Broadcast Technicians Salary: $88,368 Median Pay (2026 stats)
TL;DR
About 21,080 broadcast technicians nationally earn a mean of $88,368. Employment in the series shown fell about 68% from the first to the last year; projections imply about 2.5% annual decline.
Key Statistics
Broadcast Technicians: what the data shows
Common questions about broadcast technicians careers, answered from BLS OEWS and O*NET in this repository.
What is a broadcast technicians?
Broadcast Technicians is tracked by the Bureau of Labor Statistics under SOC 27-4012.
U.S. employment in our OEWS extract is about 21,080 workers.
What does a broadcast technicians do?
O*NET work activities rated highest for this occupation include Working with Computers, Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates, Getting Information, Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge, Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events, Repairing and Maintaining Electronic Equipment, and related tasks. See Work Activities for the full list.
How much does a broadcast technicians make?
BLS national median annual wage: $53,920 (May 2024 in our extract).
Mean annual wage in our occupational extract: $88,368 — higher than the median, which often reflects top earners in the distribution.
Wage percentiles below are from the California OEWS extract (not national unless noted).
| Wage percentile | Annual wage |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $37,708 |
| 25th percentile | $48,924 |
| Median (50th) | $75,785 |
| 75th percentile | $101,423 |
| 90th percentile | $130,102 |
What education do you need?
For Broadcast Technicians, O*NET incumbent surveys in our extract most often report: Some college (29%), High School or Equivalent (27%), Bachelors Degree (22%).
These are education levels of current workers, not minimum legal requirements.
What skills do you need?
O*NET ratings for this occupation emphasize skills such as Critical Thinking, Active Listening, Monitoring, Operations Monitoring, Writing, Complex Problem Solving, and knowledge areas including Computers and Electronics, Telecommunications, Engineering and Technology, Communications and Media. See Education & Skills for detail.
Is broadcast technicians in demand?
Historical employment trend in our series implies about 2.5% annual decline (compound rate in the extract).
Five-year projected employment change: -11.8%.
Ten-year projected employment change: -22.3%.
Current U.S. headcount: 21,080.
We report federal series only—compare wages, growth, and openings against your target market.
Where do broadcast technicianss work?
Top industries by employment share in our OEWS industry extract:
| Industry | Employment | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Cross-industry | 21,080 | 18.0% |
| Cross-industry, Private Ownership only | 19,460 | 16.6% |
| Information | 16,640 | 14.2% |
| Broadcasting and Content Providers | 14,680 | 12.5% |
| Radio and Television Broadcasting Stations | 8,690 | 7.4% |
| Media Streaming Distribution Services, Social Networks, and Other Media Networks and Content Providers | 6,000 | 5.1% |
See Industry for charts.
What degrees lead to this career?
Common majors for Broadcast Technicians in O*NET:
See Related degrees.
What careers are related?
Other occupations linked through shared degree pathways in our mapping:
| Occupation | U.S. employment | Median wage |
|---|---|---|
| Public Relations Specialists | 280,590 | $69,780 |
| Gambling and Sports Book Writers and Runners | 7,600 | $30,460 |
| Technical Writers | 55,530 | $91,670 |
| Credit Authorizers, Checkers, and Clerks | 11,960 | $49,130 |
| Court Reporters and Simultaneous Captioners | 12,630 | $67,310 |
| Writers and Authors | 47,800 | $72,270 |
Employment
Employment and salary information for the Broadcast Technicians workforce.
Employment Over Time
21,080 Workforce in 2023
The Broadcast Technicians workforce has been growing over time.
Historical employment trends for Broadcast Technicians.
Yearly Wage Ranking
$88,368 Average Wage
In 2023, Broadcast Technicians earned an average of $88,368.
Wage ranking compared to other occupations.
Wage Distribution
This chart shows the distribution of average salaries by income buckets for Broadcast Technicians.
Salary distribution for Broadcast Technicians.
Employment Growth Projections
-2.5% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR)
8,535 Projected Employment (5 years)
Projected growth: -11.8%
7,526 Projected Employment (10 years)
Projected growth: -22.3%
This occupation is experiencing a decline. Consider related fields with better growth prospects.
Historical employment trends and future projections for Broadcast Technicians.
Industry
Information on the industries that employ Broadcast Technicians and on wages for those in the field.
Occupations by Industries
This graphic shows the share of Broadcast Technicians employed by various industries.
Industry distribution for Broadcast Technicians.
Wage Trends by Industry
-45.2% Average Annual Wage Growth Rate
Historical wage growth trends by industry for Broadcast Technicians.
Geographic Distribution
Employment and wage information by geographic location for Broadcast Technicians.
State employment and wages are from the U.S. BLS OEWS May 2024 state extract. Metropolitan areas use the national MSA file when available.
Top States by Employment
Top States by Employment:
- CA: 2,520 employees, $86,030 avg wage
- NY: 1,800 employees, $85,370 avg wage
- FL: 1,250 employees, $60,140 avg wage
- TX: 1,120 employees, $51,010 avg wage
- PA: 970 employees, $64,480 avg wage
- CO: 900 employees, $70,720 avg wage
- VA: 670 employees, $58,010 avg wage
- IN: 670 employees, $47,550 avg wage
- NC: 660 employees, $49,240 avg wage
- GA: 650 employees, $50,960 avg wage
Top 10 states by employment for Broadcast Technicians.
Top Metropolitan Areas
Top Metropolitan Areas:
- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ: 1,840 employees, $92,790 avg wage
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA: 1,340 employees, $93,850 avg wage
- Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO: 750 employees, $72,070 avg wage
- Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV: 640 employees, $79,820 avg wage
- Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA: 560 employees, $52,990 avg wage
- Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL: 510 employees, $66,140 avg wage
- San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA: 460 employees, $90,360 avg wage
- Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH: 440 employees, $63,840 avg wage
- Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN: 410 employees, $81,320 avg wage
- Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX: 360 employees, $53,680 avg wage
Top 10 metropolitan statistical areas by employment for Broadcast Technicians.
Diversity
Demographic information on Broadcast Technicians in the US.
Gender and Age
The workforce of Broadcast Technicians in 2023 was 21,080 people, with 62.0% women and 38.0% men.
Gender and age distribution for Broadcast Technicians.
Races
Racial and ethnic shares when present in the career dataset. If the chart area shows a notice instead, occupational race/ethnicity fields are not yet populated for this extract.
Race and ethnicity distribution for Broadcast Technicians.
Education & Skills
Data on higher education choices and required skills for Broadcast Technicians.
Majors
The most common majors achieved by Broadcast Technicians in 2023 were Engineering, Communications, Journalism.
Common majors for Broadcast Technicians.
Education Levels
The main educational levels achieved by Broadcast Technicians workers.
Education level distribution for Broadcast Technicians.
Skills
Broadcast Technicians need many skills, but most especially Critical Thinking, Active Listening, Monitoring, Operations Monitoring, Writing.
Required skills for Broadcast Technicians.
Knowledge & Abilities
Knowledge areas and abilities required for Broadcast Technicians.
Knowledge Areas
The most important knowledge areas for Broadcast Technicians include Computers and Electronics, Telecommunications, Engineering and Technology, Communications and Media, English Language.
Knowledge areas required for Broadcast Technicians.
Abilities
Key abilities needed for Broadcast Technicians include Near Vision, Problem Sensitivity, Written Comprehension, Oral Comprehension, Oral Expression.
Required abilities for Broadcast Technicians.
Work Activities
Common work activities performed by Broadcast Technicians.
Daily Activities
Broadcast Technicians spend their time on activities such as Working with Computers, Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates, Getting Information, Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge, Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events.
Most important work activities for Broadcast Technicians.
About
Broadcast Technicians
The average yearly wage for Broadcast Technicians was $88,368 in 2023.
SOC Code
27-4012 - Broadcast Technicians
Insights and Analysis
Compensation snapshot: Broadcast Technicians reports an average salary of $88,368.
Labor market presence: The current workforce is approximately 21,080 workers, indicating sustained demand.
Forward outlook: Projected annual decline is -2.5%, which should inform long-term career planning.
Data Sources
This page uses data from the following sources:
- College Scorecard - U.S. Department of Education
- Institutional characteristics, costs, completion rates, and earnings data
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: collegescorecard.ed.gov
- Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)
- Employment and wage data by occupation
- Latest data: May 2024
- Source: bls.gov/oes
- O*NET Online - U.S. Department of Labor
- Occupational skills, knowledge, abilities, and work activities
- Database version: 28.0 (August 2023)
- Source: onetcenter.org
- IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) - National Center for Education Statistics
- Institutional data, completions, enrollment, and financial aid
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: nces.ed.gov/ipeds
- Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS)
- Demographic and workforce data
- Latest data: 2023 ACS 5-Year Estimates
- Source: census.gov/acs
Data Processing: All data has been processed, cleaned, and aggregated for presentation. Where specific data points are unavailable, estimates are based on available data and clearly marked.
Last Updated: Data reflects the most recent available information as of January 2025.
Methodology
Data for this profile is sourced from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS), and O*NET Online.
All wage figures represent annual averages and may vary by location, industry, and experience level.