The Average Income

"What's the average income for a male stripper?"

The earnings from my first 3 shows of 2015.

Guys ask me this question all the time. Some want a job to pay their way through college. Others just want a fun way to get rich. Answering this question is almost impossible for the following reasons:

1. No accountability - Strippers usually don't report the money they make since most of it comes under the table. Plus, most guys don't even keep track of what they earn throughout the year.

2. Sales ability - Stripping is a sales job, based on performance and numbers. Some of us are better at it than others. Those of us who understand sales, marketing, and customer service have an obvious advantage.

3. Work ratio - No two strippers work the same hours. Some dancers have full time professional jobs and only strip on the side, turning down many opportunities that cause schedule conflicts. Others strip as their sole source of income, thus taking every gig possible.

4. Location - The bachelorette party hotspots determine where the work is. For example, Las Vegas has more demand for male strippers than Podunk, Mississippi. 

5. Versatility - The profit margin extends to how far a guy is willing to sell himself. The stripper, himself, is a product, and the more a product can do, the more it can sell itself. Most of the time it is bachelorette private parties. Sometimes it's performing on stage. Some strippers even sell sex or do gay-4-pay porn. Men who are willing to do anything and everything have the options to make more money than those who only strip at bachelorette parties.

6. Personal Appeal - Stripping is a popularity contest. Women tend to choose the hottest guy for their parties and tip him more at male revues. No equal opportunity here.

Considering those factors, let me use an example to demonstrate why it's difficult to gauge an average income. 

Take me, for instance. I strip for mostly bachelorette parties in sparsely populated resort communities off the Emerald Coast. I do this mainly on weekends due to my full-time job during the week, turning down many shows. Therefore, I usually work 2 to 3 parties a week during the peak season and earn some extra cash, but not enough to buy a Ferrari anytime soon.

Now let's say there's a stripper named Earl in Las Vegas. In addition to bachelorette parties, he works at male revues, at gay clubs, and does one-on-one with rich clients. He doesn't have a full-time job, so he strips as his main source of income, taking any and every gig available. As a result, Earl will earn a lot more money than I will in a year's time.

One of my agents, a former male stripper, claims that his top guys make from $150,000 to $300,000 a year. However, that involves many hours of driving and a lot of events. It taxes the body after awhile.

"I know guys that drive 5 or 6 hours a day, everyday," he says. "I used to travel from 10,000 to 12,000 miles a month in my car. It was not as fun as some people would think, but I did enjoy it."

All in all, a male stripper's income depends on how much he's willing to work and how far he's willing to travel. Some guys don't like working that much, or don't want to work on the weekends. Others are absolute workaholics. The salary resembles a sales-based commission job, and no two strippers are alike.