Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media Occupations
BLS May 2025 wages Wide pay band SOC 27-4032

Film and Video Editors

The published band from $40,280 to $148,550 is the distinctive signal for this role, not a twin of Producers and Directors.

Full salary details → About this data

Same-major-group titles next to Film and Video Editors: Producers and Directors ($90K) , Court Reporters and Simultaneous Captioners ($72K) , Camera Operators, Television, Video, and Film ($75K) , Commercial and Industrial Designers ($84K) . Hash-ordered per card so residual SOC siblings do not share an identical peer sentence.

What Film and Video Editors publish as work

O*NET task statements for SOC 27-4032 - occupation-level descriptions, not every employer's posting. Sibling cards diverge here because the task set is entity-keyed.

  1. 1. Organize and string together raw footage into a continuous whole according to scripts or the instructions of directors and producers
  2. 2. Edit films and videotapes to insert music, dialogue, and sound effects, to arrange films into sequences, and to correct errors, using edi…
  3. 3. Select and combine the most effective shots of each scene to form a logical and smoothly running story
  4. 4. Review footage sequence by sequence to become familiar with it before assembling it into a final product
  5. 5. Set up and operate computer editing systems, electronic titling systems, video switching equipment, and digital video effects units to pr…
  6. 6. Trim film segments to specified lengths and reassemble segments in sequences that present stories with maximum effect
  7. 7. Cut shot sequences to different angles at specific points in scenes, making each individual cut as fluid and seamless as possible
  8. 8. Review assembled films or edited videotapes on screens or monitors to determine if corrections are necessary
  9. 9. Determine the specific audio and visual effects and music necessary to complete films
  10. 10. Mark frames where a particular shot or piece of sound is to begin or end
  11. 11. Verify key numbers and time codes on materials
  12. 12. Manipulate plot, score, sound, and graphics to make the parts into a continuous whole, working closely with people in audio, visual, musi…

Film and Video Editors: O*NET ranks Active Listening first

Importance-ranked O*NET profile for SOC 27-4032 - lead skill Active Listening at 3.8 ; lead knowledge Communications and Media. Sibling cards diverge here even when peer titles overlap.

Top skills

  1. 1. Active Listening 3.8
  2. 2. Critical Thinking 3.5
  3. 3. Reading Comprehension 3.4
  4. 4. Speaking 3.3
  5. 5. Active Learning 3.3
  6. 6. Complex Problem Solving 3.3
  7. 7. Writing 3.1
  8. 8. Judgment and Decision Making 3.1

Knowledge areas

  1. 1. Communications and Media 4.9
  2. 2. English Language 4.6
  3. 3. Computers and Electronics 4.5
  4. 4. Telecommunications 4.1
  5. 5. Fine Arts 4.0
  6. 6. Production and Processing 3.7
Published pay band (10th to 90th)
$40,280 to $148,550
median $75,420 · ~3.7× spread
$75K
National median
↑ +4%
Growth 2024-2034
3,600
Annual openings
25,610
Estimated US jobs
Producers and Directors
Highest-pay peer · $90K

Typical Entry and Preparation Assignments

Entry education Bachelor's degree

Top Paying States for Film and Video Editors

1. District of Columbia $98,830
2. Virginia $78,740
3. Maryland $78,380
4. Massachusetts $92,130
5. New York $103,440
6. Connecticut $83,550
7. Colorado $84,620
8. Utah $76,240
9. California $88,490
10. New Jersey $82,890

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

  1. 1. Camera Operators, Television, Video, and Film $74,990
  2. 2. Commercial and Industrial Designers $83,910
  3. 3. Court Reporters and Simultaneous Captioners $72,420
  4. 4. Producers and Directors $90,360
  5. 5. Fashion Designers $80,960
  6. 6. Writers and Authors $76,910

The OEWS band for Film and Video Editors runs from $40,280 (10th) to $148,550 (90th), about 3.7× wide, with median $75,420. That spread, not the midpoint alone, is the distinctive published fact.

Employment Projections expect +4% change between 2024 and 2034 (about as fast as average vs baseline 3.1%). About 3,600 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: District of Columbia at $98,830. The table records differences without proving causes. Highest-pay peer shown here: Producers and Directors at $90,360. Compare the same statistic in the relevant local wage area before treating the national median as a personal benchmark; OEWS excludes employer benefits.

Film and Video Editors pay-rank #9 in Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media Occupations

Among 36 detailed Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media Occupations with a published OEWS median, Film and Video Editors is pay-rank #9, the upper third of that major group. The order is ROW_NUMBER on national median (title as tiebreak), not a worker-level percentile.

Other upper-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 Film and Video Editors is unusually wide, so the state map and peer comparison carry more signal than the median alone.

Film and Video Editors salary map

State, metro, and percentile for SOC 27-4032

District of Columbia · top state for Film and Video Editors

$99K published median

Virginia · #2 state pay

$79K · behind District of Columbia

Producers and Directors

Highest-pay peer vs Film and Video Editors · $90K

Court Reporters and Simultaneous Captioners

Lower-pay peer beside Film and Video Editors · $72K

Compare Film and Video Editors

Head-to-head OEWS medians with another SOC
Compare Film and Video Editors 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

Which Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media Occupations titles sit near Film and Video Editors at the top of the pay table? ▼
Film and Video Editors is pay-rank #9 of 36 detailed Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media Occupations with an OEWS median, upper third. Nearest upper-third titles: Set and Exhibit Designers ($75K), Camera Operators, Television, Video, and Film ($75K), Public Relations Specialists ($75K), Writers and Authors ($77K). Rank is ROW_NUMBER on national median.
What do film and video editors do day to day? ▼
O*NET lists published task statements for Film and Video Editors. Leading ones include: Organize and string together raw footage into a continuous whole according to scripts or the instructions of directors and producers; Edit films and videotapes to insert music, dialogue, and sound effects, to arrange films into sequences, and to correct errors, using edi…; Select and combine the most effective shots of each scene to form a logical and smoothly running story; Review footage sequence by sequence to become familiar with it before assembling it into a final product. These are occupation-level task descriptions, not every employer's job description.
Which O*NET skills rank highest for film and video editors? ▼
For SOC 27-4032, O*NET importance scores lead with Active Listening (3.8), Critical Thinking (3.5), Reading Comprehension (3.4), Speaking (3.3). 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 Film and Video Editors? ▼
OEWS places the 10th percentile at $40,280 and the 90th at $148,550 for Film and Video Editors (3.7× spread). The national median is $75,420. OEWS does not isolate experience, employer, or geography as the cause of that spread.
What employment change does BLS publish for Film and Video Editors? ▼
The 2024-2034 projection for Film and Video Editors is +4%. Projected annual openings: about 3,600. Relative to the current all-occupations baseline of 3.1%: about as fast as average.
What typical entry education does BLS assign to Film and Video Editors? ▼
BLS assigns Bachelor's degree as the typical-education-needed-for-entry category for Film and Video Editors. These are occupation-level labels, not every employer's hiring rule.
Which three states show the highest OEWS medians for Film and Video Editors? ▼
District of Columbia ($98,830), Virginia ($78,740), Maryland ($78,380) 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 Film and Video Editors card
  • BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS / OES) - national median and percentiles for SOC 27-4032. bls.gov/oes
  • O*NET OnLine - task and skill statements for Film and Video Editors. 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