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The national median salary for Sound Engineering Technicians is $66,435 per year ($31.94/hr) according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2024. The middle 50% of earners make between $47,674 and $99,944 annually. Top earners at the 90th percentile reach $134,992 per year. There are approximately 13,050 sound engineering technicians employed in the United States.
About This Role
BLS Standard Occupational Classification 2018
Assemble and operate equipment to record, synchronize, mix, edit, or reproduce sound, including music, voices, or sound effects, for theater, video, film, television, podcasts, sporting events, and other productions.
Career Outlook
BLS Employment Projections · 2024-2034
10-year growth
-1.7%
Slower than average
Annual openings
1K
per year, on avg
Workforce today
17K
as of 2024
Why those openings exist
0% from new growth100% from people leaving the role
Most openings come from replacement, not growth. Retention matters more than recruiting here.
Typical entry requirements
Education
Postsecondary nondegree award
Experience
None
On-the-job training
Short-term on-the-job training
Industry Wage Breakdown
Top 5 industries by employment · median annual wage, sector-specific
Industry
Workforce
Median Pay
Motion Picture and Video Industries
NAICS 512100
3K
$97,040
Sound Recording Industries
NAICS 512200
2K
$55,700
Performing Arts Companies
NAICS 711100
990
$63,940
Promoters of Performing Arts, Sports, and Similar Events
NAICS 711300
690
$54,690
Radio and Television Broadcasting Stations
NAICS 516100
590
$63,080
Wage range across top 5 industries: $54,690 to $97,040 (77% spread)
Wage Percentiles
Hourly & annualized (2,080 hours)
Percentile
Hourly Rate
Annual Salary
P10
$17.60
$36,608
P25
$22.92
$47,674
P50MEDIAN
$31.94
$66,435
P75
$48.05
$99,944
P90
$64.90
$134,992
Market Context Signal
JOLTS · professional sector
Cooling
Openings Rate
4.2%
Quits Rate
2.0%
Professional & Business Services openings tumbled 318K in March -- the largest single-sector drop in this release. Openings rate fell from 5.5% to 4.2%. Layoffs jumped to 527K (+99K). White-collar demand has cooled abruptly.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the average sound engineering technicians salary?
The national median salary for Sound Engineering Technicians is $66,435 per year ($31.94/hr) according to BLS OEWS May 2024 data. The middle 50% earn between $47,674 and $99,944 annually.
How much do top-earning sound engineering technicians make?
The 90th percentile salary for Sound Engineering Technicians is $134,992 per year ($64.90/hr). The 75th percentile is $99,944 per year.
What is the entry-level salary for sound engineering technicians?
Entry-level Sound Engineering Technicians (10th percentile) earn approximately $36,608 per year ($17.60/hr). The 25th percentile is $47,674 per year.
Wage figures on this page come from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2024 release. OEWS surveys roughly 1.1 million establishments annually. It is the most comprehensive employer-reported wage dataset in the United States.
P10 through P90 percentiles represent the wage distribution across all surveyed employers (not self-reported by workers). Geographic adjustments use BLS-derived cost multipliers calibrated from regional wage variation.
Wages are estimates. Individual compensation depends on experience, education, employer size, industry, and negotiation. Use this as benchmark context, not absolute ground truth.
CompSignal is a free labor market intelligence tool built for HR, compensation, and talent acquisition teams. We make BLS data, the same primary source Mercer and Radford cross-reference in their paid surveys, searchable and actionable without an enterprise subscription.
Built and maintained by Falcon Incentives, a compensation strategy and incentive design consultancy.