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Job outlook for audio engineers in the United States
Audio engineer job growth summary. After extensive research, interviews, and analysis, Zippia's data science team found that:
The projected audio engineer job growth rate is 10% from 2018-2028.
About 12,100 new jobs for audio engineers are projected over the next decade.
Audio engineer salaries have increased 0% for audio engineers in the last 5 years.
There are over 9,796 audio engineers currently employed in the United States.
There are 1,750 active audio engineer job openings in the US.
The average audio engineer salary is $55,853.
Are audio engineer jobs in demand?
Audio engineer job and salary trends over time
Audio engineer jobs over time
Audio engineer job growth rate over time
| Year | # of jobs | % of population |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 9,796 | 0.00% |
| 2020 | 10,344 | 0.00% |
| 2019 | 12,206 | 0.00% |
| 2018 | 12,773 | 0.00% |
| 2017 | 12,517 | 0.00% |
Average audio engineer salary over time
Audio engineer salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $55,853 | $26.85 | --2.2% |
| 2024 | $57,126 | $27.46 | +4.5% |
| 2023 | $54,674 | $26.29 | --6.1% |
| 2022 | $58,243 | $28.00 | +4.0% |
| 2021 | $56,020 | $26.93 | +0.7% |
Audio engineer jobs by state
Most common states for audio engineers
| Rank | State | Population | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | District of Columbia | 693,972 | 175 | 25% |
| 2 | Virginia | 8,470,020 | 535 | 6% |
| 3 | Delaware | 961,939 | 62 | 6% |
| 4 | Maryland | 6,052,177 | 316 | 5% |
| 5 | California | 39,536,653 | 1,387 | 4% |
| 6 | Washington | 7,405,743 | 330 | 4% |
| 7 | Massachusetts | 6,859,819 | 265 | 4% |
| 8 | Colorado | 5,607,154 | 240 | 4% |
| 9 | Oregon | 4,142,776 | 160 | 4% |
| 10 | Utah | 3,101,833 | 86 | 3% |
| 11 | Nebraska | 1,920,076 | 49 | 3% |
| 12 | New Hampshire | 1,342,795 | 35 | 3% |
| 13 | Vermont | 623,657 | 18 | 3% |
| 14 | Wyoming | 579,315 | 16 | 3% |
| 15 | North Carolina | 10,273,419 | 197 | 2% |
| 16 | Arizona | 7,016,270 | 175 | 2% |
| 17 | Michigan | 9,962,311 | 169 | 2% |
| 18 | New Jersey | 9,005,644 | 138 | 2% |
| 19 | Idaho | 1,716,943 | 29 | 2% |
| 20 | Alaska | 739,795 | 16 | 2% |
Most common cities for audio engineers
| Rank | City | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl | Avg. salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Culver City | 1 | 3% | $71,781 |
| 2 | Broomfield | 1 | 2% | $47,766 |
| 3 | Newark | 1 | 2% | $90,332 |
| 4 | Chicago | 3 | 0% | $52,994 |
| 5 | Atlanta | 2 | 0% | $52,343 |
| 6 | Detroit | 2 | 0% | $61,705 |
| 7 | Los Angeles | 2 | 0% | $71,853 |
| 8 | Minneapolis | 2 | 0% | $56,295 |
| 9 | New York | 2 | 0% | $58,065 |
| 10 | Sacramento | 2 | 0% | $91,384 |
| 11 | San Jose | 2 | 0% | $89,440 |
| 12 | Charlotte | 1 | 0% | $56,321 |
| 13 | Denver | 1 | 0% | $47,772 |
| 14 | San Diego | 1 | 0% | $65,846 |
| 15 | San Francisco | 1 | 0% | $91,508 |
Audio Engineer job outlook: Expert opinions
Our panel of audio engineer experts
Audio Engineering Society
Xavier University
East Tennessee State University
University of Nebraska–Lincoln
Liberty University
Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology
Northern Michigan University
Elon University
Merrimack College
University of Maryland
University of Baltimore
Villanova University
Ian Corbett
Coordinator & Professor of Audio Engineering, Kansas City Kansas Community College Audio Engineering Society Vice-President, Central USA & CanadaAudio Engineering Society
What are the best companies to work for an Audio Engineer?
Ian Corbett: Companies are not the only end goal – many audio professionals work for themselves. The current situation is accelerating already developing trends in some areas of the industry. TV, film, video games, and podcasting are showing significant growth, and pre-pandemic (and hopefully post-pandemic), there was a demand for technical positions in live sound and corporate production, such as system, communications, and RF techs. Coding, digital signal processing, and sound design are in-demand skills sought after by product developers, the gaming and online streaming parts of the industry, and especially companies who are having to adjust to developing paradigms.
Will there be an increase or decrease in demand for Audio Engineers in the next 5 years?
Ian Corbett: Audio educators and Audio Engineering Society members who were asked felt overall demand will stay about the same; however, the areas of the industry grads will enter will change. Audio-for-video, podcasting, game audio, audio-books, DSP and coding opportunities, and equipment design and manufacture (for certain sectors) are growing. Working from home is increasing, so a well-designed home facility and reliable internet are essential. Post-pandemic, the live event industry is expected to recover but incorporate new hybrid delivery technologies and workflows. So maybe companies’ roles within the industry will shift slightly, and required multi-tasking and cross-specialty skills will need to include these new technologies. Audio professionals have to remain students for life to stay abreast of technological change and adapt to market demand – membership in the Audio Engineering Society is a particularly good avenue for continuing education.
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for Audio Engineers to find work opportunities?
Ian Corbett: This is an ever-developing situation. As some cities become expensive, some companies relocate to cities with cheaper costs of living. It is important for the job-seeker to balance how they want to live and what they want to do. Los Angeles and New York offer a lot of opportunity generally, but with increased competition and increased cost of living. For gaming, cities like Austin and Baltimore have growing creative communities, in addition to the coasts. Various geographic regions offer their own opportunities, just different ones – for example, most cities have regional arts and theater opportunities, and it’s possible to make a great living in many larger cities doing audio-visual and corporate audio work.
Dr. Heidrun Schmitzer
Professor and ChairXavier University
Department Of Physics
What skills stand out on Audio Engineer resumes?
Dr. Heidrun Schmitzer: Programming languages, numerical design and simulation tools, knowledge of various measurement equipment.
What soft skills should all Audio Engineers possess?
Dr. Heidrun Schmitzer: Communication, teamwork.
What hard/technical skills are most important for Audio Engineers?
Dr. Heidrun Schmitzer: Depends on the engineering career, but in general, an ability to know how to use design software, measurement/testing, and analysis equipment, in addition to prototyping and fabrication tools
Jared Wilson
Assistant Professor and Faculty CoordinatorEast Tennessee State University
Surveying and Mapping
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for Audio Engineers to find work opportunities?
Jared Wilson: Within the field of land surveying and related employment opportunities, work is available. However, in my experience, work may not be in the exact location a person wishes to live. So, a move may be necessary, or potentially traveling to where the work is located. Should a graduate, or person for that matter, want to work, work is available.
Dr. Sohrab Asgarpoor
Associate Dean for Undergraduate Programs, Professor of Electrical and Computer EngineeringUniversity of Nebraska–Lincoln
College of Engineering
How do you envision technology impacting Audio Engineers in the next 5 years?
Dr. Sohrab Asgarpoor: Adopting new technology should be an exciting (and expected) reality for those with an engineering degree. The virtual space will continue to grow as folks seek jobs and work online more. But what holds paramount, no matter what particular technological changes arise, is the ability to adapt-and to demonstrate that critical aptitude in their application documents and through their interviews, always highlighting those moments they've done so and articulating their propensity for learning.
What experience really stands out on Audio Engineer resumes?
Robert Rich: -Certification such as green belt, black-belt, machine learning, Lean Manufacturing, and APICS supply chain/inventory
-Specialized undergraduate research projects that go deep into various leading-edge topics like integrating AI with manufacturing and logistics
-Consulting experience/real projects within areas of undergraduate research
Dr. Galen Duree
Head of the Department of Physics and Optical Engineering and ProfessorRose-Hulman Institute of Technology
Department of Physics and Optical Engineering
What technology do you think will become more important and prevalent for Audio Engineers in the next 3-5 years?
Dr. Galen Duree: People with knowledge, even introductory experience, in quantum effects, quantum computing, optics in general (communication, measurements, imaging, illumination, detection), material science and engineering, biotechnology, and nanotechnology, will be in high demand.
What experience really stands out on Audio Engineer resumes?
Dr. Galen Duree: It depends on what you are applying for. If you are working on product development, then internships or co-ops provide a definite advantage. If you are working on developing new ways of doing things, research experiences in academia or companies are advantageous. Either case, this shows a certain maturity in your career path - you have participated in an activity related to the career you are currently pursuing.
Will there be an enduring impact of the coronavirus pandemic on Audio Engineers?
Michael Rudisill: It depends on what you really mean by enduring, but for all practical purposes, once the pandemic has passed, the economy will return, and anyone in the engineering field who wants a job will have many opportunities. Obviously, the short-term effect can be brutal for new graduates as jobs are not as plentiful as "usual"-but in the long term, those that persevere will end up in great careers. In some ways, it will be harder on the senior engineers who haven't stayed employed, as they are missing out on years when their income should be the highest. New graduates are missing relatively low earning years, so the long-term effects should not be as bad looking at lifetime earnings.
How do you envision technology impacting Audio Engineers in the next 5 years?
Michael Rudisill: Technology will continue to advance-which will increase the need for trained engineers. Even areas such as sales that not many people would think would be looking for engineers when dealing with technologically advanced products need people who understand how the product works, perform, etc.-in other words-trained engineers.
How would you rate the starting salaries for Audio Engineers, as well as the prospects for salary advancement?
Michael Rudisill: From what we've seen, salaries haven't been reduced, even though demand is down. I would expect wages and salary progression to remain strong as the need for engineering will only continue to grow.
What general advice would you give to an Audio Engineer?
Michael Rudisill: Patience will be a key - there will be many jobs available - we have been contacted by several employers looking for grads. Still, it certainly is not like we have seen historically. As the economy comes out of the COVID recession, engineering jobs will come back very quickly. By the spring graduation, I think we will be pretty close to back to a somewhat familiar employment picture.
What type of skills will young Audio Engineers need?
John Ring: While our universities consistently educate engineering students with hard skills and strong engineering fundamentals, tomorrow's engineers need to be strong communicators, collaborators, and critical thinkers. Our professional environments are filled with data and information, and the constraint is typically how much time individuals can dedicate to solving a problem. At Elon University, we educate tomorrow's engineers to have the hard skills necessary to analyze the information and situations, apply critical thinking techniques to determine ways to solve the issue, and then concisely and efficiently communicate with colleagues as solutions are being set in motion.
How do you envision technology impacting Audio Engineers in the next 5 years?
John Ring: An engineering student learns "how to learn" during their time in college. Technology will evolve, and tomorrow's engineers must learn at the same pace so that new technology can be applied to solve a problem.
Rickey Caldwell Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Mechanical EngineeringMerrimack College
Departmet of Mechanical Engineering
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for Audio Engineers to find work opportunities?
Rickey Caldwell Ph.D.: The engineering centers of the US seem to have strong job markets. Boston, West Coast, Silicon Prairie, DC area are just a few. There are employment opportunities in every industry and every state. It just may take 6 - 18 months to land that first job. Students may have to cast a bigger and wider search net. For example, if you only want to work in city A, it may take longer to find a job. A better strategy is to search regionally. For example, New England, Mid Atlantic, or the Southwest. Additionally, there are sectors that are always looking for new talent, such as energy production, food companies such as Unilever, and the civilian government work at federally funded research and development laboratories (FFRDC) and University Affiliated Research Centers (UARC) such as The MITRE Corporation and the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Lab.
Will there be an enduring impact of the coronavirus pandemic on Audio Engineers?
Craig Carignan: Yes, it will have an enduring impact on aerospace grads, especially those going into aeronautical engineering. The airline industry has been hit especially hard by the pandemic, and commercial aircraft manufacture has come to a screeching halt. That means not just the airplane manufacturers being affected but all of the hundreds of aircraft parts suppliers too. The other factor is that people are learning how to attend conferences and meetings virtually, through applications like Zoom and Teams, which also saves a lot of money on travel. So even when things do start returning to normal, I think that the demand for air travel will not return to the same levels as before.
Some long term impact may also be felt by the space industry. Even though there are quarantine precautions in place (before and after a flight), human space flight might be seen as riskier due to possible infection from viruses that may not show symptoms. So we might try to do more from the ground using robotics. Also, the density of workers in a lot of places in the aerospace industry is very high, and I would expect telecommuting to become more common.
Will there be an enduring impact of the coronavirus pandemic on Audio Engineers?
Dr. Giovanni Vincenti: COVID-19 put into perspective the importance of technology for everyone. Those people who would typically work in fully staffed offices and took IT systems for granted have now realized how the lack of dedicated personnel and resources is a significant issue as everyone is working from home. The same realization has also reached upper-management, often creating a nearly immediate need for innovation that would have otherwise remained just a plan for the future. Graduates in the IT field and technology, in general, will benefit from this realization, as projects move from the planning stage into implementation and eventually maintenance. This increment in reliance on IT-related resources will create a greater need for employment.
What general advice would you give to an Audio Engineer?
Andrea Welker Ph.D.: Be open to new experiences. Find a good mentor. Become a valued employee. Always remember that you are designing something for someone.