Camera Operators, Television, Video, and Film
Median $74,990
Occupation · SOC 27-4032
Film and Video Editors: pay and where the jobs are
What film and video editors earn in the U.S., how pay varies across workers and states, and tools to plan around it.
National pay, May 2025
$75,420 median annual wage
- Mean (average) annual wage
- $86,130
- Median hourly wage
- $36.26
- Mean hourly wage
- $41.41
- Employment
- 25,610
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 27-4032.
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See where your pay falls among film and video editors nationally and in your state. Nothing you type leaves your browser.
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How much do film and video editors make?
The median annual wage for film and video editors was $75,420 in May 2025, so half of workers earned more and half earned less. The lowest-paid 10% earned less than $40,280 and the highest-paid 10% more than $148,550. As an hourly rate, the median is $36.26. About 25,610 people work in this occupation nationwide. The highest state medians are in New York ($103,440), District of Columbia ($98,830) and Massachusetts ($92,130). New York also comes out on top after taxes and local prices.
Pay ladder
What each step of the pay range for film and video editors looks like per month. Take-home here includes federal tax, Social Security and Medicare for a single filer; add your state in the paycheck calculator.
| Step | Annual | Hourly | Monthly gross | Monthly after federal tax & FICA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $40,280 | $19.37 | $3,357 | $2,879 |
| 25th percentile | $52,720 | $25.35 | $4,393 | $3,712 |
| Median | $75,420 | $36.26 | $6,285 | $5,157 |
| 75th percentile | $105,310 | $50.63 | $8,776 | $6,910 |
| 90th percentile | $148,550 | $71.42 | $12,379 | $9,400 |
Film and Video Editors: pay by state
43 states and territories have a published median, sorted from highest to lowest. The last two columns are our estimates: the median after 2026 federal and state taxes, and that take-home restated in national-average prices.
1
$70,509 take-home in national prices
2
$66,355 take-home in national prices
3
$65,382 take-home in national prices
Where a median film and video editor paycheck goes furthest after 2026 taxes and BEA price levels.
| State | Employment | Median | 10th pct. | 90th pct. | Median after tax* | In national prices† |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York | 3,710 | $103,440 | $55,990 | $172,280 | $76,094 | $70,509 |
| District of Columbia | 370 | $98,830 | $59,990 | $130,350 | $72,925 | $66,355 |
| Massachusetts | 550 | $92,130 | $56,880 | $129,330 | $68,833 | $65,086 |
| California | 8,110 | $88,490 | $42,020 | $169,810 | $65,948 | $59,563 |
| Colorado | 380 | $84,620 | $50,830 | $131,030 | $64,973 | $63,049 |
| Connecticut | 600 | $83,550 | $47,560 | $134,390 | $63,344 | $61,137 |
| New Jersey | 620 | $82,890 | $49,070 | $170,410 | $63,514 | $58,375 |
| Virginia | Not published | $78,740 | $56,730 | $107,690 | $60,510 | $59,849 |
| Maryland | 250 | $78,380 | $51,850 | $124,090 | $60,613 | $57,749 |
| Utah | 370 | $76,240 | $39,000 | $110,000 | $59,284 | $59,965 |
| Alabama | 120 | $74,410 | $18,610 | $95,940 | $58,074 | $65,382 |
| Illinois | 310 | $72,460 | $46,710 | $116,720 | $56,364 | $56,387 |
| Oregon | 360 | $72,300 | $34,040 | $134,130 | $54,389 | $52,620 |
| Louisiana | 80 | $66,870 | $44,910 | $87,940 | $54,253 | $61,507 |
| Washington | 450 | $66,870 | $40,130 | $131,150 | $54,945 | $51,345 |
| Nevada | 320 | $65,720 | $48,020 | $115,680 | $54,986 | $54,998 |
| Vermont | 100 | $63,080 | $42,380 | $175,460 | $51,185 | $52,252 |
| Kentucky | 60 | $62,330 | $45,330 | $83,920 | $50,198 | $55,677 |
| New Hampshire | 100 | $61,250 | $39,380 | $109,080 | $51,394 | $49,339 |
| Texas | 1,040 | $61,220 | $36,030 | $116,280 | $51,370 | $52,928 |
| Florida | 1,490 | $60,430 | $47,830 | $104,810 | $50,736 | $49,061 |
| North Carolina | 400 | $60,020 | $31,200 | $103,160 | $48,520 | $51,439 |
| Michigan | 360 | $59,100 | $41,600 | $107,210 | $47,406 | $49,270 |
| Missouri | 380 | $57,950 | $35,670 | $90,590 | $46,957 | $51,705 |
| Tennessee | 560 | $57,880 | $40,820 | $72,470 | $48,687 | $52,995 |
| Ohio | 340 | $56,410 | $28,280 | $91,110 | $46,398 | $50,011 |
| Nebraska | 120 | $55,810 | $43,270 | $81,800 | $45,364 | $50,346 |
| Oklahoma | 100 | $55,210 | $34,800 | $79,510 | $44,602 | $50,775 |
| Idaho | 100 | $54,080 | $38,170 | $77,280 | $43,875 | $45,946 |
| Wisconsin | 240 | $53,430 | $34,210 | $95,680 | $43,365 | $46,087 |
| Minnesota | 200 | $53,150 | $46,520 | $89,080 | $42,561 | $43,156 |
| Georgia | Not published | $51,280 | $33,280 | $131,220 | $41,573 | $43,174 |
| Kansas | 70 | $50,900 | $22,120 | $84,870 | $41,038 | $45,563 |
| Mississippi | 50 | $50,410 | $46,920 | $52,700 | $41,400 | $47,612 |
| New Mexico | 160 | $49,400 | $46,300 | $79,440 | $40,716 | $44,155 |
| Arkansas | 80 | $48,480 | $38,260 | $65,720 | $39,828 | $45,812 |
| West Virginia | 30 | $48,440 | $34,570 | $66,240 | $39,723 | $44,385 |
| Indiana | 450 | $46,780 | $37,720 | $68,540 | $38,417 | $41,163 |
| Arizona | 350 | $45,840 | $38,430 | $82,280 | $38,260 | $38,003 |
| Puerto Rico | 110 | $44,490 | $25,240 | $46,530 | — | — |
| Montana | 110 | $42,520 | $25,230 | $60,360 | $35,103 | $37,089 |
| South Dakota | 30 | $39,090 | $35,360 | $54,460 | $33,589 | $37,917 |
| Alaska | 30 | $38,800 | $38,230 | $65,340 | $33,162 | $32,398 |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 27-4032. *Our estimate for a single filer paid biweekly with no pre-tax deductions or local tax, 2026 federal and state rules. †Take-home ÷ BEA Regional Price Parity × 100 (2024 price levels).
Sources
- OEWS May 2025 (oesm25nat.zip) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Accessed 2026-10-09.
- OEWS May 2025 (oesm25st.zip) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Accessed 2026-10-09.