Audio engineer wages vary substantially by location, employer, and type of production work. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) counted 14,600 sound engineering technicians in May 2023, with a national mean wage of $35.62 per hour, or $74,100 per year. The same BLS data shows a wide distribution: annual pay ranged from $36,160 at the 10th percentile to $132,940 at the 90th percentile. The figures below use the BLS occupation category “sound engineering technicians,” which is the closest standardized measure for audio engineers.
Contents
- National audio engineer wages
- How pay varies across the wage distribution
- Audio engineer wages by state
- Pay in major U.S. metros
- Wages by industry
- Employment and outlook
National audio engineer wages
The BLS Occupational Employment and Wages release for May 2023 provides the clearest national snapshot of audio engineering pay. It counted 14,600 sound engineering technicians across the United States. The national mean hourly wage was $35.62, and the national mean annual wage was $74,100. These are averages for the occupation nationally, not a guaranteed rate for a particular recording session, studio, employer, or freelance project. BLS, Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2023: Sound Engineering Technicians
The May 2023 national wage distribution was:
| Wage point | Hourly wage | Annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $17.38 | $36,160 |
| 25th percentile | $22.03 | $45,820 |
| Median | $28.57 | $59,430 |
| Mean | $35.62 | $74,100 |
| 75th percentile | $45.46 | $94,550 |
| 90th percentile | $63.91 | $132,940 |
Source: BLS, Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2023: Sound Engineering Technicians, May 2023.
The median is lower than the mean: $59,430 compared with $74,100 annually. That gap indicates that higher-paid workers raise the average above the midpoint of the occupation. For someone comparing an expected offer with the national market, the median and percentile figures provide more context than the mean alone.
How pay varies across the wage distribution
The lower end of the distribution shows that audio engineering includes many roles with annual wages below the national mean. The 10th-percentile annual wage was $36,160, while the 25th-percentile wage was $45,820. On an hourly basis, those points were $17.38 and $22.03. These figures describe the national occupation distribution in May 2023; they do not identify the pay of entry-level studio assistants specifically.
The median annual wage was $59,430, equivalent to a median hourly wage of $28.57. Above the midpoint, the 75th-percentile annual wage reached $94,550, or $45.46 per hour. The 90th-percentile annual wage was $132,940, with a corresponding hourly wage of $63.91. The BLS percentiles therefore place a large spread between the lower and upper ends of reported wages: $96,780 separates the 10th and 90th annual percentiles. BLS, Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2023: Sound Engineering Technicians
These numbers are useful when interpreting “audio engineer salary” searches. A single national salary can conceal the difference between a worker near the lower quartile and one near the upper quartile. The occupation’s mean is $14.67 per hour above its median, while the 90th-percentile hourly wage is more than twice the median hourly wage. Those comparisons are direct differences between the published wage points, not estimates of individual career progression.
Audio engineer wages by state
State results show both concentration of employment and differences in mean annual pay. California employed 6,060 sound engineering technicians in May 2023, and its mean annual wage was $83,340. New York employed 1,460, with a mean annual wage of $89,450. Washington employed 310 and reported a mean annual wage of $110,270. The District of Columbia employed 80, with a mean annual wage of $90,190. New Jersey employed 330 and reported a mean annual wage of $86,150. BLS, geographic profile for Sound Engineering Technicians, May 2023
| State or district | Employment | Mean annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| California | 6,060 | $83,340 |
| New York | 1,460 | $89,450 |
| Washington | 310 | $110,270 |
| District of Columbia | 80 | $90,190 |
| New Jersey | 330 | $86,150 |
California’s employment count is much larger than the other listed locations, while Washington has the highest mean annual wage among these five jurisdictions. The figures should not be read as a ranking of every state: the supplied BLS geographic results identify these locations, but they do not provide a complete state-by-state wage table here. They also are mean wages, so they do not show each location’s median or percentile spread.
Pay in major U.S. metros
Metropolitan areas can differ from statewide averages because local production, broadcasting, film, and recording activity is concentrated unevenly. In May 2023, the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim metro employed 4,780 sound engineering technicians. Its mean hourly wage was $39.51, and its mean annual wage was $82,180. The New York-Newark-Jersey City metro employed 1,370 technicians, with mean hourly pay of $43.51 and mean annual pay of $90,500. BLS, geographic profile for Sound Engineering Technicians, May 2023
The San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward metro employed 490 sound engineering technicians and reported a mean hourly wage of $53.65, or $111,600 annually. Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue employed 250, with mean hourly pay of $55.05 and mean annual pay of $114,510. Nashville-Davidson—Murfreesboro—Franklin employed 270, with a mean hourly wage of $28.92 and a mean annual wage of $60,150.
| Metropolitan area | Employment | Mean hourly wage | Mean annual wage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim | 4,780 | $39.51 | $82,180 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City | 1,370 | $43.51 | $90,500 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward | 490 | $53.65 | $111,600 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue | 250 | $55.05 | $114,510 |
| Nashville-Davidson—Murfreesboro—Franklin | 270 | $28.92 | $60,150 |
Among these five metros, Seattle had the highest reported mean annual wage, followed by San Francisco. Nashville had the lowest. Los Angeles had by far the largest employment count in this comparison. These are May 2023 metro means, so they should not be treated as universal freelance rates or as a cost-of-living-adjusted comparison.
Wages by industry
The industry in which a sound engineering technician works is another important wage marker. Motion picture and video industries employed 3,980 sound engineering technicians in May 2023, with a mean annual wage of $99,990. Sound recording industries employed 2,400 technicians, with a mean annual wage of $59,040. Promoters of performing arts, sports, and similar events employed 770, with a mean annual wage of $57,300. Radio and television broadcasting stations employed 650, with a mean annual wage of $59,590. BLS, industry profile for Sound Engineering Technicians, May 2023
| Industry | Employment | Mean annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| Motion picture and video | 3,980 | $99,990 |
| Sound recording | 2,400 | $59,040 |
| Promoters of performing arts, sports, and similar events | 770 | $57,300 |
| Radio and television broadcasting stations | 650 | $59,590 |
The motion picture and video mean was the highest among these industries, while promoters of performing arts, sports, and similar events had the lowest. The difference between those two published means was $42,690 per year. Industry means describe workers grouped by employer industry; they do not establish that the industry alone causes a particular wage or that every audio role within it has the same duties.
The BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook gives a broader 2025 employment mix for broadcast, sound, and video technicians. Publishing, broadcasting, and content providers accounted for 16% of jobs; motion picture and sound recording industries accounted for 12%; performing arts, spectator sports, and related industries accounted for 11%; self-employed workers accounted for 11%; and rental and leasing services accounted for 10%. BLS, Occupational Outlook Handbook: Broadcast, Sound, and Video Technicians, 2025.
Employment and outlook
BLS projections put sound engineering technician employment at 15.0 thousand jobs in the 2024 base year and 14.6 thousand jobs in 2034. The projected numerical change is negative 0.5 thousand jobs, corresponding to a projected decline of 3.1% from 2024 to 2034. BLS also lists about 1.0 thousand average annual openings over that projection period. BLS, Occupational Projections and Worker Characteristics: Sound Engineering Technicians; BLS, Occupational Separations and Openings: Sound Engineering Technicians
The projection is an employment forecast, not a wage forecast. It indicates a smaller total number of jobs in 2034 than in the 2024 base year while still showing approximately 1.0 thousand annual openings. Openings can arise during a period when total employment declines, so the two figures measure different things.
The latest national wage figures in the supplied BLS May 2025 release report 13,050 sound engineering technicians, a $38.12 mean hourly wage, a $79,280 mean annual wage, and a $31.94 median hourly wage. These May 2025 figures are from a later measurement period than the detailed May 2023 state, metro, industry, and percentile figures above. BLS, Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2025
Because the measurement years differ, the May 2025 national figures should be kept separate from the May 2023 geographic and industry comparisons. Together, they show why an audio engineer wage question needs several dimensions: national distribution, location, employer industry, and the distinction between current estimates and future employment projections.