Occupation salary profile

Film and Video Editors

SOC 27-4032 BLS OEWS May 2025 H-1B LCAs, last 12 months

Edit moving images on film, video, or other media. May work with a producer or director to organize images for final production. May edit or synchronize soundtracks with images. Excludes “Sound Engineering Technicians” (27-4014).

National median · BLS
$75,420
▲ +6.26% YoY
H-1B sponsor median
$60,000
▼ -0.27% YoY · 75 LCAs
Average salary · BLS
$86,130
Mean annual wage
U.S. employment
25,610
Jobs (BLS)
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Enter your pay and a location to see where you stand against BLS and H-1B pay, your estimated take-home pay, and your purchasing power.

Pay range for Film and Video Editors

Annual base pay at each percentile. BLS covers all U.S. workers in this occupation; H-1B covers 75 certified Labor Condition Applications filed by sponsoring employers in the last 12 months.

Percentile All U.S. workers (BLS) H-1B sponsored
10th — entry pay$40,280$43,200
25th$52,720$54,964
Median (50th)$75,420$60,000
75th$105,310$84,699
90th — top pay$148,550$106,278
H-1B sponsors pay a median of $60,000 for Film and Video Editors — 20.4% below the BLS national median of $75,420.

Hourly ⇄ annual pay

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Based on hrs/week × weeks/year = 2,080 hrs
Projections 2025–2035

Job outlook for Film and Video Editors

BLS projects employment of film and video editors to grow 3.7% from 2025 to 2035, about the same as the 3.5% average for all occupations. About 3,100 openings are projected each year, on average, from new jobs and from replacing workers who retire or move to other occupations.

Jobs 2025 → 2035
39,400 → 40,800
+1,500 jobs
Projected change
+3.7%
All occupations: +3.5%
Openings per year
3,100
Average, 2025–2035
Typical entry education
Bachelor's degree
No related experience required
Self-employed
35.5% of workers (2025)
Preparation needed (O*NET Job Zone 4)
Considerable Preparation Needed. Most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.
Fastest-growing jobs → Best-paying jobs that need a bachelor's degree →

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2025–2035 · BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook →

H-1B sponsored pay

Pay by H-1B wage level

Employers assign every H-1B filing a Department of Labor prevailing-wage level, from Level I (entry) to Level IV (fully competent). Pay rises steeply with level.

H-1B median $60,000
Change vs prior year -0.27%
After inflation (CPI-U) -3.3%
Wage level LCAs Share P25 Median P75
Level I 41 54.7% $46,010 $55,661 $61,547
Level II 21 28% $59,000 $78,100 $95,000
H-1B job titles

Salaries by job title in Film and Video Editors

The 1 most-filed job titles inside SOC 27-4032, from 75 H-1B filings. Seniority words and level numbers are grouped (“Senior Data Engineer II” counts as Data Engineer). Tap a title for its full range, wage levels and the exact titles employers used.

Job title LCAs Share P25 Median P75 YoY
Video Editor 19 25.33% $54,560 $56,638 $78,060 -19.09%

Titles are cleaned from the employer's own LCA text (codes and typos removed, nothing invented). Rows need 10+ filings in this SOC.

Skills & tools

Skills needed for Film and Video Editors

How important each skill and knowledge area is for this job, rated by O*NET on a 1–5 scale from surveys of workers and occupational analysts.

Top skills
  • Active Listening3.8
  • Critical Thinking3.5
  • Reading Comprehension3.4
  • Active Learning3.3
  • Complex Problem Solving3.3
  • Speaking3.3
  • Judgment and Decision Making3.1
  • Time Management3.1
  • Writing3.1
  • Coordination3.0
Top knowledge areas
  • Communications and Media4.9
  • English Language4.6
  • Computers and Electronics4.5
  • Telecommunications4.1
  • Fine Arts4.0
  • Production and Processing3.7
  • Customer and Personal Service3.4
  • Engineering and Technology3.3
Software and technology used
Adobe After EffectsAdobe Creative Cloud softwareAdobe IllustratorAdobe InDesignAdobe PhotoshopTikTokAdobe Premiere ProApple Final Cut ProDaVinci ResolveVideo editing softwareAJAXCascading style sheets CSSExtensible markup language XMLHypertext markup language HTMLJavaScriptMicrosoft ExcelMicrosoft Office softwareMicrosoft PowerPoint

Highlighted = in demand: frequently listed in employer job postings for this occupation (O*NET).

Source: O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.

About the job

What film and video editors do

  • Organize and string together raw footage into a continuous whole according to scripts or the instructions of directors and producers.
  • Edit films and videotapes to insert music, dialogue, and sound effects, to arrange films into sequences, and to correct errors, using editing equipment.
  • Select and combine the most effective shots of each scene to form a logical and smoothly running story.
  • Review footage sequence by sequence to become familiar with it before assembling it into a final product.
  • Set up and operate computer editing systems, electronic titling systems, video switching equipment, and digital video effects units to produce a final product.
  • Trim film segments to specified lengths and reassemble segments in sequences that present stories with maximum effect.
  • Cut shot sequences to different angles at specific points in scenes, making each individual cut as fluid and seamless as possible.
  • Review assembled films or edited videotapes on screens or monitors to determine if corrections are necessary.
Also called
EditorFilm EditorNews EditorVideo EditorNews Video EditorNews Videotape EditorNon-Linear EditorOnline EditorTape EditorTelevision News Video Editor
More job titles for this occupation (15)
Content CreatorContract Video EditorCue SelectorDigital Media CoordinatorDigital Video EditorElectronic News Gathering Editor (ENG Editor)FilmmakerMovie EditorMultimedia SpecialistOptical Effects Layout PersonVideo Content CreatorVideo Production EditorVideo Tape DuplicatorVideo Tape TransferrerVideotape Editor

Source: O*NET 31.0 (USDOL/ETA, CC BY 4.0). These are general job titles, not H-1B filings; for titles employers actually filed, see “Job titles” above.