How we calculate pay, and how sure we are about it.
Every pay figure on the site, from job listings to the Pulse report, comes out of the same process. Here is each step, what a figure on the page tells you, and the limits we would rather you knew about.
Six steps behind every pay figure
- CollectEvery shift listed on eventstaffing.com, plus pay reported in our crew surveys.
- CleanRemove duplicates and reposts, and drop listings with no clear rate or location.
- Convert to hourlyDay rates and flat fees are converted to an hourly rate, so a 10-hour festival day and a 4-hour gala compare fairly. Tips are counted only when they’re guaranteed.
- Use mediansWe report the middle rate, not the average, so a few very high or low listings don’t skew the number.
- Set a minimum sampleWe only publish a role-and-city figure when it comes from at least 30 shifts. Below that, we show no number rather than a shaky one.
- Update on a scheduleListing pay refreshes monthly. The Pulse report publishes each quarter with its full dataset.
How to read a pay figure
Every figure on the site comes with three things, so you can judge it for yourself.
- The middle
Median hourly pay
Half the shifts paid more and half paid less, so one unusually high or low listing can’t move it much.
- The sample
How many shifts it comes from
Never fewer than 30. A bigger sample means a steadier number.
- The period
When it was true
The months the shifts were listed in. Event pay moves with the season, so the date matters.
What our numbers can’t tell you
We would rather be clear about the limits than look more certain than we are.
- Listed pay is what a shift offered. What someone took home can differ with overtime, breaks and tips.
- Tips are only counted when they were guaranteed, so tipped roles can earn more than the figure shows.
- Smaller cities have fewer listings. When a role and city fall under 30 shifts, there is no figure for them yet.
- Our data covers shifts listed with us and pay reported in our surveys, not every event job in the country.
Questions about our numbers
We only publish a role-and-city figure once it comes from at least 30 shifts. Until then we would rather show nothing than a number built on a handful of listings.
Usually because we use medians rather than averages, convert everything to an hourly rate, and count tips only when they are guaranteed. Our figures also come from event shifts specifically, not all hospitality work.
Yes, please credit eventstaffing.com and link to the page you used. For the full Pulse dataset or a custom cut, write to press@eventstaffing.com.