According to new statistics from the US Department of Labor, nearly one In 1,000 Americans is a working musician.
The Department of Labor counted 269,400 working musicians in 2010. When you match that up against the latest US Census population figure -- 308,745,538 people -- it means that one in 1,146 American adults is either flying from arena to arena in a private Boeing 720 with a bar, shower room, TV and white fur bedroom (like Led Zeppelin circa 1973) or just scraping by on low-paying gigs at assorted dives and back yards.
The figures include musicians, singers, composers, musical directors and similar endeavors.
More Labor stats from 2010:
Number of 'Musicians, Singers and Related Workers': 269,400 Subset of 'Musicians and Singers': 176,200 Subset of 'Music Directors and Composers': 93,500 Median Hourly Salary, Musician/Singer: $22.39 Median Hourly Salary, Director/Composer: $22.10
Also, according to the Labor statistics, jobs among musicians have grown since 2000, a big surprise considering the latest recession (and all the mini-recessions before and after it).
Damian is Editor-in-Chief of Guitar World magazine. In past lives, he was GW’s managing editor and online managing editor. He's written liner notes for major-label releases, including Stevie Ray Vaughan's 'The Complete Epic Recordings Collection' (Sony Legacy) and has interviewed everyone from Yngwie Malmsteen to Kevin Bacon (with a few memorable Eric Clapton chats thrown into the mix). Damian, a former member of Brooklyn's The Gas House Gorillas, was the sole guitarist in Mister Neutron, a trio that toured the U.S. and released three albums. He now plays in two NYC-area bands.
