worldwide box office, cast salaries and director Curry Barker’s reported deal with Universal.

The film grossed more than $519 million on a reported budget below $1 million, while lead actress Inde Navarrette was reportedly paid $20,000—a figure she has not confirmed.

Source: TUKO.co.ke

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