Sound Engineering Technicians Salary: $66,430 Median Pay (2026 stats)
Executive Summary
About 13,050 sound engineering technicians work nationally, and $66,430 is the BLS national median annual wage. Employment in the series shown fell about 37% from the first to the last year; projections imply about 1.7% annual decline.
Sound Engineering Technicians: what the data shows
Common questions about sound engineering technicians careers, answered from BLS OEWS and O*NET in this repository.
What is a sound engineering technicians?
Sound Engineering Technicians is tracked by the Bureau of Labor Statistics under SOC 27-4014.
U.S. employment in our OEWS extract is about 13,050 workers.
What does a sound engineering technicians do?
O*NET work activities rated highest for this occupation include Working with Computers, Thinking Creatively, Making Decisions and Solving Problems, Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships, Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates, Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge, and related tasks. See Work Activities for the full list.
How much does a sound engineering technicians make?
BLS national median annual wage: $66,430 (May 2024 in our extract).
Mean annual wage in our occupational extract: $93,648 — 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 | $45,422 |
| 25th percentile | $50,445 |
| Median (50th) | $80,140 |
| 75th percentile | $122,974 |
| 90th percentile | $150,440 |
What skills do you need?
O*NET ratings for this occupation emphasize skills such as Active Listening, Speaking, Reading Comprehension, Writing, Complex Problem Solving, Critical Thinking, and knowledge areas including Engineering and Technology, Computers and Electronics, Communications and Media, Customer and Personal Service. See Education & Skills for detail.
Is sound engineering technicians in demand?
Historical employment trend in our series implies about 1.7% annual decline (compound rate in the extract).
Five-year projected employment change: -8.2%.
Ten-year projected employment change: -15.7%.
Current U.S. headcount: 13,050.
We report federal series only—compare wages, growth, and openings against your target market.
Where do sound engineering technicianss work?
Top industries by employment share in our OEWS industry extract:
| Industry | Employment | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Cross-industry | 13,050 | 20.7% |
| Cross-industry, Private Ownership only | 12,580 | 20.0% |
| Information | 6,750 | 10.7% |
| Motion Picture and Sound Recording Industries | 5,280 | 8.4% |
| Motion Picture and Video Industries | 3,000 | 4.8% |
| Sound Recording Industries | 2,280 | 3.6% |
See Industry for charts.
What degrees lead to this career?
Common majors for Sound Engineering 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Civil Engineers | 355,410 | $99,590 |
| Environmental Scientists and Specialists, Including Health | 84,930 | $80,060 |
| Health and Safety Engineers, Except Mining Safety Engineers and Inspectors | 23,220 | $109,660 |
| Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers | 99,300 | $226,600 |
| Mining and Geological Engineers, Including Mining Safety Engineers | 6,770 | $101,020 |
| Computer Hardware Engineers | 75,710 | $155,020 |
| Farm Equipment Mechanics and Service Technicians | 36,880 | $52,080 |
Employment
Employment and salary information for the Sound Engineering Technicians workforce.
Employment Over Time
13,050 U.S. workforce (OEWS)
California employment for Sound Engineering Technicians shrank from 19,300 in 2009 to 14,680 in 2025 (23.9%).
Historical employment for Sound Engineering Technicians from the California OEWS series, 2009–2025. The U.S. workforce figure is national and is not the endpoint of this line.
Yearly Wage Ranking
$66,430 Median pay (BLS national)
Sound Engineering Technicians earn $66,430 as the BLS national median annual wage.
Wage ranking compared to other occupations.
Wage Distribution
This chart shows the distribution of average salaries by income buckets for Sound Engineering Technicians.
Salary distribution for Sound Engineering Technicians.
Employment Growth Projections
-1.7% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR)
13,476 Projected Employment (5 years)
Projected growth: -8.2%
12,372 Projected Employment (10 years)
Projected growth: -15.7%
This occupation is experiencing a decline. Consider related fields with better growth prospects.
Historical employment trends and future projections for Sound Engineering Technicians.
Industry
Information on the industries that employ Sound Engineering Technicians and on wages for those in the field.
Occupations by Industries
This graphic shows the share of Sound Engineering Technicians employed by various industries.
Industry distribution for Sound Engineering Technicians.
Wage Trends by Industry
-3.0% Average Annual Wage Growth Rate
Historical wage growth trends by industry for Sound Engineering Technicians.
Geographic Distribution
Employment and wage information by geographic location for Sound Engineering 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: 3,800 employees, $91,170 avg wage
- NY: 1,690 employees, $93,760 avg wage
- FL: 800 employees, $67,770 avg wage
- IL: 700 employees, $66,600 avg wage
- TN: 500 employees, $81,850 avg wage
- OH: 480 employees, $68,460 avg wage
- WA: 350 employees, $115,620 avg wage
- UT: 320 employees, $43,310 avg wage
- TX: 320 employees, $67,690 avg wage
- NJ: 320 employees, $108,520 avg wage
Top 10 states by employment for Sound Engineering Technicians.
Top Metropolitan Areas
Top Metropolitan Areas:
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA: 2,800 employees, $89,470 avg wage
- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ: 1,500 employees, $97,120 avg wage
- San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA: 340 employees, $109,870 avg wage
- Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN: 330 employees, $94,050 avg wage
- Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL: 300 employees, $72,780 avg wage
- Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA: 290 employees, $118,190 avg wage
- Salt Lake City-Murray, UT: 270 employees, $40,500 avg wage
- Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL: 270 employees, $55,810 avg wage
- Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV: 220 employees, $80,710 avg wage
- St. Louis, MO-IL: 170 employees, $65,070 avg wage
Top 10 metropolitan statistical areas by employment for Sound Engineering Technicians.
Diversity
Demographic information on Sound Engineering Technicians in the US.
Gender and Age
The U.S. workforce for Sound Engineering Technicians is about 13,050 people in our OEWS extract.
Gender and age distribution for Sound Engineering 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 Sound Engineering Technicians.
Education & Skills
Data on higher education choices and required skills for Sound Engineering Technicians.
Majors
The most common majors achieved by Sound Engineering Technicians in 2023 were Business Administration, Engineering, Mathematics.
Common majors for Sound Engineering Technicians.
Education Levels
The main educational levels achieved by Sound Engineering Technicians workers.
Education level distribution for Sound Engineering Technicians.
Skills
Sound Engineering Technicians need many skills, but most especially Active Listening, Speaking, Reading Comprehension, Writing, Complex Problem Solving.
Required skills for Sound Engineering Technicians.
Knowledge & Abilities
Knowledge areas and abilities required for Sound Engineering Technicians.
Knowledge Areas
The most important knowledge areas for Sound Engineering Technicians include Engineering and Technology, Computers and Electronics, Communications and Media, Customer and Personal Service, English Language.
Knowledge areas required for Sound Engineering Technicians.
Abilities
Key abilities needed for Sound Engineering Technicians include Near Vision, Oral Comprehension, Oral Expression, Hearing Sensitivity, Speech Clarity.
Required abilities for Sound Engineering Technicians.
Work Activities
Common work activities performed by Sound Engineering Technicians.
Daily Activities
Sound Engineering Technicians spend their time on activities such as Working with Computers, Thinking Creatively, Making Decisions and Solving Problems, Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships, Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates.
Most important work activities for Sound Engineering Technicians.
About
Sound Engineering Technicians
Sound Engineering Technicians earn $66,430 as the BLS national median annual wage.
SOC Code
27-4014 - Sound Engineering Technicians
Insights and Analysis
Compensation snapshot: Sound Engineering Technicians reports an average salary of $93,648.
Labor market presence: The current workforce is approximately 13,050 workers, indicating sustained demand.
Forward outlook: Projected annual decline is -1.7%, 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.