Careers / Film and Video Editors
Film and Video Editors — Career Decision Dashboard
United States
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Report generated from official BLS OEWS and O*NET data — United States.
Median annual wage
$75,420
United States, 2025
Employment
25,610
United States, 2025
Typical education
Bachelor's Degree
Job Zone 4
Skills identified
35
10 related careers
Career overview
Edit moving images on film, video, or other media. May work with a producer or director to organize images for final production. May edit or synchronize soundtracks with images.
- O*NET code
- 27-4032.00
- Job zone
- 4
- Experience required
- Over 4 years, up to and including 6 years
Typical tasks
- Record needed sounds or obtain them from sound effects libraries.
- Mark frames where a particular shot or piece of sound is to begin or end.
- 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 editing equipment.
- 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.
- Set up and operate computer editing systems, electronic titling systems, video switching equipment, and digital video effects units to produce a final product.
- Trim film segments to specified lengths and reassemble segments in sequences that present stories with maximum effect.
Choose a location
Salary analysis — United States
10th percentile
$40,280
25th percentile
$52,720
75th percentile
$105,310
90th percentile
$148,550
Most important skills
- Active Listening3.8
- Critical Thinking3.5
- Reading Comprehension3.4
- Active Learning3.3
- Speaking3.3
- Complex Problem Solving3.3
- Time Management3.1
- Writing3.1
- Judgment and Decision Making3.1
- Monitoring3.0
- Coordination3.0
- Social Perceptiveness2.9
What skills do you need?
Select the skills you already have
Skills listed are those O*NET rates at importance 3.0 or above for this occupation. Set your own level on the same 0–7 O*NET scale.
Skill coverage
0%
0 of 11 identified skills
Matched
0
Missing
11
Your selected skills cover approximately 0% of the skills identified for this occupation in O*NET. This is a coverage measure of listed skills only — it is not a qualification, hiring or interview outcome.
Skills to develop
| Skill | Importance | Required level | Your level | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Active Listening | 3.8 | 3.8 | Not selected | 3.8 |
| Reading Comprehension | 3.4 | 3.8 | Not selected | 3.8 |
| Critical Thinking | 3.5 | 3.5 | Not selected | 3.5 |
| Active Learning | 3.3 | 3.3 | Not selected | 3.3 |
| Speaking | 3.3 | 3.3 | Not selected | 3.3 |
| Complex Problem Solving | 3.3 | 3.1 | Not selected | 3.1 |
| Writing | 3.1 | 3.1 | Not selected | 3.1 |
| Judgment and Decision Making | 3.1 | 3.1 | Not selected | 3.1 |
| Time Management | 3.1 | 3.0 | Not selected | 3.0 |
| Monitoring | 3.0 | 3.0 | Not selected | 3.0 |
| Coordination | 3.0 | 3.0 | Not selected | 3.0 |
Ordered by required level gap multiplied by O*NET importance. No prediction or recommendation is implied.
Related careers
Supplemental
National median $40,610
Compare with Film and Video EditorsSupplemental
National median $47,340
Compare with Film and Video EditorsSupplemental
National median $48,690
Compare with Film and Video EditorsSupplemental
National median $76,910
Compare with Film and Video EditorsSupplemental
National median $62,200
Compare with Film and Video EditorsHow salary varies by location
| Location | Median | Employment | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Francisco, CA | $109,930 | 740 | 2025 |
| New York, NY | $104,590 | 3,430 | 2025 |
| NY | $103,440 | 3,710 | 2025 |
| DC | $98,830 | 370 | 2025 |
| Denver, CO | $93,600 | 250 | 2025 |
| MA | $92,130 | 550 | 2025 |
| Washington, DC | $91,750 | 560 | 2025 |
| Boston, MA | $88,910 | 430 | 2025 |
| CA | $88,490 | 8,110 | 2025 |
| Santa Maria, CA | $84,780 | 30 | 2025 |
| CO | $84,620 | 380 | 2025 |
| Waterbury, CT | $83,550 | 220 | 2025 |
| CT | $83,550 | 600 | 2025 |
| San Diego, CA | $83,480 | 220 | 2025 |
| Bridgeport, CT | $83,230 | 180 | 2025 |
| Los Angeles, CA | $83,210 | 6,010 | 2025 |
| NJ | $82,890 | 620 | 2025 |
| Salt Lake City, UT | $80,480 | 220 | 2025 |
| Providence, RI | $79,810 | — | 2025 |
| Baltimore, MD | $79,560 | 120 | 2025 |
Career transition paths
Compare the skills of a career you hold today with Film and Video Editors to see shared skills, target-only skills and skill overlap.
Build a transition comparisonCareer and skills data: O*NET 31.0.
Salary and employment data: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS, 2025 (May 2025 release).
Figures are periodic published survey snapshots, not real-time market rates.