Last updated 2 October 2026
How much does a podcast producer make in 2026?
In the US, the median employed podcast producer earns $90,360 a year, or $43.44 an hour (read from the nearest official group, Producers and Directors) (BLS, May 2025). The middle half earn $62,670 to $134,800.
Upwork puts freelance podcasting producers at $20 to $31 an hour, median $25, worldwide (Upwork, checked October 2026).
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What do podcast producers earn in the US?
Nearest official group: Producers and Directors (SOC 27-2012). Producers and Directors, across film, TV, radio, stage and online. A year (BLS, May 2025):
An hour: median $43.44, middle half $30.13 to $64.81, top tenth from $95.45. About 143,120 employees.
Counting the self-employed, BLS puts the occupation at 181,000 in 2025, 20.4% of them self-employed, and projects 4% change by 2035 (BLS projections 2025–35).
By state
| State | Median a year | Middle half | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| California | $129,790 | $83,110–$172,410 | 34,110 |
| New Jersey | $119,840 | $78,120–$161,550 | 2,970 |
| New York | $107,550 | $79,700–$169,260 | 27,990 |
| District of Columbia | $104,270 | $82,580–$133,180 | 2,640 |
| Connecticut | $88,260 | $63,030–$138,850 | 2,200 |
| Oregon | $87,460 | $60,260–$123,320 | 1,640 |
| Rhode Island | $84,250 | $58,050–$98,910 | 560 |
| Washington | $81,550 | $62,760–$128,030 | 2,270 |
| Illinois | $81,080 | $58,790–$106,320 | 3,170 |
| Massachusetts | $80,970 | $60,220–$105,940 | 3,440 |
| Georgia | $79,950 | $64,540–$125,780 | 5,010 |
| Florida | $79,920 | $62,360–$109,670 | 7,160 |
| Maryland | $79,350 | $58,580–$111,990 | 1,610 |
| Nevada | $78,480 | $54,630–$119,620 | 1,630 |
| Colorado | $78,060 | $58,500–$99,310 | 1,960 |
| Minnesota | $76,360 | $53,510–$100,300 | 1,390 |
| Utah | $76,350 | $50,000–$118,520 | 1,670 |
| Pennsylvania | $75,460 | $55,040–$100,290 | 4,200 |
| Tennessee | $73,020 | $49,650–$99,220 | 2,920 |
| Delaware | $72,650 | $59,640–$158,510 | 150 |
| Texas | $71,710 | $49,020–$99,100 | 6,610 |
| Maine | $71,320 | $48,970–$126,820 | 400 |
| Ohio | $69,350 | $52,590–$93,090 | 1,610 |
| Arizona | $67,320 | $49,640–$105,330 | 1,720 |
| Missouri | $66,460 | $48,710–$103,440 | 1,630 |
| Wisconsin | $66,390 | $49,080–$92,420 | 1,600 |
| Hawaii | $66,190 | $49,620–$82,750 | 510 |
| Virginia | $65,900 | $47,550–$93,180 | 2,820 |
| Michigan | $65,720 | $49,900–$94,590 | 2,310 |
| North Carolina | $63,700 | $40,230–$88,430 | 3,500 |
| Alabama | $63,340 | $45,780–$81,000 | 1,040 |
| Louisiana | $62,920 | $45,750–$108,800 | 880 |
| Oklahoma | $61,600 | $45,590–$89,010 | 770 |
| New Hampshire | $61,560 | $45,560–$80,810 | 300 |
| Idaho | $61,150 | $47,520–$77,580 | 380 |
| Kansas | $60,600 | $40,210–$78,740 | 420 |
| Wyoming | $60,420 | $42,230–$73,930 | 130 |
| South Dakota | $60,260 | $47,320–$72,610 | 170 |
| Indiana | $59,870 | $41,890–$80,490 | 1,480 |
| Iowa | $58,550 | $42,980–$75,650 | 720 |
| North Dakota | $57,870 | $42,910–$75,600 | 170 |
| South Carolina | $56,030 | $45,540–$84,990 | 1,190 |
| Vermont | $55,660 | $47,030–$82,460 | 290 |
| Kentucky | $54,550 | $45,680–$74,830 | 950 |
| Alaska | $54,060 | $45,030–$70,310 | 160 |
| Montana | $52,580 | $40,070–$76,990 | 390 |
| Nebraska | $52,580 | $44,280–$76,690 | 470 |
| Puerto Rico | $48,820 | $35,830–$70,630 | 260 |
| Mississippi | $48,100 | $41,370–$63,090 | 390 |
| West Virginia | $46,660 | $39,650–$75,520 | 230 |
| Arkansas | $38,820 | $27,000–$54,180 | 700 |
States where BLS published a median (BLS, May 2025). n/p: not published (too few responses, or withheld to protect employers).
Where the most jobs are
| Metro area | Jobs | Median a year |
|---|---|---|
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | 27,020 | $108,460 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | 21,910 | $131,600 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | 5,030 | $130,640 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | 4,230 | $100,270 |
| Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA | 3,840 | $79,950 |
| Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL | 3,020 | $87,980 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | 2,640 | $83,850 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN | 2,590 | $85,040 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | 2,330 | $77,260 |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD | 1,910 | $79,070 |
| Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN | 1,830 | $79,590 |
| Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL | 1,710 | $80,960 |
What do podcast producers earn in the UK, Canada and Australia?
| Country | Local | In US$ |
|---|---|---|
| United StatesMedian a year (BLS, May 2025)Producers and Directors (27-2012) | $90,360 | $90,360 |
| United KingdomMedian a year, full-time (ONS ASHE, April 2025 (provisional))Arts officers, producers and directors (SOC 3416) | £45,534 | $60,068 |
| CanadaMedian an hour (Job Bank Canada, 2023–24 data)Producers, directors, choreographers and related occupations (NOC 51120) | C$41.03 | $29.36 |
| AustraliaAverage a week, all employees (ABS, May 2025)Artistic directors, and media producers and presenters (ANZSCO 2121) | A$1,999 | $1,289 |
US dollars at the 2025 average rates: £1 = $1.3192, US$1 = C$1.3973, A$1 = $0.645 (Federal Reserve, 2025 average). The four figures measure different things, so compare each country with itself first.
UK, full-time, a year
Arts officers, producers and directors (SOC 2020 3416). Arts officers, producers and directors. ONS rates the median reasonably precise. (ONS ASHE, April 2025 (provisional))
10th percentile £30,660 · 25th percentile £35,078 · Median £45,534 · the rest not published
Canada, an hour
Producers, directors, choreographers and related occupations (NOC 51120), 2023-2024. Producers, directors, choreographers and related occupations. (Job Bank Canada, 2023–24 data)
Australia: Artistic directors, and media producers and presenters. ABS publishes the average for all employees, A$1,999 a week, with a standard error of A$153 (ABS, May 2025).
What do freelance podcast producers charge?
Published by the platforms, surveys and unions below, in their words. Platform figures describe that platform's own marketplace, which is worldwide; surveys are self-reported.
| What | Figure | Where | Evidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Upwork, podcasting producers (Upwork, checked October 2026) | $20–$31 (median $25)an hour | Worldwide | Platform data |
A freelance rate has to cover what an employer would: unpaid time, software, equipment, tax and holidays. The rate calculator turns the income you want into the hourly rate and project prices that cover them.
Questions
How much does a podcast producer make in the US?
In the US, the median employed podcast producer earns $90,360 a year, or $43.44 an hour (read from the nearest official group, Producers and Directors) (BLS, May 2025). The middle half earn $62,670 to $134,800.
How much does a podcast producer make in the UK?
In the UK, the nearest official group (Arts officers, producers and directors) has a full-time median of £45,534 a year, about $60,068 (ONS ASHE, April 2025 (provisional)). Arts officers, producers and directors.
How much does a podcast producer make in Canada?
In Canada, Producers, directors, choreographers and related occupations (NOC 51120) earn a median of C$41.03 an hour, about $29.36 (Job Bank Canada, 2023–24 data). Producers, directors, choreographers and related occupations.
How much does a podcast producer make in Australia?
In Australia, employees in Artistic directors, and media producers and presenters (ANZSCO 2121) average A$1,999 a week, part-time included, about $1,289 (ABS, May 2025). ABS publishes averages only at this level, not percentiles.
How much should a freelance podcast producer charge?
Published figures: Upwork, podcasting producers: $20 to $31 an hour, median $25 (Upwork, checked October 2026). These are platform and survey figures, not a census. To work out your own rate from the income you want, your costs and your billable hours, use the free calculator at https://tryslicemedia.com/tools/creative-rate-calculator.
How many podcast producers are self-employed?
BLS counts 181,000 producers and directors in the US in 2025, of whom 20.4% are self-employed, and projects growth of 4% by 2035 (BLS projections 2025–35). The wage figures above cover employees only.
Sources
- Australian Bureau of Statistics, Employee Earnings and Hours, Australia, May 2025, Data Cube 11, published 23 January 2026. Checked 2 October 2026. Official dataAverage (mean) weekly total cash earnings of ALL employees in May 2025, part-time included, by ANZSCO four-digit occupation. ABS publishes no percentiles at this level. Creative Commons Attribution 4.0.
- Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, Foreign Exchange Rates, G.5A Annual, 2025 averages, published 5 January 2026. Checked 2 October 2026. Official dataAverage of 2025 daily noon buying rates in New York. US government work, public domain.
- Employment and Social Development Canada (Job Bank), Job Bank wages, 2025 release (open data), published 19 November 2025. Checked 2 October 2026. Official dataHourly wages by occupation (NOC 2021), mostly from Statistics Canada's Labour Force Survey, 2023–2024. Job Bank's "low" and "high" wages are the 10th and 90th percentiles in most cases. Open Government Licence – Canada.
- Office for National Statistics (UK), Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, 2025 provisional, Table 14 (occupation by SOC 2020 four-digit), published 23 October 2025. Checked 2 October 2026. Official dataEmployee jobs in April 2025, from HMRC PAYE records. Full-time employees, gross pay. Figures ONS judges unreliable or disclosive are suppressed and shown here as not published. Provisional: ONS revises them a year later. Open Government Licence v3.0.
- US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025, published 15 May 2026. Checked 2 October 2026. Official dataSurvey of about 1.1 million employer establishments over three years. Wage and salary workers only: the self-employed are not included. Annual figures are hourly wages times 2,080 hours. US government work, public domain.
- US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2025–35, Table 1.2. Checked 2 October 2026. Official dataProjected change in employment from 2025 to 2035, including the self-employed, and the share of workers who are self-employed. US government work, public domain.
- Upwork, Podcasting Producer Hourly Rates. Checked 2 October 2026. Platform data"Typical hourly rate ranges of certain historical contracts worldwide." The range is on the page; the median is in the page's own description (its meta text). No date on the page. Copyright Upwork; quoted with attribution.
How the roles are matched to official groups, and the rest of the method: Creative pay 2026. Download the data (CSV).
Other roles
Video editor · Social media manager · Content creator / YouTuber · Podcast editor · Motion designer / animator · Graphic designer · Photographer · Videographer / camera operator · Copywriter / writer · UX/UI designer · Illustrator · Music producer / audio engineer
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