The amount of money magicians make per hour will depend on a variety of factors. Generally, performing magic shows for children is considered to be a lower-value market with less than ideal performance conditions. It's important to note that a children's magician who performs a show at a six-year-old's birthday party will typically have a fee five to ten times lower than that of a professional magician. Not all magicians are able to handle all types of jobs, so if you see one advertised as being able to do it all, it's best to be wary.
In my experience, within a 100-mile radius of Indianapolis, Gigmasters received 250 requests per year from magicians (note that Gigmasters is just one of many paths a party host can take when looking for a magician). Additionally, if all other things are equal, a professional mentalist usually charges more than a professional magician. As you can see, the best magicians in the world make huge amounts of money and serve as an inspiration for those who are just starting out in their careers. The main issue is that the person looking for a magician often has to select from a limited drop-down menu, write a sentence or two describing their needs, and then wait for ten magicians to send them quotes. Magicians don't usually fall into the category of full-time profession, but this can change for them.
While famous magicians like David Blaine and David Copperfield make millions of dollars, street performers may have to work for free just to get noticed, according to Career Addict. Asking a virtual magician to perform on a non-Zoom platform is like hiring Tiger Woods and playing golf with just a baseball bat. Even so, we'll use the term 'professional' here to differentiate between a magician and a children's magician. These professionals make more full-time engagements and those who succeed have an impressive skill set and the ability to draw in audiences. I've selected magicians from Chicago and Florida for this guide, so you can get an idea of whether your local area will be more expensive or not.
This doesn't include Thumbtack, Gigsalad, Yelp, Yellowpages and all other online platforms, let alone all requests that went directly through a magician's website. If you're on a tight budget, you might be tempted to hire a magician from the gutter or one who does kids' tricks and hands out animal balloons (which tend to burst on the way home).
