Careers / Sound Engineering Technicians
Sound Engineering Technicians — Career Decision Dashboard
United States
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Report generated from official BLS OEWS and O*NET data — United States.
Median annual wage
$73,130
United States, 2025
Employment
13,080
United States, 2025
Typical education
High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED)
Job Zone 3
Skills identified
35
10 related careers
Career overview
Assemble and operate equipment to record, synchronize, mix, edit, or reproduce sound, including music, voices, or sound effects, for theater, video, film, television, podcasts, sporting events, and other productions.
- O*NET code
- 27-4014.00
- Job zone
- 3
- Experience required
- Over 1 year, up to and including 2 years
Typical tasks
- Report equipment problems and ensure that required repairs are made.
- Confer with producers, performers, and others to determine and achieve the desired sound for a production, such as a musical recording or a film.
- 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.
- Set up, test, and adjust recording equipment for recording sessions and live performances.
- Prepare for recording sessions by performing such activities as selecting and setting up microphones.
- Mix and edit voices, music, and taped sound effects for live performances and for prerecorded events, using sound mixing boards.
Choose a location
Salary analysis — United States
10th percentile
$37,570
25th percentile
$49,910
75th percentile
$100,280
90th percentile
$137,370
Most important skills
- Active Listening3.8
- Speaking3.6
- Critical Thinking3.5
- Complex Problem Solving3.4
- Operation and Control3.3
- Operations Monitoring3.3
- Reading Comprehension3.3
- Judgment and Decision Making3.3
- Systems Analysis3.1
- Writing3.1
- Time Management3.1
- Active Learning3.1
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 17 identified skills
Matched
0
Missing
17
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 | 3.5 | Not selected | 3.5 |
| Critical Thinking | 3.5 | 3.8 | Not selected | 3.8 |
| Reading Comprehension | 3.3 | 3.6 | Not selected | 3.6 |
| Speaking | 3.6 | 3.1 | Not selected | 3.1 |
| Operation and Control | 3.3 | 3.3 | Not selected | 3.3 |
| Complex Problem Solving | 3.4 | 3.1 | Not selected | 3.1 |
| Monitoring | 3.1 | 3.4 | Not selected | 3.4 |
| Operations Monitoring | 3.3 | 3.1 | Not selected | 3.1 |
| Judgment and Decision Making | 3.3 | 3.0 | Not selected | 3.0 |
| Systems Analysis | 3.1 | 3.1 | Not selected | 3.1 |
| Active Learning | 3.1 | 3.1 | Not selected | 3.1 |
| Coordination | 3.1 | 3.1 | Not selected | 3.1 |
| Service Orientation | 3.1 | 3.1 | Not selected | 3.1 |
| Writing | 3.1 | 3.0 | Not selected | 3.0 |
| Time Management | 3.1 | 3.0 | Not selected | 3.0 |
| Systems Evaluation | 3.0 | 3.1 | Not selected | 3.1 |
| Social Perceptiveness | 3.0 | 3.0 | Not selected | 3.0 |
Ordered by required level gap multiplied by O*NET importance. No prediction or recommendation is implied.
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Compare with Sound Engineering TechniciansHow salary varies by location
| Location | Median | Employment | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| NJ | $115,190 | 290 | 2025 |
| DC | $106,630 | 90 | 2025 |
| New York, NY | $97,510 | 1,960 | 2025 |
| San Francisco, CA | $94,990 | 460 | 2025 |
| NY | $87,510 | 2,050 | 2025 |
| Atlanta, GA | $86,610 | 150 | 2025 |
| NV | $84,570 | 170 | 2025 |
| Minneapolis, MN | $83,810 | 380 | 2025 |
| Las Vegas, NV | $81,840 | 140 | 2025 |
| MD | $79,990 | 160 | 2025 |
| Washington, DC | $79,990 | 240 | 2025 |
| CA | $78,150 | 4,060 | 2025 |
| Los Angeles, CA | $77,850 | 2,820 | 2025 |
| Boston, MA | $77,420 | 140 | 2025 |
| GA | $77,010 | 200 | 2025 |
| Buffalo, NY | $76,260 | 40 | 2025 |
| Portland, OR | $76,050 | 100 | 2025 |
| Baltimore, MD | $74,890 | 50 | 2025 |
| KY | $74,100 | 60 | 2025 |
| Louisville/Jefferson County, KY | $74,100 | 30 | 2025 |
Career transition paths
Compare the skills of a career you hold today with Sound Engineering Technicians 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.