# Audio and Video Technicians

US SOC code 27-4011. Markdown version of https://futurehistory.earth/timeline/27-4011

Also called: AV technician, Audio visual technician, AV tech, Event technician, Production technician.

## In brief

In May 2025, [BLS](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm25nat.zip) counted **70,230** US audio and video technicians, with median pay of **$58,100** a year. Of the BLS counts since 2021, the May 2025 count is the highest. The earliest figure here is [an estimate](https://www.fcc.gov/media/radio/history-of-commercial-radio) of **22,000** from 1930, not measured the same way as today's count. The last full technology era for audio and video technicians: Hybrid event + streaming integration, 2020 to 2023. The pandemic-era disruption accelerated the shift toward hybrid event formats that became a durable feature of the post-2020 events landscape.

## What the sources say

### Official outlook

BLS projects employment to grow 3.9% from 2025 to 2035. Source: [BLS Employment Projections 2025-35](https://data.bls.gov/projections/nationalMatrix?queryParams=27-4011&ioType=o).

### AI exposure studies

- **30%** of this job's tasks are exposed to large language models. Not a forecast of job losses. [Eloundou and others, 2023](https://github.com/openai/GPTs-are-GPTs/blob/main/data/occ_level.csv)

Data as of BLS OEWS May 2025; BLS Employment Projections 2025-35. BLS publishes these counts as yearly survey snapshots and cautions against reading them as a precise trend.

## Audio and Video Technicians employment and pay by year

- On record since: 1920
- Latest US employment: 70,230 (May 2025). Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 [5]
- Latest US median pay: $58,100 (May 2025). Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 [8]
- Outlook: +3.9% by 2035. Source: BLS Employment Projections 2025-35 [24]

### In other countries

The latest figure each country's statistics agency publishes for this job. Each uses its own occupation definition, survey basis and currency, so the numbers are not directly comparable with each other or with the US figures.

- **Canada** (NOC 52113)
  - Employment, 2020: 25,070. Source: Statistics Canada Census 2021 [6]. Statistics Canada Census of Population 2021: number of persons with employment income in NOC 52113 Audio and video recording technicians, Canada, reference year 2020. A recipients basis (anyone with employment income during the year), slightly broader than a point-in-time employed count. Statistics Canada Open Licence.
  - Median pay, 2020: C$57,200. Source: Statistics Canada Census 2021 [9]. Statistics Canada Census of Population 2021 (Table 98-10-0586): median employment income for NOC 52113 Audio and video recording technicians, Canada, reference year 2020, full-year full-time workers (the basis comparable to the US OEWS full-time median). Statistics Canada Open Licence.

### All 27 years of cited US data

| Year | US employment | Annual pay (median unless marked) | Source |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1930 | 22,000 (estimate) | n/a | Est., FCC [1] |
| 1950 | 48,000 (estimate) | n/a | Est., IATSE [2] |
| 1975 | 72,000 (estimate) | n/a | Est., ProSoundWeb [3] |
| 1990 | 95,000 (estimate) | $24,000 (estimate) | Est., Medium / AV industry history (employment) [4]; Est., IATSE Broadcast Department (pay) [7] |
| 2003 | 37,370 | $30,810 | BLS OEWS May 2003 [5] |
| 2004 | 40,050 | $32,570 | BLS OEWS May 2004 [5] |
| 2005 | 40,390 | $32,940 | BLS OEWS May 2005 [5] |
| 2006 | 40,360 | $34,840 | BLS OEWS May 2006 [5] |
| 2007 | 40,360 | $36,050 | BLS OEWS May 2007 [5] |
| 2008 | 45,200 | $38,050 | BLS OEWS May 2008 [5] |
| 2009 | 46,070 | $39,100 | BLS OEWS May 2009 [5] |
| 2010 | 47,510 | $40,540 | BLS OEWS May 2010 [5] |
| 2011 | 49,180 | $41,630 | BLS OEWS May 2011 [5] |
| 2012 | 54,310 | $41,850 | BLS OEWS May 2012 [5] |
| 2013 | 56,440 | $41,250 | BLS OEWS May 2013 [5] |
| 2014 | 60,200 | $41,780 | BLS OEWS May 2014 [5] |
| 2015 | 62,460 | $41,440 | BLS OEWS May 2015 [5] |
| 2016 | 69,670 | $42,230 | BLS OEWS May 2016 [5] |
| 2017 | 72,740 | $42,190 | BLS OEWS May 2017 [5] |
| 2018 | 75,940 | $43,770 | BLS OEWS May 2018 [5] |
| 2019 | 73,960 | $45,910 | BLS OEWS May 2019 [5] |
| 2020 | 62,360 | $47,920 | BLS OEWS May 2020 [5] |
| 2021 | 50,590 | $48,820 | BLS OEWS May 2021 [5] |
| 2022 | 56,110 | $50,660 | BLS OEWS May 2022 [5] |
| 2023 | 66,700 | $51,640 | BLS OEWS May 2023 [5] |
| 2024 | 70,080 | $54,830 | BLS OEWS May 2024 [5] |
| 2025 | 70,230 | $58,100 | BLS OEWS May 2025 [5] |

## Sources (87)

### Employment series

1. [FCC — History of Commercial Radio (NBC and CBS network formation, 1926-27; over 600 stations licensed by 1930)](https://www.fcc.gov/media/radio/history-of-commercial-radio), Federal Communications Commission
2. [IATSE — International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees history (television jurisdiction from 1940s; technical crew representation)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Alliance_of_Theatrical_Stage_Employees), IATSE / Wikipedia
3. [ProSoundWeb — "Modern Pioneers: The History of PA" (touring concert sound history, Clair Brothers, 1970s growth)](https://www.prosoundweb.com/modern-pioneers-the-history-of-pa/), ProSoundWeb
4. [Evolution of AV Systems Integration in the Hospitality Industry (corporate AV staging growth, 1980s-1990s)](https://medium.com/@jamesespinosa926/the-evolution-of-av-systems-integration-in-the-hospitality-industry-3792d4061455), Medium / AV industry history
5. BLS OEWS, national cross-industry estimates (flat file), Bureau of Labor Statistics. Editions: [2003](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm03nat.zip), [2004](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm04nat.zip), [2005](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm05nat.zip), [2006](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm06nat.zip), [2007](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm07nat.zip), [2008](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm08nat.zip), [2009](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm09nat.zip), [2010](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm10nat.zip), [2011](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm11nat.zip), [2012](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm12nat.zip), [2013](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm13nat.zip), [2014](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm14nat.zip), [2015](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm15nat.zip), [2016](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm16nat.zip), [2017](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm17nat.zip), [2018](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm18nat.zip), [2019](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm19nat.zip), [2020](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm20nat.zip), [2021](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm21nat.zip), [2022](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm22nat.zip), [2023](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm23nat.zip), [2024](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm24nat.zip), [2025](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm25nat.zip)
6. [Statistics Canada, Census of Population 2021, Table 98-10-0586 (Employment income statistics by occupation unit group, NOC 2021), income reference year 2020](https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/t1/tbl1/en/tv.action?pid=9810058601), Statistics Canada

### Wage series

7. [IATSE Broadcast Department — jurisdiction and representation history (wage scale context for broadcast technical workers, late 1980s-1990s)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IATSE_Broadcast_Department), IATSE / Wikipedia
8. BLS OEWS, national cross-industry estimates (flat file), Bureau of Labor Statistics. Editions: [2003](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm03nat.zip), [2004](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm04nat.zip), [2005](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm05nat.zip), [2006](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm06nat.zip), [2007](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm07nat.zip), [2008](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm08nat.zip), [2009](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm09nat.zip), [2010](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm10nat.zip), [2011](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm11nat.zip), [2012](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm12nat.zip), [2013](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm13nat.zip), [2014](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm14nat.zip), [2015](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm15nat.zip), [2016](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm16nat.zip), [2017](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm17nat.zip), [2018](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm18nat.zip), [2019](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm19nat.zip), [2020](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm20nat.zip), [2021](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm21nat.zip), [2022](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm22nat.zip), [2023](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm23nat.zip), [2024](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm24nat.zip), [2025](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm25nat.zip)
9. [Statistics Canada, Census of Population 2021, Table 98-10-0586 (Employment income statistics by occupation unit group, NOC 2021), income reference year 2020](https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/t1/tbl1/en/tv.action?pid=9810058601), Statistics Canada

### Tool eras

10. [FCC — History of Commercial Radio (NBC and CBS founding, 1926-27; commercial radio technical structure)](https://www.fcc.gov/media/radio/history-of-commercial-radio), Federal Communications Commission
11. [Milestones: Westinghouse Radio Station KDKA, 1920 — Engineering and Technology History Wiki](https://ethw.org/Milestones:Westinghouse_Radio_Station_KDKA,_1920), Engineering and Technology History Wiki
12. [IATSE — International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (television technical jurisdiction from 1940s, sound and video crew representation)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Alliance_of_Theatrical_Stage_Employees), IATSE / Wikipedia
13. [Elon University Imagining the Internet — 1920s-1960s: Television (commercial TV history, 1946 licensing resumption)](https://www.elon.edu/u/imagining/time-capsule/150-years/back-1920-1960/), Elon University
14. [ProSoundWeb — "Modern Pioneers: The History of PA" (touring PA history, Clair Brothers, Midas PRO4 1974, arena sound development)](https://www.prosoundweb.com/modern-pioneers-the-history-of-pa/), ProSoundWeb
15. [Sweetwater InSync — "A Century of Live Sound" (live sound reinforcement history, 1960s-1980s)](https://www.sweetwater.com/insync/century-live-sound/), Sweetwater
16. [Evolution of AV Systems Integration in the Hospitality Industry (corporate AV staging growth, hotel AV investment 1980s-1990s)](https://medium.com/@jamesespinosa926/the-evolution-of-av-systems-integration-in-the-hospitality-industry-3792d4061455), Medium / AV industry history
17. [Richmond AV — History of AV Integration Technology (digital audio timeline, ADAT, Pro Tools, corporate AV)](https://richmondav.ca/history-of-av-integration-technology-everything-you-need-to-know/), Richmond AV
18. [O\*NET 30.3 — Audio and Video Technicians (27-4011.00)](https://www.onetonline.org/link/summary/27-4011.00), O\*NET / BLS
19. [BLS OOH — Broadcast, Sound, and Video Technicians 2024-25 (corporate video conferencing growth as demand driver)](https://www.bls.gov/ooh/media-and-communication/broadcast-and-sound-engineering-technicians.htm), Bureau of Labor Statistics
20. [Podglomerate — Best AI Tools for Podcast Production in 2026 (history of podcast production tools)](https://podglomerate.com/ai-tools-for-podcast-production/), Podglomerate
21. [Descript — AI Podcast Editing: Overdub, Studio Sound, and Filler Word Removal (2025-2026)](https://www.descript.com/blog/article/the-best-ai-tools-for-podcasters-from-scriptwriting-to-audio-editing-to-marketing-your-show), Descript
22. [Adobe Podcast — Enhance Speech V2: AI Source Separation and Audio Cleanup (2026)](https://podcast.adobe.com/en/enhance), Adobe
23. [Runway — Gen-4: AI Video Generation with World Consistency (May 2026)](https://runwayml.com/research/introducing-runway-gen-4), Runway

### Forecasts and exposure studies

24. [BLS Employment Projections 2025-35, National Employment Matrix: 27-4011 Audio and video technicians (2025: 87.6 thousand; 2035: 91.1 thousand; +3.9%)](https://data.bls.gov/projections/nationalMatrix?queryParams=27-4011&ioType=o), Bureau of Labor Statistics
25. [Eloundou, Manning, Mishkin & Rock (2023), "GPTs are GPTs", occupation-level exposure data occ\_level.csv (O\*NET-SOC 27-4011.00, human-rated β 0.3)](https://github.com/openai/GPTs-are-GPTs/blob/main/data/occ_level.csv), OpenAI

### Historical notes

26. [Milestones: Westinghouse Radio Station KDKA, 1920 — Engineering and Technology History Wiki](https://ethw.org/Milestones:Westinghouse_Radio_Station_KDKA,_1920), Engineering and Technology History Wiki
27. [FCC — History of Commercial Radio (NBC 1926, CBS 1927 founding and network expansion)](https://www.fcc.gov/media/radio/history-of-commercial-radio), Federal Communications Commission
28. [Radio World — "Radio Broadcasting Becomes a Reality: KDKA on Nov. 2, 1920" (Ampex tape recorder context in broadcast history)](https://www.radioworld.com/columns-and-views/roots-of-radio/radio-broadcasting-becomes-a-reality-nov-2-1920), Radio World
29. [Sweetwater InSync — "A Century of Live Sound" (Shea Stadium 1965, touring PA origins)](https://www.sweetwater.com/insync/century-live-sound/), Sweetwater
30. [ProSoundWeb — "Modern Pioneers: The History of PA" (Midas PRO4 1974, Soundcraft Series 1, Yamaha PM1000)](https://www.prosoundweb.com/modern-pioneers-the-history-of-pa/), ProSoundWeb
31. [BLS OOH — Broadcast, Sound, and Video Technicians 2024-25 (COVID impact and hybrid-event recovery context)](https://www.bls.gov/ooh/media-and-communication/broadcast-and-sound-engineering-technicians.htm), Bureau of Labor Statistics

### Predecessors & successors

32. [Frank Conrad / KDKA history — Westinghouse Radio Station KDKA, 1920 (amateur radio to broadcast engineer pipeline)](https://ethw.org/Milestones:Westinghouse_Radio_Station_KDKA,_1920), Engineering and Technology History Wiki
33. [IATSE — International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (theatre crafts persons moving into television production from 1940s)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Alliance_of_Theatrical_Stage_Employees), IATSE / Wikipedia

### Present-day analysis

- [O\*NET 30.3 — Audio and Video Technicians (27-4011.00)](https://www.onetonline.org/link/summary/27-4011.00), accessed 2026-06-05
- [BLS OOH — Broadcast, Sound, and Video Technicians, 2024-25](https://www.bls.gov/ooh/media-and-communication/broadcast-and-sound-engineering-technicians.htm), accessed 2026-06-05
- [Eloundou et al. 2024 — GPTs are GPTs (Science)](https://arxiv.org/abs/2303.10130), accessed 2026-06-05
- [Goldman Sachs — The Potentially Large Effects of AI on Economic Growth (Briggs/Kodnani 2023)](https://www.gspublishing.com/content/research/en/reports/2023/03/27/d64e052b-0f6e-45d7-967b-d7be35fabd16.html), accessed 2026-06-05
- [Descript — AI Podcast Editing: Overdub, Studio Sound, and Filler Word Removal (2025-2026)](https://www.descript.com/blog/article/the-best-ai-tools-for-podcasters-from-scriptwriting-to-audio-editing-to-marketing-your-show), accessed 2026-06-05
- [The Podcast Haven — Descript AI-Powered Podcast and Video Studio (2026)](https://thepodcasthaven.com/descript-your-ai-powered-podcast-video-studio-2025-update), accessed 2026-06-05
- [Adobe Podcast — Enhance Speech V2: AI Source Separation and Audio Cleanup (2026)](https://podcast.adobe.com/en/enhance), accessed 2026-06-05
- [Podglomerate — Best AI Tools for Podcast Production in 2026](https://podglomerate.com/ai-tools-for-podcast-production/), accessed 2026-06-05
- [Runway — Gen-4: AI Video Generation with World Consistency (May 2026)](https://runwayml.com/research/introducing-runway-gen-4), accessed 2026-06-05
- [Lemonade Digital Media — Best AI Video Production Tools in 2026](https://lemonadedigitalmedia.com/en/the-best-ai-video-production-tools-in-2026/), accessed 2026-06-05

How to read these figures: https://futurehistory.earth/methodology. Every figure links to its own source; gaps stay gaps.