Average Sound Engineering Technician Salary in Washington D.C., United States for 2025

In this article, we will look at the average Sound Engineering Technician salary for 2025 in Washington D.C. and how that compares to other countries and professions. We'll also look at interesting salary data points like median salary, 25th and 75th percentile salaries, salary amounts based on experience, bonus ranges and more!

The data in this article has been compiled using official government salary data, salary surveys, and other sources such as job postings which contain salary information.

All salary information is in the local currency, which is the United States dollar. To keep things simple, we are using the USD currency code instead of the currency symbol $.

How Much Does a Sound Engineering Technician Make in Washington D.C.?

A Sound Engineering Technician working in Washington D.C. will typically earn around 46,700 USD per year, and this can range from the lowest average salary of about 23,300 USD to the highest average salary of 73,500 USD.

Average Annual Salary46,700 USD
Average Monthly Salary3,891 USD
Average Lowest Salary23,300 USD
Lowest Monthly Salary1,941 USD
Average Highest Salary73,500 USD
Highest Monthly Salary6,125 USD

These are average salaries for a Sound Engineering Technician in Washington D.C. and include benefits such as housing and transport. It's also possible for a Sound Engineering Technician to earn more or less than the average salaries shown above.

Sound Engineering Technician salaries will vary a lot based on your experience, location, skills, and gender. Keep reading below to research more data on each of these areas.

Distribution of Sound Engineering Technician Salaries in Washington D.C.

So we've looked at the average salaries a Sound Engineering Technician will earn in Washington D.C.. The next interesting data point is the distribution of salaries.

Salary ranges

We already know that a Sound Engineering Technician can earn between 23,300 USD and 73,500 USD on average in Washington D.C.. This is known as the range in statistics.

The difference between the maximum and minimum values is a good indicator of variability in salaries, and can be used by employers to figure out how much they can expect to pay, and for employees to know how much they can earn.

Median salary

The median salary for a Sound Engineering Technician in Washington D.C. is 46,700 USD. This is the middle value in the distribution of salaries.

What this means is that approximately 50% of the population earn less than 46,700 USD, and 50% of the population earn more than 46,700 USD.

If you are earning more than the median salary, that's a good indicator that you are being paid well.

If you're not earning more than the median salary, your objective should be to increase your earnings to be at least as high as the median salary (which you can do by asking for a pay rise, looking for a better paying job, etc).

Percentiles

Percentiles are similar to the median salary, but instead of looking at the middle value, they look at the values in the top and bottom half of the distribution.

For the average Sound Engineering Technician salary in Washington D.C., 25% of the population are earning less than 30,300 USD while 75% of the population earn more than 30,300 USD.

75% of the population earn less than 59,800 USD, and 25% of the population earn more than 59,800 USD.

Like the median salary, the 25th and 75th percentile salaries can be used to determine which quartile you fall into so that you know whether you are being paid well enough compared to others in your profession and location.

The difference between a median and an average salary

The median and average salary are both indicators you can use to see if you are being paid fairly based on the overall population.

  • If your salary is higher than the average and the median salary, you are earning well compared to others.
  • If your salary is lower than the average and the median salary, it could indicate you are not being paid well enough.
  • If you are somewhere in between then it's tricky to determine if you are being paid well enough and you might need to research more closely.

Sound Engineering Technician Salary by Experience Level in Washington D.C.

The most important factor in determining your salary after the specific profession is the number of years experience you have. It stands to reason that more years of experience will result in a higher wage.

We have researched the average Sound Engineering Technician salary based on years of experience to give you an idea of how the average changes once you've worked for a certain amount of time.

  • 0 - 2 Years Experience. A Sound Engineering Technician in Washington D.C. that has less than two years of experience can expect to earn somewhere in the region of 29,900 USD.
  • 2 - 5 Years Experience. With two to five years of experience the average Sound Engineering Technician salary would increase to 36,200 USD.
  • 5 - 10 Years Experience. From five to ten years of experience as a Sound Engineering Technician, the average salary would be 52,300 USD.
  • 10 - 15 Years Experience. Once you have more than ten years of experience the average salary reaches around 60,100 USD.
  • 15 - 20 Years Experience. A Sound Engineering Technician with 15 to 20 years of experience can earn an average of 67,000 USD.
  • 20+ Years Experience. For a Sound Engineering Technician with more than 20 years, the expected average salary increases to 68,300 USD.

Average Salary by Experience Chart

0-2 Years-
29,900 USD
2-5 Years+32%
36,200 USD
5-10 Years+34%
52,300 USD
10-15 Years+19%
60,100 USD
15-20 Years+8%
67,000 USD
20+ Years+7%
68,300 USD

Sound Engineering Technician Salary by Education Level in Washington D.C.

As well as experience in a job, your education plays a big role in how much you can earn. A lot of higher paying positions require a high level of education, but how much can a degree increase your salary?

In our research we have compared the salaries of employees in the same job and career level with different levels of education to see how much more you can earn at each education level.

The salary you can earn based on your education is very specific to both your location and the career path you choose.

In our research, we looked at the average salary for a Sound Engineering Technician in Washington D.C. based on the education level of the employees in order to find out whether a better education level would increase your salary.

  • High School. A Sound Engineering Technician in Washington D.C. with a high school education can earn an average salary of 36,200 USD.
  • Certificate or Diploma. A Sound Engineering Technician in Washington D.C. with a certificate or diploma education can earn an average salary of 51,100 USD.
  • Bachelor's Degree. A Sound Engineering Technician in Washington D.C. with a bachelor's degree education can earn an average salary of 65,800 USD.

Average Salary by Education Chart

High School-
36,200 USD
Certificate or Diploma+40%
51,100 USD
Bachelor's Degree+25%
65,800 USD

How Much is a Master's Degree or MBA Program?

The approximate cost of a master's degree or post-graduate program like an MBA in United States is around 39,500 to 118,000 USD and takes two years to complete.

As you can see above, there are financial benefits from reaching master's degree level, but don't expect to see much of a salary increase until you have completed the degree.

It's common for people to pursue an MBA or other post-graduate program in order to switch to a a job that pays more. On average, you can expect to earn around 10% more when switching to a new company.

Whether you decide to pursue a master's degree depends on many factors. If you are able to afford it, the numbers suggest that the return on investment is worth it and you could recover the costs in a few years from the salary increase you would receive.

Sound Engineering Technician Salary Compared by Gender

In the modern age, we know that there should never be a pay gap between men and women. Unfortunately, in many professions, there is still a significant difference between the salaries earned by men when compared to the salary of women in the same job.

In Washington D.C., a male sound engineering technician will earn an average of 45,300 USD, while a female sound engineering technician will earn around 44,500 USD.

This means that a male sound engineering technician earns approximately 2% more than a female sound engineering technician for performing the same job.

Average Salary by Gender Chart in Washington D.C.

Male-
45,300 USD
Female-2%
44,500 USD

Sound Engineering Technician Average Pay Raise in Washington D.C.

In many countries, an annual pay raise is often given to employees to reward their service with a salary increase.

From our research, we can see that the average pay raise for a Sound Engineering Technician in Washington D.C. is around 11% every 15 months.

The national average pay raise across all professions and industries in United States is around 8% every 16 months.

In this case, we can see that the number of months between the average pay raise is higher than the typical 12 months.

To make the data more meaningful, we can calculate what the approximate annual pay raise would be using a simple formula:

Annual Increase = ( Increase Rate ÷ Months ) × 12

So for this example, it would be:

Annual Increase = ( 11 ÷ 15 ) × 12  = 9%

What this means is that a Sound Engineering Technician in Washington D.C. can expect to receive an average pay raise of around 9% every 12 months.

Annual Pay Raise by Industry in Washington D.C. for 2025

In the chart below, you can see the average annual pay raise percentages for each of the major industries in United States.

You will see that companies in bigger and more lucrative industries tend to have the higher annual pay raises.

Banking-
4%
Energy-
8%
Information Technology-
3%
Healthcare-
7%
Travel-
2%
Construction-
6%
Education-
1%

Sound Engineering Technician Bonus and Incentive Rates in Washington D.C.

Another part of your overall compensation in a job is how much bonus you receive. Some job roles will be more likely to pay a bonus than others and also more likely to have higher bonus rates.

Generally speaking, jobs that are more involved with direct revenue generation will receive higher bonuses based on the performance towards revenue goals.

A Sound Engineering Technician is a moderate bonus based job, with 54% of employees reporting at least one bonus in the last 12 months.

46% reported that they had not received any bonuses in the previous 12 months.

For the employees that did receive a bonus in the previous 12 months, the reported bonuses ranged from 3% to 6%.

Received Bonus-
54%
No Bonus-
46%

What are the Types of Bonus?

There are a number of difference types of bonus you can receive in a job. Including:

  • Individual performance bonus - This is a bonus that is awarded to an individual employee for general performance in the job. It's the most common type of bonus.
  • Company performance bonus - This is a bonus that is awarded to a company employees to share profit with the staff.
  • Goal based bonus - This is a bonus that is awarded to an individual employee (or a team) for achieving specific goals, objectives, or milestones.
  • Holiday bonus - This type of bonus is usually paid around the holidays, often the end of the year, and is a token of appreciation for the hard work throughout the year.

Government vs Private Sector Salaries

Another commonly asked question is whether you get paid a higher salary working in the public (government) sector or the private sector.

Public sector employees in United States earn approximately 6% more than private sector employees in the same role.

Public Sector-
98,800 USD
Private Sector-6%
93,100 USD

Salaries for Jobs Similar to a Sound Engineering Technician

In the table below, we have salary information for jobs that are similar to a Sound Engineering Technician in Washington D.C..

Job TitleCategorySalary
3D ArtistMedia / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment87,500 USD
3D DesignerMedia / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment83,000 USD
3D GeneralistMedia / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment68,300 USD
3D Visualization SpecialistMedia / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment87,900 USD
Acrobatic RiggerMedia / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment57,900 USD
ActorMedia / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment116,400 USD
Art AdministratorMedia / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment94,000 USD
Art DirectorMedia / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment115,600 USD
Art LeadMedia / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment114,900 USD
Associate Media DirectorMedia / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment103,600 USD
Associate ProducerMedia / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment121,800 USD
Broadcast AssociateMedia / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment63,900 USD
Broadcast News AnalystMedia / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment92,300 USD
Broadcast TechnicianMedia / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment51,800 USD
Broadcast and Sound EngineerMedia / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment72,400 USD
Broadcasting JournalistMedia / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment107,700 USD
Broadcasting PresenterMedia / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment107,700 USD
CAS EngineerMedia / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment92,100 USD
Camera Equipment RepairerMedia / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment62,500 USD
Camera OperatorMedia / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment55,400 USD
Cartoonist / AnimatorMedia / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment79,600 USD
Censorship ExecutiveMedia / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment99,700 USD
ChoreographerMedia / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment73,300 USD
ColoristMedia / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment46,200 USD
Communications ManagerMedia / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment130,400 USD
CorrespondentMedia / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment99,700 USD
Dance DirectorMedia / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment92,300 USD
DancerMedia / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment76,000 USD
Director of PhotographyMedia / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment95,500 USD
Disc JockeyMedia / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment58,200 USD
Editorial AssistantMedia / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment46,200 USD
Events ManagerMedia / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment91,600 USD
Graphic DesignerMedia / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment63,500 USD
IllustratorMedia / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment70,800 USD
Industrial DesignerMedia / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment57,100 USD
Instructional DesignerMedia / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment54,200 USD
JournalistMedia / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment108,200 USD
Makeup ArtistMedia / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment58,100 USD
Media Design ManagerMedia / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment151,800 USD
Media Equipment OperatorMedia / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment49,200 USD
Media Operations ManagerMedia / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment124,500 USD
Media PlannerMedia / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment77,100 USD
Media ProducerMedia / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment108,200 USD
Media Product Development ManagerMedia / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment152,700 USD
Media Production ManagerMedia / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment152,700 USD
Media Program DirectorMedia / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment160,600 USD
Media Relation ExecutiveMedia / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment160,600 USD
Media Relations ManagerMedia / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment156,200 USD
Media Sales ManagerMedia / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment168,700 USD
Movement and Dance CoordinatorMedia / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment90,900 USD
Multimedia CoordinatorMedia / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment63,700 USD
Multimedia DesignerMedia / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment56,600 USD
Music ConsultantMedia / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment75,900 USD
MusicianMedia / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment65,100 USD
News AssociateMedia / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment78,900 USD
News ReporterMedia / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment107,300 USD
Post Production AssistantMedia / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment51,500 USD
ProducerMedia / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment142,100 USD
Product DesignerMedia / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment59,900 USD
Product PlannerMedia / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment74,600 USD
Production ArtistMedia / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment75,900 USD
Production AssistantMedia / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment55,600 USD
Production DirectorMedia / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment127,600 USD
Production TechnicianMedia / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment52,800 USD
Program ResearcherMedia / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment92,200 USD
Promotion CoordinatorMedia / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment73,700 USD
Sound EngineerMedia / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment75,000 USD
Stage TechnicianMedia / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment45,600 USD
Sub EditorMedia / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment54,600 USD
Television Executive ProducerMedia / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment172,300 USD
Transmission EngineerMedia / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment86,100 USD
Video EditorMedia / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment64,400 USD
Video ProducerMedia / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment83,300 USD
VideographerMedia / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment79,000 USD
Visual DesignerMedia / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment78,700 USD

Salary Comparison by City

If you want to compare salaries with different cities in United States, you can use the links below to explore the data for each specific city we have researched.

CityAverage Salary
Atlanta43,500 USD
Austin47,100 USD
Baltimore45,000 USD
Boston45,700 USD
Bristol37,300 USD
Chicago49,300 USD
Cincinnati39,600 USD
Cleveland42,600 USD
Dallas50,300 USD
Denver47,400 USD
Detroit45,400 USD
Honolulu35,200 USD
Houston53,500 USD
Indianapolis45,800 USD
Iowa City37,100 USD
Jacksonville47,400 USD
Kansas City40,200 USD
Kent36,700 USD
Las Vegas45,000 USD
Long Beach42,800 USD
Los Angeles52,800 USD
Memphis45,600 USD
Miami42,600 USD
Minneapolis40,300 USD
New Orleans41,000 USD
New York54,600 USD
Oakland39,700 USD
Oklahoma City44,900 USD
Orlando39,800 USD
Philadelphia52,000 USD
Phoenix55,600 USD
Sacramento45,600 USD
San Antonio52,000 USD
San Diego51,300 USD
San Francisco48,600 USD
San Jose48,500 USD
Seattle47,500 USD
Tampa39,100 USD
Vancouver36,800 USD

Salary Comparison by State

The table below includes links to the average salary for each state in United States.

StateAverage Salary
Alabama47,400 USD
Alaska42,600 USD
Arizona48,600 USD
Arkansas45,200 USD
California49,400 USD
Colorado44,500 USD
Connecticut45,600 USD
Delaware41,400 USD
District of Columbia41,700 USD
Florida47,400 USD
Georgia45,800 USD
Hawaii45,000 USD
Idaho45,000 USD
Illinois51,500 USD
Indiana46,200 USD
Iowa44,300 USD
Kansas41,400 USD
Kentucky48,200 USD
Louisiana44,500 USD
Maine40,300 USD
Maryland46,700 USD
Massachusetts46,300 USD
Michigan51,100 USD
Minnesota45,600 USD
Mississippi45,200 USD
Missouri46,700 USD
Montana41,100 USD
Nebraska42,000 USD
Nevada46,400 USD
New Hampshire43,500 USD
New Jersey47,200 USD
New Mexico41,500 USD
New York47,200 USD
North Carolina45,000 USD
North Dakota39,800 USD
Ohio48,300 USD
Oklahoma45,000 USD
Oregon43,500 USD
Pennsylvania49,000 USD
Rhode Island41,500 USD
South Carolina45,900 USD
South Dakota39,700 USD
Tennessee48,200 USD
Texas48,500 USD
Utah41,900 USD
Vermont40,200 USD
Virginia49,400 USD
Washington46,700 USD
West Virginia40,300 USD
Wisconsin45,600 USD
Wyoming39,800 USD

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