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Job outlook for radio producers in the United States
Are radio producer jobs in demand?
Radio producer job and salary trends over time
Radio producer jobs over time
Radio producer job growth rate over time
| Year | # of jobs | % of population |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 182 | 0.00% |
| 2020 | 157 | 0.00% |
| 2019 | 170 | 0.00% |
| 2018 | 156 | 0.00% |
| 2017 | 155 | 0.00% |
Average radio producer salary over time
Radio producer salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | $57,682 | $27.73 | +2.7% |
| 2025 | $56,187 | $27.01 | +3.8% |
| 2024 | $54,118 | $26.02 | +0.1% |
| 2023 | $54,073 | $26.00 | +0.9% |
| 2022 | $53,567 | $25.75 | +3.7% |
Radio producer jobs by state
Most common states for radio producers
| Rank | State | Population | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | District of Columbia | 693,972 | 68 | 10% |
| 2 | Vermont | 623,657 | 30 | 5% |
| 3 | Colorado | 5,607,154 | 183 | 3% |
| 4 | Maryland | 6,052,177 | 158 | 3% |
| 5 | Iowa | 3,145,711 | 89 | 3% |
| 6 | Utah | 3,101,833 | 80 | 3% |
| 7 | North Dakota | 755,393 | 26 | 3% |
| 8 | Alaska | 739,795 | 21 | 3% |
| 9 | Wyoming | 579,315 | 17 | 3% |
| 10 | California | 39,536,653 | 917 | 2% |
| 11 | New York | 19,849,399 | 467 | 2% |
| 12 | Massachusetts | 6,859,819 | 163 | 2% |
| 13 | Washington | 7,405,743 | 149 | 2% |
| 14 | Connecticut | 3,588,184 | 70 | 2% |
| 15 | Oregon | 4,142,776 | 66 | 2% |
| 16 | Nevada | 2,998,039 | 47 | 2% |
| 17 | West Virginia | 1,815,857 | 34 | 2% |
| 18 | New Hampshire | 1,342,795 | 33 | 2% |
| 19 | Rhode Island | 1,059,639 | 23 | 2% |
| 20 | Delaware | 961,939 | 15 | 2% |
Most common cities for radio producers
| Rank | City | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl | Avg. salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Orlando | 1 | 0% | $47,948 |
Radio Producer job outlook: Expert opinions
Our panel of radio producer experts
University of Toledo
Susquehanna University
Columbia College Chicago
Drexel University
Baylor University
University of Nevada, Las Vegas
Florida State University
University of North Texas
What skills stand out on Radio Producer resumes?
Deborah Orloff: Flexibility and the ability to adapt to changing situations and new technology has become more important than ever! Creativity and entrepreneurship are also very important!
Craig Stark Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Communications, Department Head of CommunicationsSusquehanna University
Communications Department
What are the biggest trends we'll see in the Radio Producer job market given the pandemic?
Craig Stark Ph.D.: Probably more remote work opportunities. I would expect many employers will find it more cost-effective to have employees work from home or remote sites, which means employees have to have a good working knowledge of time management and technical skills.
What general advice would you give to a Radio Producer?
Craig Stark Ph.D.: Be flexible and willing to change goals and perspectives. The industry is constantly changing and evolving but fortunately you can do anything with a communications degree. Use that flexibility to your advantage and do the best you can to prepare for any industrial, professional, and personal changes in your life.
What skills stand out on Radio Producer resumes?
Duncan MacKenzie: For all young artists, organizational skills, digital and web-based skills, and an ability to communicate verbally and textually are very important; beyond that, craft-based skills relevant to whatever is being made are always crucial.
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for Radio Producers to find work opportunities?
Duncan MacKenzie: Artists can find relevance anywhere they want to work, but often, they must build the audience for their creative output. It is more comfortable in big cities such as New York, Los Angeles, or Chicago, as they have pre-existing channels and communities for art-making and viewing. Still, those cities can be significantly more expensive to live in.
What skills stand out on Radio Producer resumes?
Michael Wagner: Primarily an understanding of how to be productive in virtual teams. Anything that proves that somebody is capable of working independently and reliably.
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for Radio Producers to find work opportunities?
Chris Hansen: Most cities of any size have businesses and churches that need media professionals. Every business needs a media presence for their website, or social media, or advertising. So whether they do that with in-house media employees or outsource to firms or freelancers who handle the work, having these skills will make you employable in most medium-sized or large cities.
Will there be an enduring impact of the coronavirus pandemic on Radio Producers?
Nate Bynum: Undoubtedly, training was greatly affected during the pandemic. Arts training is now, and has always been, hands-on. Even if classes were allowed in-person, social distance spacing is anathema to the movement in the discipline. Theatre and screen acting are collaborative arts. Teachers and students have to work together and nearby. This can not be accomplished via Zoom and 6ft. spacing. Social distance does not exist in the arts. Thus, the limits placed on teachers and students in executing exercises, performing scene work or tech work, or proving to understand the intricate details of a particular art were lost and will have to be learned at another time.
What general advice would you give to a Radio Producer?
Michael Neal Ph.D.: The advice can be tricky, especially since our graduates go into a number of fields. My hope for them is that they continue to build upon what they learned in our program and apply it to new situations and contexts outside of school. I often tell students that editing, writing, and media aren't skills you master and then apply universally across contexts. Instead, we encourage students to keep growing and stretching themselves, since they will most likely face new genres, audiences, and contexts that they didn't see in college. Therefore, we teach them to be flexible, to be close readers, and analyze each rhetorical situation to determine how to best communicate within that context. Good writing isn't one-size-fits-all. Instead, it's a complex, negotiated relationship between writers, texts, contexts, audiences, media, modalities, etc.
What general advice would you give to a Radio Producer?
Johnathan Paul: My number one piece of advice for soon-to-be or recent graduates is never to stop learning. I always strive to tell my students to be as diverse as possible. Don't just know one thing; in today's market, you need to know how to do several things. Diversify your tool palette. This will help you in the long run and may lead you to a career path you didn't realize existed.
How would you rate the starting salaries for Radio Producers, as well as the prospects for salary advancement?
Johnathan Paul: Trying to pinpoint a starting salary in the film and television industry is incredibly challenging. There are so many different avenues that a recent graduate can go into, and each one of those job tracks has a benchmark for what number their starting salary begins at. For example, someone joining a film crew as a Production Assistant will typically make less than someone taking an entry level office job at a studio. The video game industry tends to have better starting salaries; however, many of those jobs are temporarily based on a development cycle. Freelance and contract work are just a reality of the media industry, and it's something I try to prepare my students for.