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Best states for a recording engineer
Quoted expert
Ian Corbett
- Rank 1 - 10
- 11 - 20
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- 41 - 51
Are you wondering which place in the United States is the best state for recording engineers? Knowing how challenging it is to figure out where to start your career or where to move to advance your career, we decided to bring you a list of best states for recording engineer jobs.Our research shows that Oregon is the best state in the country for recording engineers.
Oregon is the best state for jobs for recording engineers, and Rhode Island is the worst. The most common pay in Oregon is $104,717, while the median pay in Rhode Island is $52,427.We found that the Northeast is best for recording engineers, and the West is the worst. San Francisco, CA is the best city in the country for recording engineer jobs, where as Oregon is the best state in the country.
10 best states for recording engineers in 2025
1. Oregon
Total recording engineer jobs: 158 Average annual salary: $104,717 Lowest 10 percent earn: $58,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $186,000 Location Quotient: 1.512. Virginia
Total recording engineer jobs: 521 Average annual salary: $93,933 Lowest 10 percent earn: $52,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $167,000 Location Quotient: 2.193. Washington
Total recording engineer jobs: 308 Average annual salary: $91,310 Lowest 10 percent earn: $50,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $165,000 Location Quotient: 1.674. Arizona
Total recording engineer jobs: 169 Average annual salary: $89,076 Lowest 10 percent earn: $47,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $165,000 Location Quotient: 1.145. New York
Total recording engineer jobs: 342 Average annual salary: $92,305 Lowest 10 percent earn: $53,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $158,000 Location Quotient: 1.066. Pennsylvania
Total recording engineer jobs: 150 Average annual salary: $99,418 Lowest 10 percent earn: $57,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $172,000 Location Quotient: 0.517. Michigan
Total recording engineer jobs: 154 Average annual salary: $86,887 Lowest 10 percent earn: $48,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $156,000 Location Quotient: 0.798. California
Total recording engineer jobs: 1,291 Average annual salary: $87,755 Lowest 10 percent earn: $47,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $162,000 Location Quotient: 1.759. Ohio
Total recording engineer jobs: 147 Average annual salary: $85,847 Lowest 10 percent earn: $47,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $156,000 Location Quotient: 0.5710. North Carolina
Total recording engineer jobs: 196 Average annual salary: $84,185 Lowest 10 percent earn: $45,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $154,000 Location Quotient: 0.81
Recording engineer jobsNear Columbus, OH
How Zippia determines the best states to be a recording engineer
You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.
Detailed list of the best states for a recording engineer
| Rank | State | Average salary | Lowest 10% earn | Population | Job count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Oregon | $104,717 | $58,000 | 4,142,776 | 158 |
| 2 | Virginia | $93,933 | $52,000 | 8,470,020 | 521 |
| 3 | Washington | $91,310 | $50,000 | 7,405,743 | 308 |
| 4 | Arizona | $89,076 | $47,000 | 7,016,270 | 169 |
| 5 | New York | $92,305 | $53,000 | 19,849,399 | 342 |
| 6 | Pennsylvania | $99,418 | $57,000 | 12,805,537 | 150 |
| 7 | Michigan | $86,887 | $48,000 | 9,962,311 | 154 |
| 8 | California | $87,755 | $47,000 | 39,536,653 | 1,291 |
| 9 | Ohio | $85,847 | $47,000 | 11,658,609 | 147 |
| 10 | North Carolina | $84,185 | $45,000 | 10,273,419 | 196 |
| 11 | Utah | $79,154 | $41,000 | 3,101,833 | 84 |
| 12 | Minnesota | $85,787 | $47,000 | 5,576,606 | 109 |
| 13 | New Jersey | $89,987 | $51,000 | 9,005,644 | 129 |
| 14 | Idaho | $83,146 | $44,000 | 1,716,943 | 26 |
| 15 | West Virginia | $85,441 | $46,000 | 1,815,857 | 16 |
| 16 | Wyoming | $75,785 | $40,000 | 579,315 | 14 |
| 17 | Alaska | $80,784 | $48,000 | 739,795 | 16 |
| 18 | Wisconsin | $78,335 | $42,000 | 5,795,483 | 82 |
| 19 | Illinois | $76,930 | $41,000 | 12,802,023 | 263 |
| 20 | Indiana | $74,604 | $39,000 | 6,666,818 | 133 |
| 21 | Montana | $80,017 | $43,000 | 1,050,493 | 13 |
| 22 | Alabama | $69,390 | $37,000 | 4,874,747 | 106 |
| 23 | Kentucky | $74,617 | $39,000 | 4,454,189 | 36 |
| 24 | Colorado | $68,045 | $36,000 | 5,607,154 | 231 |
| 25 | Maine | $76,279 | $46,000 | 1,335,907 | 13 |
| 26 | Iowa | $70,680 | $37,000 | 3,145,711 | 42 |
| 27 | Florida | $66,985 | $36,000 | 20,984,400 | 398 |
| 28 | South Dakota | $73,114 | $39,000 | 869,666 | 9 |
| 29 | Georgia | $68,206 | $36,000 | 10,429,379 | 211 |
| 30 | South Carolina | $69,833 | $37,000 | 5,024,369 | 65 |
| 31 | Texas | $65,201 | $34,000 | 28,304,596 | 487 |
| 32 | North Dakota | $73,009 | $40,000 | 755,393 | 6 |
| 33 | Louisiana | $70,468 | $37,000 | 4,684,333 | 41 |
| 34 | Oklahoma | $70,209 | $36,000 | 3,930,864 | 34 |
| 35 | Nebraska | $64,229 | $34,000 | 1,920,076 | 49 |
| 36 | New Mexico | $66,854 | $34,000 | 2,088,070 | 28 |
| 37 | Delaware | $52,431 | $29,000 | 961,939 | 62 |
| 38 | Maryland | $51,604 | $28,000 | 6,052,177 | 281 |
| 39 | District of Columbia | $51,315 | $28,000 | 693,972 | 170 |
| 40 | Tennessee | $62,885 | $33,000 | 6,715,984 | 58 |
| 41 | Massachusetts | $51,279 | $30,000 | 6,859,819 | 231 |
| 42 | Mississippi | $64,210 | $34,000 | 2,984,100 | 19 |
| 43 | Hawaii | $48,687 | $36,000 | 1,427,538 | 17 |
| 44 | Arkansas | $55,120 | $29,000 | 3,004,279 | 44 |
| 45 | Connecticut | $53,298 | $31,000 | 3,588,184 | 61 |
| 46 | Nevada | $53,535 | $27,000 | 2,998,039 | 36 |
| 47 | Missouri | $63,144 | $33,000 | 6,113,532 | 55 |
| 48 | New Hampshire | $49,906 | $29,000 | 1,342,795 | 34 |
| 49 | Vermont | $46,075 | $27,000 | 623,657 | 18 |
| 50 | Kansas | $61,818 | $32,000 | 2,913,123 | 25 |
| 51 | Rhode Island | $52,427 | $31,000 | 1,059,639 | 17 |
Highest paying states for recording engineers
| Rank | State | Avg. Recording Engineer Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Oregon | $104,717 |
| 2 | Virginia | $93,933 |
| 3 | Washington | $91,310 |
| 4 | Arizona | $89,076 |
| 5 | New York | $92,305 |
| 6 | Pennsylvania | $99,418 |
| 7 | Michigan | $86,887 |
| 8 | California | $87,755 |
| 9 | Ohio | $85,847 |
| 10 | North Carolina | $84,185 |
| 11 | Utah | $79,154 |
| 12 | Minnesota | $85,787 |
| 13 | New Jersey | $89,987 |
| 14 | Idaho | $83,146 |
| 15 | West Virginia | $85,441 |
| 16 | Wyoming | $75,785 |
| 17 | Alaska | $80,784 |
| 18 | Wisconsin | $78,335 |
| 19 | Illinois | $76,930 |
| 20 | Indiana | $74,604 |
| 21 | Montana | $80,017 |
| 22 | Alabama | $69,390 |
| 23 | Kentucky | $74,617 |
| 24 | Colorado | $68,045 |
| 25 | Maine | $76,279 |
| 26 | Iowa | $70,680 |
| 27 | Florida | $66,985 |
| 28 | South Dakota | $73,114 |
| 29 | Georgia | $68,206 |
| 30 | South Carolina | $69,833 |
| 31 | Texas | $65,201 |
| 32 | North Dakota | $73,009 |
| 33 | Louisiana | $70,468 |
| 34 | Oklahoma | $70,209 |
| 35 | Nebraska | $64,229 |
| 36 | New Mexico | $66,854 |
| 37 | Delaware | $52,431 |
| 38 | Maryland | $51,604 |
| 39 | District of Columbia | $51,315 |
| 40 | Tennessee | $62,885 |
| 41 | Massachusetts | $51,279 |
| 42 | Mississippi | $64,210 |
| 43 | Hawaii | $48,687 |
| 44 | Arkansas | $55,120 |
| 45 | Connecticut | $53,298 |
| 46 | Nevada | $53,535 |
| 47 | Missouri | $63,144 |
| 48 | New Hampshire | $49,906 |
| 49 | Vermont | $46,075 |
| 50 | Kansas | $61,818 |
| 51 | Rhode Island | $52,427 |
Expert opinions on the best states for recording engineers
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for recording engineers to find work opportunities?
Ian Corbett
Coordinator & Professor of Audio Engineering, Kansas City Kansas Community College Audio Engineering Society Vice-President, Central USA & Canada, Audio Engineering Society
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.
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Updated January 8, 2025