Key Takeaways
- The SAG-AFTRA 2023 pension and health contribution rate for voice performers is $0.35 per line for minimum scale voiceover rates, with an additional $0.06 per line for pension/health; this is part of the contract’s per-line contribution amounts for “Voice Over” minimums.
- SAG-AFTRA “Voice Over” (Commercials) minimum per line for 2024 is $90 for up to 3 lines, according to the contract’s minimum rate schedule for voiceover commercials.
- SAG-AFTRA “Voice Over” (Animation) minimum per line for 2024 is $187.50 for up to 3 lines, per the voiceover minimum rate schedule for animation.
- The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) estimates employment of actors (including performance voice roles in many contexts) at 174,000 in May 2023.
- BLS reports there were 174,000 actor jobs in May 2023 in the U.S. (occupation 27-2012: Actors).
- The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects actor employment to decline 2% from 2022 to 2032.
- The 2024 Writers Guild of America (WGA) strike ended with negotiated terms that address AI and recorded media use; this affects voice actors and AI voice usage in the industry.
- The SAG-AFTRA “Interim Agreement on AI” includes requirements for disclosure, consent, and compensation when synthetic media uses performers’ voices; key terms are on the official SAG-AFTRA page.
- SAG-AFTRA’s AI page states that consent and compensation are required for AI use of a performer’s voice or likeness
- According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the occupation code “Actors” is 27-2012 and corresponds to the labor category that includes voice acting as a subset of performance work.
- BLS SOC 2018 defines “Actors” job tasks including performing before audiences/recording for film/TV/radio (which includes voice recording contexts).
- BLS reports “Actors” in May 2023 had 174,000 employed in the U.S. (geography: national).
- The U.S. video game industry revenue was $54.9 billion in 2022 (ESA Essential Facts 2023).
- The ESA Essential Facts 2023 reports that there are 4,000+ video game publishers/developers in the U.S. (with small devs), supporting large voice acting usage.
- The ESA Essential Facts 2023 reports that video game industry employment was about 230,000 (direct), which drives voice recording demand.
In 2024, union minimums and BLS pay show voice acting varies widely, while booming streaming and games drive demand.
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Cite This Report
This report is designed to be cited. We maintain stable URLs and versioned verification dates. Copy the format appropriate for your publication below.
Diana Reeves. (2026, February 13). Voice Actor Industry Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/voice-actor-industry-statistics
Diana Reeves. "Voice Actor Industry Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/voice-actor-industry-statistics.
Diana Reeves. 2026. "Voice Actor Industry Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/voice-actor-industry-statistics.
Sources & references
91 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level
+30 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)

