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

Sound Engineering Technicians: O*NET ranks Active Listening first

Importance-ranked O*NET profile for SOC 27-4014 - lead skill Active Listening at 3.8 ; lead knowledge Computers and Electronics. 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.

Sound Engineering Technicians pay-rank #15 in Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media Occupations

Sound Engineering Technicians sits at pay-rank #15 of 36 detailed Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media Occupations, the middle third of the major-group median table. ROW_NUMBER on median; title breaks ties.

Other mid-table 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 Sound Engineering Technicians is unusually wide, so the state map and peer comparison carry more signal than the median alone.

Sound Engineering Technicians salary map

State, metro, and percentile for SOC 27-4014

New Jersey · top state for Sound Engineering Technicians

$115K published median

California · #2 state pay

$78K · behind New Jersey

Producers and Directors

Highest-pay peer vs Sound Engineering Technicians · $90K

Artists and Related Workers, All Other

Lower-pay peer beside Sound Engineering Technicians · $71K

Compare Sound Engineering Technicians

Head-to-head OEWS medians with another SOC
Compare Sound Engineering 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

Is Sound Engineering Technicians mid-table among Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media Occupations? ▼
Yes: pay-rank #15 of 36 detailed Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media Occupations, the middle third. Mid-table neighbors: Media and Communication Workers, All Other ($74K), Music Directors and Composers ($74K), Court Reporters and Simultaneous Captioners ($72K), Artists and Related Workers, All Other ($71K). ROW_NUMBER on median; title breaks ties.
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 wide is the published pay band for Sound Engineering Technicians? ▼
OEWS places the 10th percentile at $37,570 and the 90th at $137,370 for Sound Engineering Technicians (3.7× spread). The national median is $73,130. OEWS does not isolate experience, employer, or geography as the cause of that spread.
What employment change does BLS publish for Sound Engineering Technicians? ▼
The 2024-2034 projection for Sound Engineering Technicians is -2%. Projected annual openings: about 1,200. Relative to the current all-occupations baseline of 3.1%: declining.
What typical entry education does BLS assign to Sound Engineering Technicians? ▼
BLS assigns Postsecondary nondegree award as the typical-education-needed-for-entry category for Sound Engineering Technicians. These are occupation-level labels, not every employer's hiring rule.
Which three states show the highest OEWS medians for Sound Engineering Technicians? ▼
New Jersey ($115,190), California ($78,150), District of Columbia ($106,630) 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 Sound Engineering Technicians card
  • BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS / OES) - national median and percentiles for SOC 27-4014. bls.gov/oes
  • O*NET OnLine - task and skill statements for Sound Engineering 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