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Best states for a film sound engineer
- Rank 1 - 10
- 11 - 20
- 21 - 30
- 31 - 40
- 41 - 51
We decided to bring you a list of the best states for jobs for film sound engineers in the United States. Film sound engineer positions are available in every state, but not all states are the same. Some states do not offer the same wages, benefits, time off, etc for film sound engineers.In order to help you decide which state is the best for film sound engineers, we ranked all 50 states and the District of Columbia from best to worst for film sound engineer jobs.
In order to get you the best states for film sound engineers, we looked at our data on jobs and wages -- specifically the average annual wage and the number of available jobs per capita.Oregon is the best state, and Falls is the city with the highest pay for film sound engineers.
10 best states for film sound engineers in 2025
1. Oregon
Total film sound engineer jobs: 9 Average annual salary: $85,643 Lowest 10 percent earn: $61,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $119,000 Location Quotient: 2.13
2. West Virginia
Total film sound engineer jobs: 2 Average annual salary: $78,609 Lowest 10 percent earn: $55,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $112,000 Location Quotient: 1.28
3. Arizona
Total film sound engineer jobs: 9 Average annual salary: $78,860 Lowest 10 percent earn: $56,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $109,000 Location Quotient: 1.5
4. Pennsylvania
Total film sound engineer jobs: 8 Average annual salary: $87,403 Lowest 10 percent earn: $61,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $124,000 Location Quotient: 0.67
5. Virginia
Total film sound engineer jobs: 9 Average annual salary: $85,371 Lowest 10 percent earn: $59,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $122,000 Location Quotient: 0.93
6. Wyoming
Total film sound engineer jobs: 1 Average annual salary: $74,209 Lowest 10 percent earn: $54,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $101,000 Location Quotient: 1.63
7. North Carolina
Total film sound engineer jobs: 5 Average annual salary: $81,453 Lowest 10 percent earn: $56,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $116,000 Location Quotient: 0.51
8. Georgia
Total film sound engineer jobs: 12 Average annual salary: $75,525 Lowest 10 percent earn: $52,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $108,000 Location Quotient: 1.13
9. Alabama
Total film sound engineer jobs: 2 Average annual salary: $76,529 Lowest 10 percent earn: $53,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $109,000 Location Quotient: 0.44
10. Minnesota
Total film sound engineer jobs: 5 Average annual salary: $77,450 Lowest 10 percent earn: $55,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $107,000 Location Quotient: 0.74
Film sound engineer jobsNear Columbus, OH
How Zippia determines the best states to be a film sound engineer
You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.
Detailed list of the best states for a film sound engineer
| Rank | State | Average salary | Lowest 10% earn | Population | Job count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Oregon | $85,643 | $61,000 | 4,142,776 | 9 |
| 2 | West Virginia | $78,609 | $55,000 | 1,815,857 | 2 |
| 3 | Arizona | $78,860 | $56,000 | 7,016,270 | 9 |
| 4 | Pennsylvania | $87,403 | $61,000 | 12,805,537 | 8 |
| 5 | Virginia | $85,371 | $59,000 | 8,470,020 | 9 |
| 6 | Wyoming | $74,209 | $54,000 | 579,315 | 1 |
| 7 | North Carolina | $81,453 | $56,000 | 10,273,419 | 5 |
| 8 | Georgia | $75,525 | $52,000 | 10,429,379 | 12 |
| 9 | Alabama | $76,529 | $53,000 | 4,874,747 | 2 |
| 10 | Minnesota | $77,450 | $55,000 | 5,576,606 | 5 |
| 11 | Kentucky | $75,055 | $52,000 | 4,454,189 | 2 |
| 12 | Indiana | $71,014 | $50,000 | 6,666,818 | 13 |
| 13 | Utah | $70,678 | $51,000 | 3,101,833 | 10 |
| 14 | Ohio | $78,267 | $54,000 | 11,658,609 | 1 |
| 15 | New Jersey | $73,413 | $51,000 | 9,005,644 | 16 |
| 16 | California | $75,020 | $53,000 | 39,536,653 | 43 |
| 17 | Washington | $71,167 | $51,000 | 7,405,743 | 16 |
| 18 | Oklahoma | $74,611 | $53,000 | 3,930,864 | 1 |
| 19 | Maine | $72,649 | $50,000 | 1,335,907 | 1 |
| 20 | Florida | $75,430 | $52,000 | 20,984,400 | 4 |
| 21 | South Carolina | $74,041 | $51,000 | 5,024,369 | 1 |
| 22 | Michigan | $73,649 | $51,000 | 9,962,311 | 1 |
| 23 | South Dakota | $69,689 | $50,000 | 869,666 | 1 |
| 24 | Wisconsin | $70,725 | $50,000 | 5,795,483 | 4 |
| 25 | Illinois | $71,423 | $50,000 | 12,802,023 | 11 |
| 26 | Colorado | $71,205 | $51,000 | 5,607,154 | 5 |
| 27 | Louisiana | $71,689 | $50,000 | 4,684,333 | 1 |
| 28 | Mississippi | $68,125 | $47,000 | 2,984,100 | 2 |
| 29 | Tennessee | $68,268 | $48,000 | 6,715,984 | 3 |
| 30 | Idaho | $69,360 | $50,000 | 1,716,943 | 1 |
| 31 | Hawaii | $60,913 | $51,000 | 1,427,538 | 1 |
| 32 | Montana | $67,963 | $50,000 | 1,050,493 | 1 |
| 33 | New York | $65,873 | $45,000 | 19,849,399 | 27 |
| 34 | North Dakota | $65,060 | $47,000 | 755,393 | 1 |
| 35 | Kansas | $67,953 | $48,000 | 2,913,123 | 2 |
| 36 | New Mexico | $61,889 | $44,000 | 2,088,070 | 3 |
| 37 | Iowa | $68,854 | $49,000 | 3,145,711 | 1 |
| 38 | Missouri | $68,996 | $49,000 | 6,113,532 | 2 |
| 39 | Delaware | $46,128 | $32,000 | 961,939 | 8 |
| 40 | Alaska | $59,817 | $47,000 | 739,795 | 1 |
| 41 | Nebraska | $67,282 | $48,000 | 1,920,076 | 1 |
| 42 | Massachusetts | $46,241 | $32,000 | 6,859,819 | 14 |
| 43 | New Hampshire | $45,604 | $31,000 | 1,342,795 | 3 |
| 44 | District of Columbia | $45,663 | $31,000 | 693,972 | 4 |
| 45 | Vermont | $43,770 | $30,000 | 623,657 | 2 |
| 46 | Arkansas | $60,385 | $42,000 | 3,004,279 | 1 |
| 47 | Texas | $60,842 | $43,000 | 28,304,596 | 10 |
| 48 | Rhode Island | $46,531 | $32,000 | 1,059,639 | 1 |
| 49 | Connecticut | $46,540 | $32,000 | 3,588,184 | 3 |
| 50 | Maryland | $45,741 | $32,000 | 6,052,177 | 6 |
| 51 | Nevada | $44,274 | $31,000 | 2,998,039 | 1 |
Highest paying states for film sound engineers
| Rank | State | Avg. Film Sound Engineer Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Oregon | $85,643 |
| 2 | West Virginia | $78,609 |
| 3 | Arizona | $78,860 |
| 4 | Pennsylvania | $87,403 |
| 5 | Virginia | $85,371 |
| 6 | Wyoming | $74,209 |
| 7 | North Carolina | $81,453 |
| 8 | Georgia | $75,525 |
| 9 | Alabama | $76,529 |
| 10 | Minnesota | $77,450 |
| 11 | Kentucky | $75,055 |
| 12 | Indiana | $71,014 |
| 13 | Utah | $70,678 |
| 14 | Ohio | $78,267 |
| 15 | New Jersey | $73,413 |
| 16 | California | $75,020 |
| 17 | Washington | $71,167 |
| 18 | Oklahoma | $74,611 |
| 19 | Maine | $72,649 |
| 20 | Florida | $75,430 |
| 21 | South Carolina | $74,041 |
| 22 | Michigan | $73,649 |
| 23 | South Dakota | $69,689 |
| 24 | Wisconsin | $70,725 |
| 25 | Illinois | $71,423 |
| 26 | Colorado | $71,205 |
| 27 | Louisiana | $71,689 |
| 28 | Mississippi | $68,125 |
| 29 | Tennessee | $68,268 |
| 30 | Idaho | $69,360 |
| 31 | Hawaii | $60,913 |
| 32 | Montana | $67,963 |
| 33 | New York | $65,873 |
| 34 | North Dakota | $65,060 |
| 35 | Kansas | $67,953 |
| 36 | New Mexico | $61,889 |
| 37 | Iowa | $68,854 |
| 38 | Missouri | $68,996 |
| 39 | Delaware | $46,128 |
| 40 | Alaska | $59,817 |
| 41 | Nebraska | $67,282 |
| 42 | Massachusetts | $46,241 |
| 43 | New Hampshire | $45,604 |
| 44 | District of Columbia | $45,663 |
| 45 | Vermont | $43,770 |
| 46 | Arkansas | $60,385 |
| 47 | Texas | $60,842 |
| 48 | Rhode Island | $46,531 |
| 49 | Connecticut | $46,540 |
| 50 | Maryland | $45,741 |
| 51 | Nevada | $44,274 |
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Updated January 8, 2025