Sound designer demographics and statistics in the US
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Sound designer demographics by:
Sound designer gender statistics
14.0% of sound designers are women and 86.0% of sound designers are men.
- Male, 86.0%
- Female, 14.0%
Sound designer gender ratio
| Gender | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Male | 86.0% |
| Female | 14.0% |
Sound designer gender pay gap
Women earn 91¢ for every $1 earned by men
Male income
$75,441
Female income
$68,912
Sound designer gender ratio over time
This data breaks down the percentage of men and women in sound designer positions over time. Currently, 14.0% of sound designers are female.
Sound designer gender ratio by year
| Year | Male | Female |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 85.47% | 14.53% |
| 2011 | 84.22% | 15.78% |
| 2012 | 86.36% | 13.64% |
| 2013 | 88.88% | 11.12% |
| 2014 | 88.27% | 11.73% |
| 2015 | 89.36% | 10.64% |
| 2016 | 90.25% | 9.75% |
| 2017 | 89.13% | 10.87% |
| 2018 | 87.39% | 12.61% |
| 2019 | 84.80% | 15.20% |
| 2020 | 82.89% | 17.11% |
| 2021 | 86.00% | 14.00% |
Sound designer related jobs gender ratio
We compared sound designers with similar job titles to see how gender ratios vary. As you can see, broadcast maintenance engineer and audio installer have the biggest gender ratio gaps.
| Job title | Male | Female |
|---|---|---|
| Photographer Helper | 18% | 82% |
| Studio Associate | 23% | 77% |
| Photography Internship | 30% | 70% |
| Sound Designer | 86% | 14% |
| News Cameraman | 95% | 5% |
| Audio Installer | 95% | 5% |
| Broadcast Maintenance Engineer | 98% | 2% |
Male
Female
100%
75%
50%
25%
0%
0%
25%
50%
75%
100%
Sound designer demographics by race
The most common ethnicity among sound designers is White, which makes up 63.3% of all sound designers. Comparatively, 16.5% of sound designers are Hispanic or Latino and 8.2% of sound designers are Black or African American.
- White, 63.3%
- Hispanic or Latino, 16.5%
- Black or African American, 8.2%
- Unknown, 6.5%
- Asian, 5.1%
- American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%
Sound designer race
| Sound designer race | Percentages |
|---|---|
| White | 63.3% |
| Hispanic or Latino | 16.5% |
| Black or African American | 8.2% |
| Unknown | 6.5% |
| Asian | 5.1% |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 0.4% |
Sound designer race and ethnicity over time
See how sound designer racial and ethnic diversity trended since 2010 according to the United States Census Bureau data.
Sound designer race and ethnicity by year
| Year | White | Black or African American | Asian | Hispanic or Latino |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 68.26% | 8.94% | 4.65% | 14.82% |
| 2011 | 66.22% | 10.99% | 3.91% | 16.85% |
| 2012 | 67.99% | 8.45% | 4.42% | 16.48% |
| 2013 | 67.88% | 8.41% | 4.49% | 16.87% |
| 2014 | 65.11% | 10.37% | 4.60% | 15.94% |
| 2015 | 66.79% | 6.72% | 5.53% | 18.18% |
| 2016 | 65.99% | 8.07% | 5.27% | 17.94% |
| 2017 | 66.02% | 8.85% | 4.07% | 17.49% |
| 2018 | 67.72% | 8.07% | 5.07% | 16.36% |
| 2019 | 68.92% | 6.93% | 4.37% | 16.66% |
| 2020 | 64.33% | 7.90% | 5.66% | 15.70% |
| 2021 | 63.30% | 8.20% | 5.10% | 16.52% |
Sound designer wage gap by race
According to our data, unknown sound designers have the highest average salary compared to other ethnicities. Black or african american sound designers have the lowest average salary at $73,433.
| Ethnicity | Salary |
|---|---|
| Unknown | $78,743 |
| White | $75,343 |
| Black or African American | $73,433 |
| Asian | $75,715 |
| Hispanic or Latino | $74,080 |
Average sound designer age
See how the average age of sound designers varies based on ethnicity and gender.
Male
Female
Sound designer age by race and gender
| Race | Male age | Female age |
|---|---|---|
| Unknown | 35 | |
| White | 41 | 42.5 |
| Black or African American | 46.5 | |
| Asian | 40 | |
| Hispanic or Latino | 40.5 |
Sound designer age breakdown
The average age of sound designers is 40+ years years old, representing 54% of the sound designer population.
Sound designer age breakdown
| Sound Designer Years | Percentages |
|---|---|
| 40+ years | 54% |
| 30-40 years | 31% |
| 20-30 years | 16% |
Sound designer educational attainment
The most common degree for sound designers is bachelor's degree, with 69% of sound designers earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are associate degree degree at 14% and associate degree degree at 9%.
- Bachelor's, 69%
- Associate, 14%
- Master's, 9%
- High School Diploma, 4%
- Other Degrees, 4%
Sound designers by degree level
| Sound designer degree | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Bachelor's | 69% |
| Associate | 14% |
| Master's | 9% |
| High School Diploma | 4% |
| Other Degrees | 4% |
Sound designer jobs you might like
Sound designer wage gap by degree level
According to the data, sound designers with a Bachelor's degree earn more than those without, at $78,035 annually. With a Associate degree, sound designers earn a median annual income of $73,497 compared to $66,314 for sound designers with an High School Diploma degree.
| Education | Salary |
|---|---|
| High School Diploma or Less | $66,314 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $78,035 |
| Some College/ Associate Degree | $73,497 |
Sound designer employment statistics
Most sound designers work for a private in the education industry.
Company size where sound designers work
Below, you can see the size of companies where sound designers work.
Sound designer jobs by employer size
| Company size | Percentages |
|---|---|
| < 50 employees | 13% |
| 50 - 100 employees | 21% |
| 100 - 500 employees | 23% |
| 500 - 1,000 employees | 7% |
| 1,000 - 10,000 employees | 23% |
| > 10,000 employees | 11% |
Sound designer jobs by company type
Employees with the sound designer job title have their preferences when it comes to working for a company. For instance, most sound designers prefer to work at private companies over education companies.
Sound designer jobs by sector
| Company type | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Education | 21% |
| Public | 19% |
| Private | 56% |
| Government | 4% |
Sound designer jobs by industry
The most common industries for sound designers are education, media and technology.
Sound designer industry statistics
| Industry | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Education | 18% |
| Media | 17% |
| Technology | 14% |
| Manufacturing | 6% |
| Start-up | 6% |
| Hospitality | 5% |
| Professional | 5% |
| Fortune 500 | 4% |
| Retail | 4% |
| Government | 3% |
| Non Profits | 3% |
| Health Care | 3% |
| Construction | 3% |
| Automotive | 3% |
| Telecommunication | 2% |
| Internet | 2% |
| Finance | 2% |
| Energy | 1% |
| Real Estate | 1% |
| Utilities | 1% |
Sound designer turnover and employment statistics
Sound designer unemployment rate over time
The unemployment rate for sound designers between 2008 and the most recent data has varied, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Sound designer unemployment rate by year
| Year | Sound designer unemployment rate |
|---|---|
| 2010 | 7.87% |
| 2011 | 6.95% |
| 2012 | 6.61% |
| 2013 | 7.48% |
| 2014 | 5.24% |
| 2015 | 4.77% |
| 2016 | 4.60% |
| 2017 | 4.86% |
| 2018 | 2.67% |
| 2019 | 6.09% |
| 2020 | 13.00% |
| 2021 | 13.00% |
Average sound designer tenure
The average sound designer stays at their job for 1-2 years, based on the 2,074 sound designers resumes in Zippia's database.
Sound designer tenure statistics
| Number of years | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Less than 1 year | 30% |
| 1-2 years | 20% |
| 3-4 years | 10% |
| 5-7 years | 17% |
| 8-10 years | 7% |
| 11+ years | 15% |
Sound designer LGBT ratio compared to similar jobs
Review the percent of sound designers that are members of the LGBT community. You can see how this compares to similar jobs in the chart below.
| Job title | LGBT | Job openings |
|---|---|---|
| Cameraman | 7.31% | 75 |
| Sound Designer | 7.56% | - |
| Still Photographer | 8.13% | 1,395 |
| Staff Writer/Editor | 11.70% | 82,418 |
| Multimedia Designer | 12.14% | 45,329 |
| Project Designer | 17.34% | 60,364 |
| Cast Member | 23.07% | 79,789 |
Similar sound designer jobs LGBT demographics
| Profession | Percentages of LGBT | Job openings |
|---|---|---|
| Cameraman | 7.31% | 75 |
| Still Photographer | 8.13% | 1,395 |
| Staff Writer/Editor | 11.70% | 82,418 |
| Multimedia Designer | 12.14% | 45,329 |
| Project Designer | 17.34% | 60,364 |
| Cast Member | 23.07% | 79,789 |
Foreign languages spoken by sound designers
The most common foreign language among sound designers is Spanish at 45.1%. The second-most popular foreign language spoken is French at 13.2% and Chinese is the third-most popular at 7.7%.
- Spanish, 45.1%
- French, 13.2%
- Chinese, 7.7%
- German, 7.7%
- Italian, 7.7%
- Other, 18.6%
Sound designer languages spoken
| Foreign language | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Spanish | 45.1% |
| French | 13.2% |
| Chinese | 7.7% |
| German | 7.7% |
| Italian | 7.7% |
| Other | 18.6% |
