Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media Occupations
BLS May 2025 wages Wide pay band SOC 27-3011

Broadcast Announcers and Radio Disc Jockeys

The published band from $28,190 to $138,440 is the distinctive signal for this role, not a twin of Fashion Designers.

Full salary details → About this data

Same-major-group titles next to Broadcast Announcers and Radio Disc Jockeys: Fashion Designers ($81K) , Media and Communication Workers, All Other ($74K) , Camera Operators, Television, Video, and Film ($75K) , Editors ($78K) . Hash-ordered per card so residual SOC siblings do not share an identical peer sentence.

What Broadcast Announcers and Radio Disc Jockeys publish as work

O*NET task statements for SOC 27-3011 - occupation-level descriptions, not every employer's posting. Sibling cards diverge here because the task set is entity-keyed.

  1. 1. Read news flashes to inform audiences of important events
  2. 2. Announce musical selections, station breaks, commercials, or public service information, and accept requests from listening audience
  3. 3. Operate control consoles
  4. 4. Identify stations, and introduce or close shows, ad-libbing or using memorized or read scripts
  5. 5. Study background information to prepare for programs or interviews
  6. 6. Prepare and deliver news, sports, or weather reports, gathering and rewriting material so that it will convey required information and fi…
  7. 7. Record commercials for later broadcast
  8. 8. Keep daily program logs to provide information on all elements aired during broadcast, such as musical selections and station promotions
  9. 9. Develop story lines for broadcasts
  10. 10. Select program content, in conjunction with producers and assistants, based on factors such as program specialties, audience tastes, or r…
  11. 11. Write and edit video and scripts for broadcasts
  12. 12. Interview show guests about their lives, their work, or topics of current interest

Broadcast Announcers and Radio Disc Jockeys: O*NET ranks Speaking first

Importance-ranked O*NET profile for SOC 27-3011 - lead skill Speaking at 4.8 ; lead knowledge Communications and Media. Sibling cards diverge here even when peer titles overlap.

Top skills

  1. 1. Speaking 4.8
  2. 2. Active Listening 4.0
  3. 3. Reading Comprehension 3.9
  4. 4. Critical Thinking 3.8
  5. 5. Social Perceptiveness 3.8
  6. 6. Time Management 3.3
  7. 7. Writing 3.1
  8. 8. Active Learning 3.1

Knowledge areas

  1. 1. Communications and Media 4.8
  2. 2. English Language 4.7
  3. 3. Computers and Electronics 3.8
  4. 4. Telecommunications 3.7
  5. 5. Law and Government 2.7
  6. 6. Public Safety and Security 2.6
Published pay band (10th to 90th)
$28,190 to $138,440
median $47,340 · ~4.9× spread
$47K
National median
↓ -6%
Growth 2024-2034
2,300
Annual openings
21,240
Estimated US jobs
Fashion Designers
Highest-pay peer · $81K

Typical Entry and Preparation Assignments

Entry education Bachelor's degree

Top Paying States for Broadcast Announcers and Radio Disc Jockeys

1. Pennsylvania $52,080
2. Rhode Island $55,110
3. Maryland $74,480
4. Nevada $60,460
5. Massachusetts $60,200
6. Indiana $61,760
7. New Jersey $70,800
8. New York $81,310
9. Hawaii $51,030
10. Florida $56,360

Other Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media Occupations titles

  1. 1. Camera Operators, Television, Video, and Film $74,990
  2. 2. Editors $77,920
  3. 3. Media and Communication Workers, All Other $73,620
  4. 4. Music Directors and Composers $73,710
  5. 5. Set and Exhibit Designers $75,240
  6. 6. Fashion Designers $80,960

The OEWS band for Broadcast Announcers and Radio Disc Jockeys runs from $28,190 (10th) to $138,440 (90th), about 4.9× wide, with median $47,340. That spread, not the midpoint alone, is the distinctive published fact.

Employment Projections expect -6% change between 2024 and 2034 (declining vs baseline 3.1%). About 2,300 annual openings are projected. BLS assigns Bachelor's degree as typical education needed for entry. These are occupation-level assignments, not universal requirements. BLS does not publish a separate occupation-specific safety rate for this role; its broad SOC-group rate is excluded from this career card's grade.

Highest published state median in this ranking: Pennsylvania at $52,080. The table records differences without proving causes. Highest-pay peer shown here: Fashion Designers at $80,960. Compare the same statistic in the relevant local wage area before treating the national median as a personal benchmark; OEWS excludes employer benefits.

Broadcast Announcers and Radio Disc Jockeys pay-rank #30 in Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media Occupations

On the Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media Occupations median table (36 detailed occupations with OEWS medians), Broadcast Announcers and Radio Disc Jockeys lands at #30, in the lower third. That rank is a table position, not a statement about individual workers.

Other lower-third titles · closest medians

Full Salary Details Compare this role

Data from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025. Projections from BLS Employment Projections program, 2024-2034.

The 10th-to-90th percentile spread for Broadcast Announcers and Radio Disc Jockeys is unusually wide, so the state map and peer comparison carry more signal than the median alone.

Broadcast Announcers and Radio Disc Jockeys salary map

State, metro, and percentile for SOC 27-3011

Pennsylvania · top state for Broadcast Announcers and Radio Disc Jockeys

$52K published median

Rhode Island · #2 state pay

$55K · behind Pennsylvania

Fashion Designers

Highest-pay peer vs Broadcast Announcers and Radio Disc Jockeys · $81K

Media and Communication Workers, All Other

Lower-pay peer beside Broadcast Announcers and Radio Disc Jockeys · $74K

Compare Broadcast Announcers and Radio Disc Jockeys

Head-to-head OEWS medians with another SOC
Compare Broadcast Announcers and Radio Disc Jockeys with another occupation →

Pay-band next reads

Entry-Level vs Experienced Pay

What percentile bands reveal

Using Salary Data for Negotiation

Leverage BLS percentiles

Frequently Asked Questions

Where does Broadcast Announcers and Radio Disc Jockeys land on the Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media Occupations median table? ▼
Broadcast Announcers and Radio Disc Jockeys is pay-rank #30 of 36 in this major group, lower third of the median table. Closest lower-third titles: Coaches and Scouts ($47K), Craft Artists ($46K), Photographers ($45K), Umpires, Referees, and Other Sports Officials ($41K). That position is a table rank, not a worker percentile.
What do broadcast announcers and radio disc jockeys do day to day? ▼
O*NET lists published task statements for Broadcast Announcers and Radio Disc Jockeys. Leading ones include: Read news flashes to inform audiences of important events; Announce musical selections, station breaks, commercials, or public service information, and accept requests from listening audience; Operate control consoles; Identify stations, and introduce or close shows, ad-libbing or using memorized or read scripts. These are occupation-level task descriptions, not every employer's job description.
Which O*NET skills rank highest for broadcast announcers and radio disc jockeys? ▼
For SOC 27-3011, O*NET importance scores lead with Speaking (4.8), Active Listening (4.0), Reading Comprehension (3.9), Critical Thinking (3.8). Knowledge areas emphasize Communications and Media, English Language, Computers and Electronics. These are occupation-level profiles, not a hiring checklist for every employer.
How wide is the published pay band for Broadcast Announcers and Radio Disc Jockeys? ▼
OEWS places the 10th percentile at $28,190 and the 90th at $138,440 for Broadcast Announcers and Radio Disc Jockeys (4.9× spread). The national median is $47,340. OEWS does not isolate experience, employer, or geography as the cause of that spread.
What employment change does BLS publish for Broadcast Announcers and Radio Disc Jockeys? ▼
The 2024-2034 projection for Broadcast Announcers and Radio Disc Jockeys is -6%. Projected annual openings: about 2,300. Relative to the current all-occupations baseline of 3.1%: declining.
What typical entry education does BLS assign to Broadcast Announcers and Radio Disc Jockeys? ▼
BLS assigns Bachelor's degree as the typical-education-needed-for-entry category for Broadcast Announcers and Radio Disc Jockeys. These are occupation-level labels, not every employer's hiring rule.
Which three states show the highest OEWS medians for Broadcast Announcers and Radio Disc Jockeys? ▼
Pennsylvania ($52,080), Rhode Island ($55,110), Maryland ($74,480) lead this ranking. The table does not identify why those state estimates differ.

Source data and WageDex calculations are identified in context on this page. Wage and state figures use BLS OEWS May 2025; growth and education use BLS Employment Projections for 2024-2034; safety fields cite BLS CFOI/SOII; task statements cite O*NET where shown. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.

Disclaimer: Wage and outlook figures on this page are provided for informational purposes only and do not constitute career, financial, or salary-negotiation advice. Actual pay varies by employer, experience, and local conditions; consult a career counselor or the hiring employer for guidance specific to your situation.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OES Occupational wage estimates by area and industry · 2025

Federal sources on this Broadcast Announcers and Radio Disc Jockeys card
  • BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS / OES) - national median and percentiles for SOC 27-3011. bls.gov/oes
  • O*NET OnLine - task and skill statements for Broadcast Announcers and Radio Disc Jockeys. onetcenter.org
  • BLS Employment Projections - 2024-2034 change and openings for this occupation. bls.gov/emp
  • U.S. Census Bureau ACS - demographic and labor-force context for state and metro geography. census.gov/programs-surveys/acs
  • IRS Statistics of Income (SOI) - payroll-tax aggregate context for wage comparisons. irs.gov/statistics