Contents
- US sound recording employment statistics: how many jobs are in the sound recording industries?
- US sound recording employment statistics: what occupations make up recording-industry employment?
- US sound recording employment statistics: where do sound engineering technicians work?
- US sound recording employment statistics: which states and metro areas have the most sound engineering jobs?
- US sound recording employment statistics: what wages and job projections are available?
- Sources
US sound recording employment statistics: how many jobs are in the sound recording industries?
The number of jobs associated with sound recording depends on what is being counted. An estimate for establishments classified in Sound Recording Industries (NAICS 512200) is different from an occupation count for sound engineering technicians across all industries. Both also differ from payroll employment in the broader Motion Picture and Sound Recording Industries subsector (NAICS 512). Year, statistical series, and population are essential context for any figure.
For NAICS 512200, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) projects employment of 17.8 thousand in 2025 and 18.2 thousand in 2035. These are projected counts, not realized totals. The table projects an employment increase of 0.4 thousand, or 2.1%, over 2025–2035, with a compound annual employment change rate of 0.2%.
| Sound Recording Industries (NAICS 512200) projection | Figure |
|---|---|
| Employment, 2025 | 17.8 thousand |
| Employment, 2035 | 18.2 thousand |
| Employment change, 2025–2035 | 0.4 thousand; 2.1% |
| Compound annual employment change rate, 2025–2035 | 0.2% |
Source: BLS, Employment and output by industry, Table 2.11
The same table projects output of $33.1 billion in 2025 and $44.5 billion in 2035, measured in chained 2017 dollars. The projected compound annual output growth rate is 3.0% for 2025–2035. Output is a separate measure from employment; it does not count jobs or wages.
| Sound Recording Industries projected output | Figure |
|---|---|
| Output, 2025 | $33.1 billion, chained 2017 dollars |
| Output, 2035 | $44.5 billion, chained 2017 dollars |
| Compound annual output growth rate, 2025–2035 | 3.0% |
Source: BLS, Employment and output by industry, Table 2.11
A monthly payroll series offers a broader and more recent reference point. In September 2026, BLS reported 325.2 thousand seasonally adjusted all-employee jobs in the combined NAICS 512 subsector. This preliminary count includes both motion picture and sound recording industries, so it is not a count for sound recording alone. The same table reported 249.1 thousand production and nonsupervisory employees, also preliminary and seasonally adjusted. That is a separate employee category within the same broader subsector.
For another focused industry measure, the May 2023 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) estimate was 21,190 jobs across all occupations at establishments classified in Sound Recording Industries. This is an occupational employment estimate for NAICS 512200. It is not directly comparable to the monthly payroll series: the reference year, industry scope, and statistical program differ. Neither figure should be treated as a simple continuation of the other.
Sources: BLS, Motion Picture and Sound Recording Industries: NAICS 512; BLS, Sound Recording Industries, May 2023 OEWS
US sound recording employment statistics: what occupations make up recording-industry employment?
The May 2023 OEWS industry estimate shows that Sound Recording Industries establishments employ people across creative, technical, managerial, business, and administrative work. The largest listed major occupational group was arts, design, entertainment, sports, and media occupations, with 7,660 jobs. Management occupations accounted for 4,220; office and administrative support for 3,550; and business and financial operations for 2,960.
These figures describe occupations within establishments classified in NAICS 512200. They do not count everyone in each occupation across the U.S. economy. The table also includes detailed occupational rows beneath broader groups. For example, media and communication equipment workers, a minor group, numbered 3,760. Because broad groups and detailed rows overlap in the occupational classification, they should not be summed as though they were separate, mutually exclusive totals.
| Occupational group or detail in Sound Recording Industries | May 2023 employment |
|---|---|
| Arts, design, entertainment, sports, and media occupations | 7,660 |
| Management occupations | 4,220 |
| Office and administrative support occupations | 3,550 |
| Business and financial operations occupations | 2,960 |
| Media and communication equipment workers | 3,760 |
Source: BLS, Sound Recording Industries, May 2023 OEWS
Sound engineering technicians accounted for 2,400 jobs in Sound Recording Industries establishments in May 2023. BLS reported this as 11.32% of the industry’s total estimated employment. The percentage denominator is estimated employment in NAICS 512200, not all sound engineering technicians nationwide.
Other specific occupations help illustrate the range captured by this industry view. The estimate included 700 audio and video technicians, 150 broadcast technicians, and 520 music directors and composers. These are industry-specific counts: technicians employed in another industry belong to that industry’s estimate instead.
The management category also contains multiple occupations and levels. The May 2023 table lists 1,590 general and operations managers, 1,860 top executives, and 860 marketing and sales managers. Sales and related occupations, a major group, accounted for 1,100 jobs. The different levels and categories overlap, so these figures describe the mix rather than provide pieces to add into a new total.
Computer and mathematical occupations represented 3.57% of estimated Sound Recording Industries employment in May 2023. This percentage, like the 11.32% for sound engineering technicians, is a share of the NAICS 512200 estimate. The table also includes functions that support an establishment’s operations but are not necessarily recording tasks themselves. OEWS covers employee jobs and excludes self-employed workers, which limits the kinds of work represented.
Source: BLS, Sound Recording Industries, May 2023 OEWS
US sound recording employment statistics: where do sound engineering technicians work?
Sound engineering technicians are employed across a variety of industries. The May 2024 BLS OEWS chart lists the industries with the highest employment for this occupation. Motion Picture and Video Industries led the displayed list with 3,000 technicians, followed by Sound Recording Industries with 2,280. These are occupation-by-industry estimates: they show technicians employed by each industry, rather than all jobs in those industries.
| Industry employing sound engineering technicians | May 2024 employment |
|---|---|
| Motion Picture and Video Industries | 3,000 |
| Sound Recording Industries | 2,280 |
| Performing Arts Companies | 990 |
| Promoters of Performing Arts, Sports, and Similar Events | 690 |
| Radio and Television Broadcasting Stations | 590 |
| Media Streaming Distribution Services, Social Networks, and Other Media Networks and Content Providers | 480 |
| Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools | 470 |
| Employment Services | 420 |
| Software Publishers | 340 |
| Accounting, Tax Preparation, Bookkeeping, and Payroll Services | 220 |
The displayed employers include familiar production, recording, live-performance, and broadcasting settings. They also include media streaming and content providers, colleges and universities, employment services, software publishers, and accounting and payroll services. For example, the chart reports 480 technicians in the media streaming and related networks category and 340 in software publishing. Those counts indicate that the occupation is found outside the industry classification most directly associated with recording studios.
The chart is a ranked set of industries with the highest employment, not a complete census of every industry where sound engineering technicians work. An industry omitted from the displayed list should not be interpreted as having no workers. The May 2024 figures should also be kept distinct from the May 2023 industry-specific occupation estimates discussed above: the years and table designs differ.
Source: BLS, Charts of the largest occupations in each industry, May 2024
US sound recording employment statistics: which states and metro areas have the most sound engineering jobs?
Geographic OEWS estimates count sound engineering technicians across industries within a location. In May 2023, California had 6,060 technicians, the largest state figure among the selected state observations here. New York had 1,460, Florida 770, Maryland 540, Tennessee 460, and Utah 340. These counts are for the occupation in each state, not only for jobs in Sound Recording Industries establishments.
A location quotient compares the occupation’s share of local employment with its share of national employment. A value above 1 indicates a higher local concentration relative to the national pattern. California’s quotient was 3.52, while Maryland’s was 2.10, Utah’s 2.09, New York’s 1.61, and Tennessee’s 1.48. These quotients describe relative concentration, not the number of jobs or a wage level. Florida’s employment figure is included without a quotient here because no quotient value is needed for this comparison.
| State | Sound engineering technicians, May 2023 | Location quotient |
|---|---|---|
| California | 6,060 | 3.52 |
| New York | 1,460 | 1.61 |
| Florida | 770 | — |
| Maryland | 540 | 2.10 |
| Tennessee | 460 | 1.48 |
| Utah | 340 | 2.09 |
Source: BLS, Sound Engineering Technicians, May 2023 OEWS
Among the metro observations, Los Angeles–Long Beach–Anaheim had 4,780 sound engineering technicians and a location quotient of 8.04 in May 2023. New York–Newark–Jersey City had 1,370. Nashville–Davidson–Murfreesboro–Franklin had 270 technicians and a quotient of 2.63; Salt Lake City had 280 and a quotient of 3.68. The counts and quotients answer different questions: the first is the estimated number of technicians, while the second shows how concentrated the occupation is locally compared with the national share.
A metro’s employment count and its concentration can therefore present different perspectives. Los Angeles has a much larger count among these examples, while Salt Lake City’s quotient is also high despite its smaller count. The selected metro observations do not form a complete ranking of every U.S. metro area.
For a wage example by location, Seattle–Tacoma–Bellevue had 250 technicians in May 2023 and an annual mean wage of $114,510. This is a mean for sound engineering technicians in that metro across industries. It is not a median, and it is not specific to workers in Sound Recording Industries establishments. It also comes from a different year than the May 2025 national wage figures below.
Source: BLS, Sound Engineering Technicians, May 2023 OEWS
US sound recording employment statistics: what wages and job projections are available?
BLS reports a May 2025 median annual wage of $73,130 for sound engineering technicians. This is the median for that occupation. The broader broadcast, sound, and video technician group had a median annual wage of $60,150 in May 2025. That group covers multiple occupations, so its median is not a substitute for the sound engineering technician figure.
The same BLS wage list reports May 2025 medians of $68,060 for lighting technicians, $59,570 for broadcast technicians, and $58,100 for audio and video technicians. These adjacent occupations provide context, but they do not describe all employees in Sound Recording Industries.
| Occupation or group | Median annual wage, May 2025 |
|---|---|
| Sound engineering technicians | $73,130 |
| Lighting technicians | $68,060 |
| Broadcast technicians | $59,570 |
| Audio and video technicians | $58,100 |
| Broadcast, sound, and video technicians | $60,150 |
Source: BLS, Occupational Outlook Handbook, Broadcast, Sound, and Video Technicians
For the broader broadcast, sound, and video technician group, BLS also reports medians by industry for May 2025. The median was $75,450 in motion picture and sound recording industries, $57,410 in publishing, broadcasting, and content providers, and $57,080 in performing arts, spectator sports, and related industries. In the specified rental and leasing services category, it was $51,480. These are industry medians for the broader technician group, not wages for sound engineering technicians alone. They differ in scope and measure from the May 2023 Seattle metro mean wage of $114,510.
The employment outlook depends on occupational definition. From 2025 to 2035, BLS projects sound engineering technician employment to decline 3%, from 15,000 to 14,600, a numeric change of 500. The counts are rounded to the nearest hundred. For the broader broadcast, sound, and lighting technicians group, employment is projected to rise 1%, from 136,600 in 2025 to 138,400 in 2035. The occupational populations differ, so the projections should be read separately.
BLS projects an average of about 9,800 openings per year for the broad broadcast, sound, and video technician group over 2025–2035. Annual openings are not the same as net employment growth; the outlook says most are expected to result from replacement needs. This openings figure covers the broad group, not sound engineering technicians alone.
Source: BLS, Occupational Outlook Handbook, Broadcast, Sound, and Video Technicians
Sources
- Employment and output by industry, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
- Sound Recording Industries - May 2023 OEWS Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
- Sound Engineering Technicians - Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2023
- Broadcast, Sound, and Video Technicians: Occupational Outlook Handbook
- Motion Picture and Sound Recording Industries: NAICS 512
- Data tables for OEWS charts: industries with highest employment by occupation, May 2024
- Charts of the largest occupations in each industry, May 2024