Film and Video Editors Salary: $101,742 Median Pay (2026 stats)
TL;DR
About 28,860 film and video editors nationally earn a mean of $101,742. Employment in the series shown fell about 11% from the first to the last year; projections imply about 1.8% annual growth.
Key Statistics
Film and Video Editors: what the data shows
Common questions about film and video editors careers, answered from BLS OEWS and O*NET in this repository.
What is a film and video editors?
Film and Video Editors is tracked by the Bureau of Labor Statistics under SOC 27-4032.
U.S. employment in our OEWS extract is about 28,860 workers.
What does a film and video editors do?
O*NET work activities rated highest for this occupation include Working with Computers, Thinking Creatively, Getting Information, Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge, Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events, Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates, and related tasks. See Work Activities for the full list.
How much does a film and video editors make?
BLS national median annual wage: $70,980 (May 2024 in our extract).
Mean annual wage in our occupational extract: $101,742 — higher than the median, which often reflects top earners in the distribution.
| Wage percentile | Annual wage |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $47,425 |
| 25th percentile | $65,585 |
| Median (50th) | $85,461 |
| 75th percentile | $125,398 |
| 90th percentile | $171,836 |
What education do you need?
For Film and Video Editors, 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 Active Listening, Critical Thinking, Reading Comprehension, Active Learning, Complex Problem Solving, Speaking, and knowledge areas including Communications and Media, English Language, Computers and Electronics, Telecommunications. See Education & Skills for detail.
Is film and video editors in demand?
Historical employment trend in our series implies about 1.8% annual growth (compound rate in the extract).
Five-year projected employment change: 9.1%.
Ten-year projected employment change: 19.1%.
Current U.S. headcount: 28,860.
We report federal series only—compare wages, growth, and openings against your target market.
Where do film and video editorss work?
Top industries by employment share in our OEWS industry extract:
| Industry | Employment | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Cross-industry | 28,860 | 19.8% |
| Cross-industry, Private Ownership only | 28,370 | 19.5% |
| Information | 18,900 | 13.0% |
| Motion Picture and Sound Recording Industries | 14,230 | 9.8% |
| Motion Picture and Video Industries | 13,760 | 9.4% |
| Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 5,200 | 3.6% |
See Industry for charts.
What degrees lead to this career?
Common majors for Film and Video Editors 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Interpreters and Translators | 53,360 | $59,440 |
| 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 |
| Writers and Authors | 47,800 | $72,270 |
| News Analysts, Reporters, and Journalists | 41,550 | $60,280 |
| Editors | 95,480 | $75,260 |
Employment
Employment and salary information for the Film and Video Editors workforce.
Employment Over Time
28,860 Workforce in 2023
The Film and Video Editors workforce has been growing over time.
Historical employment trends for Film and Video Editors.
Yearly Wage Ranking
$101,742 Average Wage
In 2023, Film and Video Editors earned an average of $101,742.
Wage ranking compared to other occupations.
Wage Distribution
This chart shows the distribution of average salaries by income buckets for Film and Video Editors.
Salary distribution for Film and Video Editors.
Employment Growth Projections
1.8% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR)
38,965 Projected Employment (5 years)
Projected growth: 9.1%
42,528 Projected Employment (10 years)
Projected growth: 19.1%
This occupation is projected to grow at 1.8% annually, indicating strong future demand.
Historical employment trends and future projections for Film and Video Editors.
Industry
Information on the industries that employ Film and Video Editors and on wages for those in the field.
Occupations by Industries
This graphic shows the share of Film and Video Editors employed by various industries.
Industry distribution for Film and Video Editors.
Wage Trends by Industry
28.9% Average Annual Wage Growth Rate
Historical wage growth trends by industry for Film and Video Editors.
Geographic Distribution
Employment and wage information by geographic location for Film and Video Editors.
Metropolitan employment on this page is from the California OEWS extract. Area names omit state codes; all listed metros are in California, so the state chart shows California totals (not a multi-state ranking).
Top States by Employment
Top States by Employment:
- CA: 8,740 employees, $102,574 avg wage
Top 10 states by employment for Film and Video Editors.
Top Metropolitan Areas
Top Metropolitan Areas:
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale MD: 6,490 employees, $102,591 avg wage
- San Francisco-San Mateo-Redwood City MD: 790 employees, $110,983 avg wage
- San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad MSA: 350 employees, $147,390 avg wage
- Anaheim-Santa Ana-Irvine MD: 230 employees, $82,977 avg wage
- Oakland-Fremont-Berkeley MD: 200 employees, $105,441 avg wage
- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara MSA: 190 employees, $95,332 avg wage
- Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario MSA: 150 employees, $60,049 avg wage
- Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom MSA: 110 employees, $70,033 avg wage
- Fresno MSA: 60 employees, $65,452 avg wage
- Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura MSA: 50 employees, $67,753 avg wage
Top 10 metropolitan statistical areas by employment for Film and Video Editors.
Diversity
Demographic information on Film and Video Editors in the US.
Gender and Age
The workforce of Film and Video Editors in 2023 was 28,860 people, with 62.0% women and 38.0% men.
Gender and age distribution for Film and Video Editors.
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 Film and Video Editors.
Education & Skills
Data on higher education choices and required skills for Film and Video Editors.
Majors
The most common majors achieved by Film and Video Editors in 2023 were Business Administration, Engineering, Communications.
Common majors for Film and Video Editors.
Education Levels
The main educational levels achieved by Film and Video Editors workers.
Education level distribution for Film and Video Editors.
Skills
Film and Video Editors need many skills, but most especially Active Listening, Critical Thinking, Reading Comprehension, Active Learning, Complex Problem Solving.
Required skills for Film and Video Editors.
Knowledge & Abilities
Knowledge areas and abilities required for Film and Video Editors.
Knowledge Areas
The most important knowledge areas for Film and Video Editors include Communications and Media, English Language, Computers and Electronics, Telecommunications, Fine Arts.
Knowledge areas required for Film and Video Editors.
Abilities
Key abilities needed for Film and Video Editors include Oral Comprehension, Near Vision, Oral Expression, Information Ordering, Written Comprehension.
Required abilities for Film and Video Editors.
Work Activities
Common work activities performed by Film and Video Editors.
Daily Activities
Film and Video Editors spend their time on activities such as Working with Computers, Thinking Creatively, Getting Information, Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge, Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events.
Most important work activities for Film and Video Editors.
About
Film and Video Editors
The average yearly wage for Film and Video Editors was $101,742 in 2023.
SOC Code
27-4032 - Film and Video Editors
Insights and Analysis
High earnings profile: Film and Video Editors reports an average salary of $101,742, placing it among stronger-paying occupations.
Labor market presence: The current workforce is approximately 28,860 workers, indicating sustained demand.
Forward outlook: Projected annual growth is 1.8%, 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.