Film and Video Editors Salary - BLS OEWS Wage Benchmarks
SOC 27-4032 · National · May 2024 OEWS Data
Median Annual Salary
$70,970
$34.12/hr
Verified BLS OEWS data · Updated Apr 3, 2025
Source: BLS OEWS · Published Apr 2, 2025
Next refresh: May 15, 2026
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The national median salary for Film and Video Editors is $70,970 per year ($34.12/hr) according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2024. The middle 50% of earners make between $50,232 and $101,566 annually. Top earners at the 90th percentile reach $145,912 per year. There are approximately 28,860 film and video editors employed in the United States.
About This Role
BLS Standard Occupational Classification 2018
Edit moving images on film, video, or other media. May work with a producer or director to organize images for final production. May edit or synchronize soundtracks with images.
Career Outlook
BLS Employment Projections · 2024-2034
10-year growth
+4.0%
Faster than average
Annual openings
4K
per year, on avg
Workforce today
44K
as of 2024
Why those openings exist
5% from new growth95% from people leaving the role
Most openings come from replacement, not growth. Retention matters more than recruiting here.
Typical entry requirements
Education
Bachelor's degree
Experience
None
On-the-job training
None
Industry Wage Breakdown
Top 5 industries by employment · median annual wage, sector-specific
Industry
Workforce
Median Pay
Motion Picture and Video Industries
NAICS 512100
14K
$76,950
Media Streaming Distribution Services, Social Networks, and Other Media Networks and Content Providers
NAICS 516200
3K
$78,000
Advertising, Public Relations, and Related Services
NAICS 541800
2K
$76,330
Radio and Television Broadcasting Stations
NAICS 516100
1K
$50,500
Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services
NAICS 541600
1K
$58,590
Wage range across top 5 industries: $50,500 to $78,000 (54% spread)
Wage Percentiles
Hourly & annualized (2,080 hours)
Percentile
Hourly Rate
Annual Salary
P10
$18.83
$39,166
P25
$24.15
$50,232
P50MEDIAN
$34.12
$70,970
P75
$48.83
$101,566
P90
$70.15
$145,912
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 film and video editors salary?
The national median salary for Film and Video Editors is $70,970 per year ($34.12/hr) according to BLS OEWS May 2024 data. The middle 50% earn between $50,232 and $101,566 annually.
How much do top-earning film and video editors make?
The 90th percentile salary for Film and Video Editors is $145,912 per year ($70.15/hr). The 75th percentile is $101,566 per year.
What is the entry-level salary for film and video editors?
Entry-level Film and Video Editors (10th percentile) earn approximately $39,166 per year ($18.83/hr). The 25th percentile is $50,232 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.
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