How much do audio engineers make in 2026?
Audio engineers are reported in SOC 27-4014, sound engineering technicians, which BLS OEWS May 2025 puts at a national median of $73,130 a year, or $35.16 an hour, with a P10 to P90 range of $37,570 to $137,370 across 13,080 workers. This is a close match onto a small occupational row, and the small population is itself informative: a great deal of audio work is done by self-employed engineers, touring personnel engaged per production and studio owners, none of whom are captured by an employer wage survey. Among those who are, the sectors diverge sharply. Post-production audio for film, television and streaming sits at the top of this band, because delivery specifications are exacting and the work is skilled and deadline-bound. Broadcast and live event audio sit around the middle, with substantial overtime and unsociable hours built into the total. Music recording, the sector most people associate with the job, generally pays least in salaried terms and is where self-employment is most common. BLS projects a 1.7% decline through 2034 with roughly 1,200 openings a year. → Full audio engineer career guide, career path, credentials & placement →
Note: $73,130 blends every experience level and every setting in this occupation. For pay by level alone, see Pay by Level below.
- Audio Engineers earn a national median $73,130/yr ($35.16/hr) (BLS OEWS May 2025, SOC 27-4014); the P10 to P90 range is $37,570 to $137,370.
- Post-production audio for film, television and streaming sits at the top of this band; broadcast and live event work sits mid-band with heavy overtime; music recording pays least in salaried terms.
- The measured population is small at 13,080 because touring, freelance and studio-owner engineers are largely outside an employer wage survey.
- BLS projects a 1.7% decline through 2034 with roughly 1,200 openings a year, so this is a small and slightly contracting occupation.
US Audio Engineer Pay Distribution · BLS OEWS May 2025
Pay by Level · BLS OEWS May 2025
How much do audio engineers earn at each level?
BLS OEWS publishes one blended wage for the whole occupation and does not break pay out by credential or practice level. The levels below distribute the published percentile range across the credential tiers this role actually hires at.
Level medians are aligned to the BLS OEWS May 2025 percentile distribution for SOC 27-4014; GlobalCybers does not yet publish a verified placement sample for this role, so no verified median is shown.
Methodology & Sources
How the numbers on this page are built
Published (BLS): BLS OEWS May 2025, SOC 27-4014, United States national estimate. Public, methodologically rigorous, but sampled on a rolling 3-year basis and published ~10 months after collection — so it reflects wages that are already 1–2 years old by the time you read them.
Level and certification medians: distributed across the published BLS percentile range for this SOC code (P10 through P90) according to the credential tiers this occupation actually hires at. They are modeled reference points, not separately surveyed wages.
State and metro figures: modeled — the BLS national median multiplied by the GlobalCybers state wage index, and for metros by the published metro index for that state. They are estimates of local pay, not BLS state or metropolitan-area observations, and are labelled as modeled in the tables below.
No verified placement sample:GlobalCybers does not yet publish a placement median for this role, so no "verified" figure appears anywhere on this page.
Pay by Career Level
How much does an audio engineer earn at each career stage?
Audio pay follows sector and technical specialism rather than years at a console. Each median below is anchored to the BLS OEWS distribution for SOC 27-4014.
By State
Which states pay audio engineers the most in 2026?
These are modeled state estimates, not BLS state observations: the national median for SOC 27-4014 scaled by the GlobalCybers state wage index. Audio post-production concentrates near film and television production centres while live sound follows venue and touring infrastructure, and neither pattern corresponds to general wage levels.
6 of 51 state guides shown, ranked by median. Bar is relative to California ($84,100), the highest-paying state shown. See all role salary guides →
By Metro
Which cities pay audio engineers the most?
Metro figures are modeled, national median times state wage index times published metro index, not BLS metropolitan observations. Post-production audio facilities cluster in a handful of cities, and touring work is based wherever the engineer lives rather than where the shows are.
BLS OEWS MSA estimates, May 2025. Nominal pay — weigh each metro against its cost of living before relocating.
Certification Impact
Which certifications raise an audio engineer’s pay the most?
Median annual pay before and after each credential, based on GlobalCybers placement data cross-referenced with BLS. License upgrades move the needle most; stackable certs add on top.
Impacts are not additive, the licensing rows share the same career ladder. Browse all 167 certifications →
Trade Comparison
How does audio engineer pay compare to related roles?
BLS OEWS national median across the closest trades. Audio Engineers sit mid-pack on median but carry one of the widest P10–P90 spreads, licensing and specialization drive the upside.
BLS OEWS May 2025. Verify audio engineer wages on BLS.gov →
Take-Home Pay
What does an audio engineer actually take home after taxes?
The medians above are gross base wage.
Estimates use 2026 federal brackets, standard deduction, and 7.65% FICA. Actual take-home varies with filing status, deductions, and local tax.
FAQ
Audio Engineer Salary, Frequently Asked Questions
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