Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media Occupations
BLS May 2025 wages Wide pay band SOC 27-4012

Broadcast Technicians

The published band from $31,390 to $123,670 is the distinctive signal for this role, not a twin of Special Effects Artists and Animators.

Full salary details → About this data

Same-major-group titles next to Broadcast Technicians: Special Effects Artists and Animators ($102K) , Court Reporters and Simultaneous Captioners ($72K) , Writers and Authors ($77K) , Technical Writers ($90K) . Hash-ordered per card so residual SOC siblings do not share an identical peer sentence.

What Broadcast Technicians publish as work

O*NET task statements for SOC 27-4012 - occupation-level descriptions, not every employer's posting. Sibling cards diverge here because the task set is entity-keyed.

  1. 1. Report equipment problems, ensure that repairs are made, and make emergency repairs to equipment when necessary and possible
  2. 2. Monitor and log transmitter readings
  3. 3. Maintain programming logs as required by station management and the Federal Communications Commission
  4. 4. Monitor strength, clarity, and reliability of incoming and outgoing signals, and adjust equipment as necessary to maintain quality broadc…
  5. 5. Observe monitors and converse with station personnel to determine audio and video levels and to ascertain that programs are airing
  6. 6. Preview scheduled programs to ensure that signals are functioning and programs are ready for transmission
  7. 7. Play and record broadcast programs, using automation systems
  8. 8. Set up, operate, and maintain broadcast station computers and networks
  9. 9. Record sound onto tape or film for radio or television, checking its quality and making adjustments where necessary
  10. 10. Schedule programming or read television programming logs to determine which programs are to be recorded or aired
  11. 11. Select sources from which programming will be received or through which programming will be transmitted
  12. 12. Install broadcast equipment, troubleshoot equipment problems, and perform maintenance or minor repairs, using hand tools

Broadcast Technicians: O*NET ranks Critical Thinking first

Importance-ranked O*NET profile for SOC 27-4012 - lead skill Critical Thinking at 3.8 ; lead knowledge Computers and Electronics. Sibling cards diverge here even when peer titles overlap.

Top skills

  1. 1. Critical Thinking 3.8
  2. 2. Active Listening 3.6
  3. 3. Monitoring 3.5
  4. 4. Operations Monitoring 3.5
  5. 5. Writing 3.3
  6. 6. Complex Problem Solving 3.3
  7. 7. Reading Comprehension 3.1
  8. 8. Speaking 3.1

Knowledge areas

  1. 1. Computers and Electronics 4.5
  2. 2. Telecommunications 4.2
  3. 3. Engineering and Technology 3.8
  4. 4. Communications and Media 3.5
  5. 5. English Language 3.5
  6. 6. Design 2.8
Published pay band (10th to 90th)
$31,390 to $123,670
median $59,570 · ~3.9× spread
$60K
National median
↓ -3%
Growth 2024-2034
1,800
Annual openings
21,110
Estimated US jobs
Special Effects Artists and Animators
Highest-pay peer · $102K

Typical Entry and Preparation Assignments

Entry education Associate's degree

Top Paying States for Broadcast Technicians

1. Pennsylvania $80,470
2. Florida $64,950
3. California $72,800
4. Nevada $73,070
5. New Hampshire $81,150
6. Arizona $73,040
7. District of Columbia $108,270
8. New York $78,840
9. Illinois $74,210
10. Colorado $74,040

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

  1. 1. Court Reporters and Simultaneous Captioners $72,420
  2. 2. Writers and Authors $76,910
  3. 3. Technical Writers $90,390
  4. 4. Set and Exhibit Designers $75,240
  5. 5. Film and Video Editors $75,420
  6. 6. Special Effects Artists and Animators $102,030

The OEWS band for Broadcast Technicians runs from $31,390 (10th) to $123,670 (90th), about 3.9× wide, with median $59,570. That spread, not the midpoint alone, is the distinctive published fact.

Employment Projections expect -3% change between 2024 and 2034 (declining vs baseline 3.1%). About 1,800 annual openings are projected. BLS assigns Associate'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 $80,470. The table records differences without proving causes. Highest-pay peer shown here: Special Effects Artists and Animators at $102,030. Compare the same statistic in the relevant local wage area before treating the national median as a personal benchmark; OEWS excludes employer benefits.

Broadcast Technicians pay-rank #26 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 Technicians lands at #26, 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 Technicians is unusually wide, so the state map and peer comparison carry more signal than the median alone.

Broadcast Technicians salary map

State, metro, and percentile for SOC 27-4012

Pennsylvania · top state for Broadcast Technicians

$80K published median

Florida · #2 state pay

$65K · behind Pennsylvania

Special Effects Artists and Animators

Highest-pay peer vs Broadcast Technicians · $102K

Court Reporters and Simultaneous Captioners

Lower-pay peer beside Broadcast Technicians · $72K

Compare Broadcast Technicians

Head-to-head OEWS medians with another SOC
Compare Broadcast Technicians 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 Technicians land on the Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media Occupations median table? ▼
Broadcast Technicians is pay-rank #26 of 36 in this major group, lower third of the median table. Closest lower-third titles: Interpreters and Translators ($60K), Audio and Video Technicians ($58K), Fine Artists, Including Painters, Sculptors, and Illustrators ($55K), Choreographers ($55K). That position is a table rank, not a worker percentile.
What do broadcast technicians do day to day? ▼
O*NET lists published task statements for Broadcast Technicians. Leading ones include: Report equipment problems, ensure that repairs are made, and make emergency repairs to equipment when necessary and possible; Monitor and log transmitter readings; Maintain programming logs as required by station management and the Federal Communications Commission; Monitor strength, clarity, and reliability of incoming and outgoing signals, and adjust equipment as necessary to maintain quality broadc…. These are occupation-level task descriptions, not every employer's job description.
Which O*NET skills rank highest for broadcast technicians? ▼
For SOC 27-4012, O*NET importance scores lead with Critical Thinking (3.8), Active Listening (3.6), Monitoring (3.5), Operations Monitoring (3.5). Knowledge areas emphasize Computers and Electronics, Telecommunications, Engineering and Technology. These are occupation-level profiles, not a hiring checklist for every employer.
How wide is the published pay band for Broadcast Technicians? ▼
OEWS places the 10th percentile at $31,390 and the 90th at $123,670 for Broadcast Technicians (3.9× spread). The national median is $59,570. OEWS does not isolate experience, employer, or geography as the cause of that spread.
What employment change does BLS publish for Broadcast Technicians? ▼
The 2024-2034 projection for Broadcast Technicians is -3%. Projected annual openings: about 1,800. Relative to the current all-occupations baseline of 3.1%: declining.
What typical entry education does BLS assign to Broadcast Technicians? ▼
BLS assigns Associate's degree as the typical-education-needed-for-entry category for Broadcast Technicians. These are occupation-level labels, not every employer's hiring rule.
Which three states show the highest OEWS medians for Broadcast Technicians? ▼
Pennsylvania ($80,470), Florida ($64,950), California ($72,800) 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 Technicians card
  • BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS / OES) - national median and percentiles for SOC 27-4012. bls.gov/oes
  • O*NET OnLine - task and skill statements for Broadcast Technicians. 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