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Best states for a sound engineer
Quoted expert
Ian Corbett
- Rank 1 - 10
- 11 - 20
- 21 - 30
- 31 - 40
- 41 - 51
Sound engineer opportunities vary in different parts of the country. In order to help you determine the best states for sound engineers, we ranked all fifty states from best to worst for sound engineers.In order to help you decide which state is the best for sound engineers, we ranked all 50 states and the District of Columbia from best to worst for sound engineer jobs.
The median salary for sound engineers in Oregon is $82,508. Compare that to the median salary in Rhode Island of $37,288, which ranked worst for sound engineers, and you can see how your location is important for your career.If you are currently seeking employment as a sound engineer, you can find open job positions using Zippia's search tools.
10 best states for sound engineers in 2025
1. Oregon
Total sound engineer jobs: 164 Average annual salary: $82,508 Lowest 10 percent earn: $43,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $155,000 Location Quotient: 1.582. Virginia
Total sound engineer jobs: 522 Average annual salary: $67,408 Lowest 10 percent earn: $34,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $129,000 Location Quotient: 2.213. Washington
Total sound engineer jobs: 312 Average annual salary: $67,223 Lowest 10 percent earn: $35,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $128,000 Location Quotient: 1.714. Alaska
Total sound engineer jobs: 16 Average annual salary: $77,402 Lowest 10 percent earn: $44,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $134,000 Location Quotient: 0.775. Arizona
Total sound engineer jobs: 172 Average annual salary: $57,764 Lowest 10 percent earn: $30,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $108,000 Location Quotient: 1.176. Pennsylvania
Total sound engineer jobs: 149 Average annual salary: $72,202 Lowest 10 percent earn: $38,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $135,000 Location Quotient: 0.517. New York
Total sound engineer jobs: 337 Average annual salary: $59,490 Lowest 10 percent earn: $32,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $109,000 Location Quotient: 1.058. Michigan
Total sound engineer jobs: 153 Average annual salary: $57,969 Lowest 10 percent earn: $31,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $107,000 Location Quotient: 0.799. New Jersey
Total sound engineer jobs: 129 Average annual salary: $65,271 Lowest 10 percent earn: $35,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $120,000 Location Quotient: 0.6510. Florida
Total sound engineer jobs: 380 Average annual salary: $53,815 Lowest 10 percent earn: $30,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $96,000 Location Quotient: 0.97
Sound engineer jobsNear Columbus, OH
How Zippia determines the best states to be a sound engineer
You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.
Detailed list of the best states for a sound engineer
| Rank | State | Average salary | Lowest 10% earn | Population | Job count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Oregon | $82,508 | $43,000 | 4,142,776 | 164 |
| 2 | Virginia | $67,408 | $34,000 | 8,470,020 | 522 |
| 3 | Washington | $67,223 | $35,000 | 7,405,743 | 312 |
| 4 | Alaska | $77,402 | $44,000 | 739,795 | 16 |
| 5 | Arizona | $57,764 | $30,000 | 7,016,270 | 172 |
| 6 | Pennsylvania | $72,202 | $38,000 | 12,805,537 | 149 |
| 7 | New York | $59,490 | $32,000 | 19,849,399 | 337 |
| 8 | Michigan | $57,969 | $31,000 | 9,962,311 | 153 |
| 9 | New Jersey | $65,271 | $35,000 | 9,005,644 | 129 |
| 10 | Florida | $53,815 | $30,000 | 20,984,400 | 380 |
| 11 | Utah | $52,009 | $28,000 | 3,101,833 | 86 |
| 12 | North Carolina | $55,232 | $29,000 | 10,273,419 | 196 |
| 13 | Ohio | $57,843 | $30,000 | 11,658,609 | 146 |
| 14 | California | $56,735 | $28,000 | 39,536,653 | 1,291 |
| 15 | West Virginia | $58,217 | $30,000 | 1,815,857 | 16 |
| 16 | Alabama | $49,961 | $27,000 | 4,874,747 | 106 |
| 17 | Idaho | $55,808 | $29,000 | 1,716,943 | 25 |
| 18 | Minnesota | $52,197 | $29,000 | 5,576,606 | 109 |
| 19 | Wisconsin | $49,893 | $27,000 | 5,795,483 | 82 |
| 20 | Louisiana | $51,553 | $28,000 | 4,684,333 | 39 |
| 21 | Indiana | $48,301 | $26,000 | 6,666,818 | 120 |
| 22 | Georgia | $48,599 | $27,000 | 10,429,379 | 210 |
| 23 | Wyoming | $46,416 | $26,000 | 579,315 | 15 |
| 24 | Illinois | $49,053 | $26,000 | 12,802,023 | 253 |
| 25 | Texas | $46,184 | $25,000 | 28,304,596 | 487 |
| 26 | Maine | $49,794 | $30,000 | 1,335,907 | 13 |
| 27 | South Carolina | $47,324 | $26,000 | 5,024,369 | 65 |
| 28 | Kentucky | $48,389 | $26,000 | 4,454,189 | 35 |
| 29 | Oklahoma | $46,873 | $26,000 | 3,930,864 | 35 |
| 30 | Montana | $47,768 | $27,000 | 1,050,493 | 13 |
| 31 | Colorado | $43,636 | $24,000 | 5,607,154 | 229 |
| 32 | Delaware | $38,319 | $20,000 | 961,939 | 62 |
| 33 | Mississippi | $45,938 | $25,000 | 2,984,100 | 18 |
| 34 | New Mexico | $44,114 | $23,000 | 2,088,070 | 29 |
| 35 | Nebraska | $40,688 | $23,000 | 1,920,076 | 48 |
| 36 | District of Columbia | $37,080 | $19,000 | 693,972 | 173 |
| 37 | Maryland | $37,297 | $19,000 | 6,052,177 | 277 |
| 38 | South Dakota | $44,367 | $25,000 | 869,666 | 9 |
| 39 | Tennessee | $42,835 | $23,000 | 6,715,984 | 58 |
| 40 | Iowa | $43,723 | $24,000 | 3,145,711 | 38 |
| 41 | North Dakota | $43,590 | $26,000 | 755,393 | 6 |
| 42 | Massachusetts | $35,780 | $20,000 | 6,859,819 | 226 |
| 43 | Hawaii | $35,958 | $25,000 | 1,427,538 | 17 |
| 44 | Nevada | $37,430 | $19,000 | 2,998,039 | 35 |
| 45 | Arkansas | $37,574 | $20,000 | 3,004,279 | 44 |
| 46 | Connecticut | $38,048 | $21,000 | 3,588,184 | 60 |
| 47 | Missouri | $41,705 | $23,000 | 6,113,532 | 55 |
| 48 | Kansas | $40,753 | $23,000 | 2,913,123 | 24 |
| 49 | New Hampshire | $33,795 | $19,000 | 1,342,795 | 34 |
| 50 | Vermont | $30,016 | $17,000 | 623,657 | 18 |
| 51 | Rhode Island | $37,288 | $21,000 | 1,059,639 | 17 |
Highest paying states for sound engineers
| Rank | State | Avg. Sound Engineer Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Oregon | $82,508 |
| 2 | Virginia | $67,408 |
| 3 | Washington | $67,223 |
| 4 | Alaska | $77,402 |
| 5 | Arizona | $57,764 |
| 6 | Pennsylvania | $72,202 |
| 7 | New York | $59,490 |
| 8 | Michigan | $57,969 |
| 9 | New Jersey | $65,271 |
| 10 | Florida | $53,815 |
| 11 | Utah | $52,009 |
| 12 | North Carolina | $55,232 |
| 13 | Ohio | $57,843 |
| 14 | California | $56,735 |
| 15 | West Virginia | $58,217 |
| 16 | Alabama | $49,961 |
| 17 | Idaho | $55,808 |
| 18 | Minnesota | $52,197 |
| 19 | Wisconsin | $49,893 |
| 20 | Louisiana | $51,553 |
| 21 | Indiana | $48,301 |
| 22 | Georgia | $48,599 |
| 23 | Wyoming | $46,416 |
| 24 | Illinois | $49,053 |
| 25 | Texas | $46,184 |
| 26 | Maine | $49,794 |
| 27 | South Carolina | $47,324 |
| 28 | Kentucky | $48,389 |
| 29 | Oklahoma | $46,873 |
| 30 | Montana | $47,768 |
| 31 | Colorado | $43,636 |
| 32 | Delaware | $38,319 |
| 33 | Mississippi | $45,938 |
| 34 | New Mexico | $44,114 |
| 35 | Nebraska | $40,688 |
| 36 | District of Columbia | $37,080 |
| 37 | Maryland | $37,297 |
| 38 | South Dakota | $44,367 |
| 39 | Tennessee | $42,835 |
| 40 | Iowa | $43,723 |
| 41 | North Dakota | $43,590 |
| 42 | Massachusetts | $35,780 |
| 43 | Hawaii | $35,958 |
| 44 | Nevada | $37,430 |
| 45 | Arkansas | $37,574 |
| 46 | Connecticut | $38,048 |
| 47 | Missouri | $41,705 |
| 48 | Kansas | $40,753 |
| 49 | New Hampshire | $33,795 |
| 50 | Vermont | $30,016 |
| 51 | Rhode Island | $37,288 |
Expert opinions on the best states for sound engineers
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for sound 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