This year, more than 14 million theatergoers experienced the unique thrill of watching a Broadway show, resulting in a record-breaking $1.89 billion in ticket sales alone. Broadway’s reputation as a center for artistic excellence makes it one of the top reasons for tourists to visit New York City, and this tourism boom is a major driver for the city’s economy. According to the Broadway League, alongside ticket sales, the Theater District generates a massive $14.9 billion for the city through tourist spending on hotels, restaurants, shopping, and transport as a result of booking to see a Broadway show.
Broadway’s small but mighty collection of 41 theaters, primarily located around Times Square, provides a substantial economic lifeline to New York City, supporting a broad ecosystem of nearly 100,000 jobs, ranging from actors and stage managers to hotel and restaurant workers.
Today, we’re going to delve deeper into the economics of Broadway. Have you ever wondered how much a Broadway actor or stage manager makes? Or how much an A-list celebrity earns each week from their hotly anticipated Broadway debut? Stay tuned as we reveal all!
Origin and History of Broadway
First, a brief history of Broadway’s journey, from opening its first theatre in the 1700s to becoming the global symbol of artistic excellence it is today. Broadway’s origins date back to 1750 when actor-managers Walter Murray and Thomas Keane opened a 280-seat theater in the city, primarily showcasing Shakespearean plays and popular ballad operas. Theater in New York City gained popularity, and by the turn of the 19th century several large venues had opened, presenting a variety of entertainment, including musicals, plays, and operas.
Until the 1850s, the theater district of New York City was located downtown. However, the desire to find less expensive real estate led theaters to move further uptown, eventually finding their permanent home around Times Square at the start of the 20th century. Ever wondered why Broadway is called the “Great White Way”? This term was coined in the early 1900s when many theaters would advertise their shows with large illuminated marquees, creating a long strip of white lights around the Times Square district.
The 1940s marked the Golden Age of Broadway, an era during which many legendary composers revolutionized musical theater. Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II were the most prolific, with musicals including Oklahoma! (1943), The King & I (1953), and The Sound of Music (1959). Other major musicals from around this time include West Side Story (1957), Fiddler on the Roof (1964), and Guys and Dolls (1950).
However, by the 1970s Broadway’s attendance figures plunged to a record low, halving from 10 million in 1968 to five million in 1972. This was due to the city’s financial crisis, a shift in audience taste, and the changing nature of the productions from Golden Age musicals to more experimental works by the likes of Stephen Sondheim, John Kander and Fred Ebb, who, despite their modern popularity, were not box office draws in their early careers. The Times Square area was also an unsafe haven of crime and debauchery during this period, which contributed to the decline in Broadway audiences.
In the 1980s, the dominance of mega-musicals like Les Misérables (1985) and Andrew Lloyd Webber’s The Phantom of the Opera (1986) helped to rebuild Broadway’s popularity. This was coupled with a redevelopment of the Times Square area to make it safer, which included Disney’s purchase of the New Amsterdam Theater, where they premiered several musicals, including The Lion King (1997), Mary Poppins (2006), and Aladdin (2014). Disney’s presence gave investors confidence to transform Times Square into a family-friendly destination.
Since Times Square’s redevelopment, Broadway’s reputation as an economic powerhouse has rocketed, and smash-hit productions continue to premiere, such as Wicked (2003), The Book of Mormon (2011), and Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Hamilton (2015). In the early 1990s, gross ticket sales tallied $356 million, and have since increased more than fivefold to a record-breaking $1.89 billion in the 2024-25 season.
How Much Do Broadway Actors Make?
So, now we know it’s a lucrative industry, but how much can you earn if you’re in a Broadway show? All Broadway productions are unionized, with most performers being part of the Actors’ Equity Association, which represents professional performers and stage managers in the United States. The union negotiates contracts, sets minimum salaries, ensures safe working conditions, and provides its members with a range of other benefits and resources.
The Actors’ Equity Association has set the minimum Broadway actor salary at $2,638 per week, which averages approximately $135,000 per year. However, most theater actors don’t work for the full 52 weeks of the year, as their contracts and a show’s run can fluctuate. Actors can increase their base salary by between 7% and 30% by taking on additional responsibilities, such as understudying roles, being a swing, dance, or fight captain, and performing dangerous stunts like acrobatics and pyrotechnics.
Broadway actors can also bolster their pay with other occasional opportunities to earn, such as through recording a cast album and making televised appearances (including performing at the Tony Awards to promote their show). An actor's weekly salary is paid as soon as the rehearsal period officially begins, which typically occurs around six to eight weeks before the show starts previews. Any additional rehearsals during the preview period are classed as overtime, and actors are paid accordingly.
But what about the backstage staff who are integral to making and keeping a Broadway show running? Stage managers are responsible for coordinating all aspects of a show's day-to-day operations, from the first rehearsals through to closing night. The base salary for a stage manager for a musical is $4,334 per week, and for a play is $3,725. The weekly salary for an assistant stage manager is $3,423 (musical) and $3,046 (play).
Salaries for other backstage roles can vary, but reports suggest that wardrobe supervisors, responsible for the care and maintenance of a show’s costumes, earn $2,007 per week. Broadway dressers, who maintain and assist a specific actor with their costumes, earn around $1,100. Sound and lighting operators on Broadway can earn between $1,800 and $2,800 per week, depending on their proficiency and the requirements of the show.
Salary Nuances
Hamilton actor Anthony Ramos exposed the realities of the weekly Broadway salary in an interview with E! News. He revealed that his actual take home pay was considerably less than the minimum salary requirements set by Equity because out of that, actors have to pay “10 percent to the agent, 10 percent to the manager, 20 percent off the top and then in New York you're paying, 30 percent, 40 percent tax." This brought his weekly salary closer to $1,000, which is on the threshold of the overall cost of living in New York City, according to research by HousingAnywhere. This tight economic situation often results in many Broadway actors taking additional jobs to supplement their income.
Performers in lead roles, such as Elphaba and Glinda in Wicked, Michael Jackson in MJ the Musical (2021), and Elder Price and Elder Cunningham in The Book of Mormon, can negotiate a higher base salary than ensemble members, depending on their experience and the production's budget. Well-known Broadway stars, such as Megan Hilty in Death Becomes Her; Adam Lambert and Eva Noblezada in Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club; and Audra McDonald in Gypsy, can further negotiate higher salaries for their performances. Whilst major Hollywood celebrities like George Clooney, Daniel Craig, and Denzel Washington are enticed to perform on Broadway with huge – sometimes six-figure – weekly salaries, alongside profit-sharing agreements to get a cut of box office sales.
Exact figures are often kept under wraps; however, some stories have emerged over the years… Bette Midler reportedly earned $150,000 a week in Hello, Dolly! (as well as a cut of the box office profits), Academy Award winner George Clooney allegedly made $6 million in combined salary and royalties for his 12-week run in Good Night, and Good Luck, and by 2020, Lin-Manuel Miranda had earned over $14 million in royalties alone for Hamilton, which he wrote, starred in and produced. Despite these large salaries, they still tend to pale in comparison to what the stars can earn in Hollywood and Los Angeles. For instance, the New York Times reported that Apple paid George Clooney $35 million to star in the 2024 film Wolfs alongside Brad Pitt.
How Have Broadway Salaries Changed Over Time?
At the beginning of the 20th century, many theater actors and stage workers felt that they were being exploited by producers, who offered poor pay and working conditions. This dissatisfaction led to the unionization of several sectors of the theatrical community, including the National Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees in 1910, the Dramatists’ Guild in 1912, and the Actors’ Equity Association in 1913, which have continuously fought for the interests of Broadway workers.
In 1919, Equity called the first strike of the American theatre after years of failed negotiations with producers and managers. The strike won the hearts of the entire theatre community and the wider public. After 30 days, Equity secured a victory, with producers meeting most of their demands and subsequently changing the working conditions for actors forever with the introduction of the first standardized contracts for Broadway and National Tour performers. Since 1919, Actors’ Equity Association has set minimum salaries for Broadway performers and stage managers, which have continued to increase in subsequent decades:
1930s – $40 per week ($900 inflation-adjusted to 2025)
1950s – $85 per week
1960s – $160 per week
1970s – $335 per week
1980s – $700 per week
1990s – $1,135 per week
2000s – $1,509 per week
2010s – $1,703 per week
2025 – $2,638 per week
Since the 1919 strike, there have been several other major conflicts between the unions and the Broadway League, which represents theatre producers and owners. Most recently, an eight-month strike curbed actors’ involvement in early development work until a pay dispute was resolved.
One thing we know for sure is that Broadway performers and crew work tirelessly to deliver world-class entertainment eight times a week to millions of delighted theatergoers, and they deserve every cent of their hard-earned wages!
