Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media Occupations
BLS May 2025 wages Wide pay band SOC 27-4014

Sound Engineering Technicians

The published band from $37,570 to $137,370 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 Sound Engineering Technicians: Producers and Directors ($90K) , Artists and Related Workers, All Other ($71K) , Writers and Authors ($77K) , Media and Communication Workers, All Other ($74K) . Hash-ordered per card so residual SOC siblings do not share an identical peer sentence.

What Sound Engineering Technicians publish as work

O*NET task statements for SOC 27-4014 - occupation-level descriptions, not every employer's posting. Sibling cards diverge here because the task set is entity-keyed.

  1. 1. Confer with producers, performers, and others to determine and achieve the desired sound for a production, such as a musical recording or…
  2. 2. Regulate volume level and sound quality during recording sessions, using control consoles
  3. 3. Record speech, music, and other sounds on recording media, using recording equipment
  4. 4. Separate instruments, vocals, and other sounds, and combine sounds during the mixing or postproduction stage
  5. 5. Set up, test, and adjust recording equipment for recording sessions and live performances
  6. 6. Report equipment problems and ensure that required repairs are made
  7. 7. Prepare for recording sessions by performing such activities as selecting and setting up microphones
  8. 8. Mix and edit voices, music, and taped sound effects for live performances and for prerecorded events, using sound mixing boards
  9. 9. Keep logs of recordings
  10. 10. Tear down equipment after event completion
  11. 11. Synchronize and equalize prerecorded dialogue, music, and sound effects with visual action of motion pictures or television productions…
  12. 12. Reproduce and duplicate sound recordings from original recording media, using sound editing and duplication equipment

O*NET skills and knowledge for Sound Engineering Technicians

Importance-ranked O*NET profile for SOC 27-4014 - entity-keyed; sibling cards diverge here even when peer titles overlap.

Top skills

  1. 1. Active Listening 3.8
  2. 2. Speaking 3.6
  3. 3. Critical Thinking 3.5
  4. 4. Complex Problem Solving 3.4
  5. 5. Reading Comprehension 3.3
  6. 6. Operations Monitoring 3.3
  7. 7. Operation and Control 3.3
  8. 8. Judgment and Decision Making 3.3

Knowledge areas

  1. 1. Computers and Electronics 4.6
  2. 2. Customer and Personal Service 3.9
  3. 3. Fine Arts 3.8
  4. 4. English Language 3.7
  5. 5. Engineering and Technology 3.7
  6. 6. Communications and Media 3.5
Published pay band (10th to 90th)
$37,570 to $137,370
median $73,130 · ~3.7× spread
$73K
National median
↓ -2%
Growth 2024-2034
1,200
Annual openings
13,080
Estimated US jobs
Producers and Directors
Highest-pay peer · $90K

Typical Entry and Preparation Assignments

Entry education Postsecondary nondegree award

Top Paying States for Sound Engineering Technicians

1. New Jersey $115,190
2. California $78,150
3. District of Columbia $106,630
4. New York $87,510
5. Georgia $77,010
6. Nevada $84,570
7. Maryland $79,990
8. Illinois $73,130
9. Kentucky $74,100
10. Indiana $73,130

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

  1. 1. Artists and Related Workers, All Other $71,240
  2. 2. Writers and Authors $76,910
  3. 3. Media and Communication Workers, All Other $73,620
  4. 4. Music Directors and Composers $73,710
  5. 5. Producers and Directors $90,360
  6. 6. Set and Exhibit Designers $75,240

The OEWS band for Sound Engineering Technicians runs from $37,570 (10th) to $137,370 (90th), about 3.7× wide, with median $73,130. That spread, not the midpoint alone, is the distinctive published fact.

Employment Projections expect -2% change between 2024 and 2034 (declining vs baseline 3.1%). About 1,200 annual openings are projected. BLS assigns Postsecondary nondegree award 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: New Jersey at $115,190. 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.

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

Dive into Sound Engineering Technicians in more depth or explore nearby career data.

Full Salary Details

State, metro, and percentile breakdown

Jobs in New Jersey

Top-paying state for this role

Jobs in California

Second-highest state pay

Producers and Directors

Highest-pay peer · $90K

Artists and Related Workers, All Other

Lower-pay peer · $71K

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Pay-band next reads

Entry-Level vs Experienced Pay

What percentile bands reveal

Using Salary Data for Negotiation

Leverage BLS percentiles

Frequently Asked Questions

What do sound engineering technicians do day to day? ▼
O*NET lists published task statements for Sound Engineering Technicians. Leading ones include: Confer with producers, performers, and others to determine and achieve the desired sound for a production, such as a musical recording or…; Regulate volume level and sound quality during recording sessions, using control consoles; Record speech, music, and other sounds on recording media, using recording equipment; Separate instruments, vocals, and other sounds, and combine sounds during the mixing or postproduction stage. These are occupation-level task descriptions, not every employer's job description.
Which O*NET skills rank highest for sound engineering technicians? ▼
For SOC 27-4014, O*NET importance scores lead with Active Listening (3.8), Speaking (3.6), Critical Thinking (3.5), Complex Problem Solving (3.4). Knowledge areas emphasize Computers and Electronics, Customer and Personal Service, Fine Arts. These are occupation-level profiles, not a hiring checklist for every employer.
How does Sound Engineering Technicians sit next to other Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media Occupations titles? ▼
On this card, neighboring same-major-group titles include Producers and Directors, Artists and Related Workers, All Other, Writers and Authors, Media and Communication Workers, All Other. Among those peers, Producers and Directors holds the highest published national median ($90,360). Artists and Related Workers, All Other sits lower at $71,240. Peer titles are hash-ordered per card so adjacent SOC pages do not share an identical ladder.
What is the median salary for Sound Engineering Technicians? ▼
The median salary for Sound Engineering Technicians is $73,130 per year according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (May 2025 OEWS data). This means half of workers in this occupation earn more and half earn less. The full range is $37,570 (10th percentile) to $137,370 (90th percentile). For context beside Producers and Directors ($90,360), this role's median is the OEWS national figure above.
Is Sound Engineering Technicians a growing occupation? ▼
The BLS projects -2% employment change for Sound Engineering Technicians from 2024 to 2034. There are approximately 1,200 projected annual openings. This is declining relative to the current all-occupations baseline of 3.1%.
What education do you need to become a sound engineering technicians? ▼
BLS assigns Sound Engineering Technicians to Postsecondary nondegree award for typical education needed for entry. These occupation-level categories are not requirements for every employer or worker.
Which states pay sound engineering technicians the most? ▼
The highest published state medians in this ranking for Sound Engineering Technicians are New Jersey ($115,190), California ($78,150), District of Columbia ($106,630). The table does not identify why 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

All federal data sources used on this page
  • BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS / OES) - wage estimates by area + occupation. bls.gov/oes
  • O*NET OnLine - occupation task statements (importance-ranked). onetcenter.org
  • BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW) - quarterly employment and wage totals by industry. bls.gov/cew
  • U.S. Census Bureau ACS - demographic and labor-force context for metro/state aggregates. census.gov/programs-surveys/acs
  • BLS Current Employment Statistics (CES) - monthly nonfarm payroll baselines. bls.gov/ces
  • IRS Statistics of Income (SOI) - payroll-tax aggregate context. irs.gov/statistics
  • BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics (LAUS) - unemployment context for labor-market comparisons. bls.gov/lau