How much experience with contract killers do you have to make that assessment?

Most "contract killers" aren't the super pro movie kind. (Though I'm sure they exist.) Most are young guys, or children even, doing sloppy hit-n-runs to climb some gang hierarchy for really not a lot of money.

I agree with the theory, but have zero facts to back them up.

I’d also argue that we shouldn’t call “I’ll give you $50 coke money if you off that guy” should be called “contract killing”.

Is that data that's generally available somewhere??

I wonder whether you could extrapolate of other industries.

IE things like sports or music where the top 1% make f*k-you money and the rest either get by or struggle. Do they have to do the occasional public performance to build hype?

Or maybe it's more like a tradie. I always thought Leon:The Professional was a story about an apprenticeship, not that movies are a source of truth on real life.

Probably not per hour.

Absolutely per hour, you'd be surprised how cheap can kill people in many areas of the world, even the rich ones.