Last updated 2 October 2026
How much does a video editor make in 2026?
In the US, the median employed video editor earns $75,420 a year, or $36.26 an hour (BLS, May 2025). The middle half earn $52,720 to $105,310.
Upwork puts freelance video editors at $10 to $60 an hour, worldwide (Upwork, May 2026).
Work out what you should charge →
What do video editors earn in the US?
Film and Video Editors (SOC 27-4032), employees. A year (BLS, May 2025):
An hour: median $36.26, middle half $25.35 to $50.63, top tenth from $71.42. About 25,610 employees.
Counting the self-employed, BLS puts the occupation at 39,400 in 2025, 35.5% of them self-employed, and projects 3.7% change by 2035 (BLS projections 2025–35).
By state
| State | Median a year | Middle half | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York | $103,440 | $75,990–$135,640 | 3,710 |
| District of Columbia | $98,830 | $75,510–$122,650 | 370 |
| Massachusetts | $92,130 | $78,730–$112,910 | 550 |
| California | $88,490 | $60,810–$128,630 | 8,110 |
| Colorado | $84,620 | $58,700–$103,740 | 380 |
| Connecticut | $83,550 | $59,050–$95,720 | 600 |
| New Jersey | $82,890 | $70,070–$138,510 | 620 |
| Virginia | $78,740 | $64,050–$92,200 | n/p |
| Maryland | $78,380 | $60,920–$98,300 | 250 |
| Utah | $76,240 | $49,530–$95,110 | 370 |
| Alabama | $74,410 | $20,540–$80,680 | 120 |
| Illinois | $72,460 | $59,030–$91,340 | 310 |
| Oregon | $72,300 | $52,710–$96,210 | 360 |
| Louisiana | $66,870 | $55,400–$73,380 | 80 |
| Washington | $66,870 | $49,830–$85,120 | 450 |
| Nevada | $65,720 | $60,730–$82,610 | 320 |
| Vermont | $63,080 | $45,550–$76,980 | 100 |
| Kentucky | $62,330 | $47,430–$82,920 | 60 |
| New Hampshire | $61,250 | $48,630–$90,640 | 100 |
| Texas | $61,220 | $44,800–$80,360 | 1,040 |
| Florida | $60,430 | $50,880–$79,030 | 1,490 |
| North Carolina | $60,020 | $44,660–$94,380 | 400 |
| Michigan | $59,100 | $47,230–$98,010 | 360 |
| Missouri | $57,950 | $47,720–$76,230 | 380 |
| Tennessee | $57,880 | $44,410–$62,920 | 560 |
| Ohio | $56,410 | $44,300–$69,100 | 340 |
| Nebraska | $55,810 | $45,800–$64,490 | 120 |
| Oklahoma | $55,210 | $47,650–$55,790 | 100 |
| Idaho | $54,080 | $41,770–$74,990 | 100 |
| Wisconsin | $53,430 | $37,090–$73,300 | 240 |
| Minnesota | $53,150 | $47,430–$63,060 | 200 |
| Georgia | $51,280 | $37,780–$71,570 | n/p |
| Kansas | $50,900 | $26,540–$60,690 | 70 |
| Mississippi | $50,410 | $47,230–$50,470 | 50 |
| New Mexico | $49,400 | $46,540–$68,270 | 160 |
| Arkansas | $48,480 | $44,990–$53,770 | 80 |
| West Virginia | $48,440 | $44,950–$56,980 | 30 |
| Indiana | $46,780 | $39,000–$58,460 | 450 |
| Arizona | $45,840 | $45,060–$60,220 | 350 |
| Puerto Rico | $44,490 | $39,330–$44,510 | 110 |
| Montana | $42,520 | $35,820–$56,880 | 110 |
| South Dakota | $39,090 | $38,150–$46,720 | 30 |
| Alaska | $38,800 | $38,800–$48,810 | 30 |
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | 6,010 | $83,210 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | 3,430 | $104,590 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | 740 | $109,930 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | 560 | $91,750 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | 430 | $88,910 |
| Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL | 390 | $60,470 |
| Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL | 360 | $61,950 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | 350 | $65,000 |
| Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN | 300 | $59,280 |
| Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ | 290 | $45,750 |
| Las Vegas-Henderson-North Las Vegas, NV | 280 | $65,830 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | 280 | $75,420 |
What do video editors earn in the UK, Canada and Australia?
| Country | Local | In US$ |
|---|---|---|
| United StatesMedian a year (BLS, May 2025)Film and Video Editors (27-4032) | $75,420 | $75,420 |
| United KingdomMedian a year, full-time (ONS ASHE, April 2025 (provisional))Photographers, audio-visual and broadcasting equipment operators (SOC 3417) | £32,643 | $43,063 |
| CanadaMedian an hour (Job Bank Canada, 2023–24 data)Editors (NOC 51110) | C$34.62 | $24.78 |
| AustraliaAverage a week, all employees (ABS, May 2025)Film, television, radio and stage directors (ANZSCO 2123) | A$2,017 | $1,301 |
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
Photographers, audio-visual and broadcasting equipment operators (SOC 2020 3417). The UK group also counts photographers, camera operators and sound engineers. ONS rates the median reasonably precise. (ONS ASHE, April 2025 (provisional))
25th percentile £26,942 · Median £32,643 · the rest not published
Canada, an hour
Editors (NOC 51110), 2023-2024. Job Bank files the job title "video editor" under Editors (NOC 51110), a group that also counts print and online editors. (Job Bank Canada, 2023–24 data)
Australia: The Australian group (Film, television, radio and stage directors) includes Film and Video Editor (ANZSCO 212314) alongside directors and producers. ABS publishes the average for all employees, A$2,017 a week, with a standard error of A$145 (ABS, May 2025).
What do freelance video editors 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, video editors (Upwork, May 2026) | $10–$60an hour | Worldwide | Platform data |
| Upwork, video editors by experience (entry, mid, senior medians) (Upwork, checked October 2026)The same page's headline says "$6 - $25 per hour", which disagrees with its own table and with Upwork's 2026 rates article. We show the table. | entry $10, mid $40, senior $100an hour | Worldwide | Platform data |
| Fiverr, per finished minute (Fiverr, August 2026)Fiverr also says "a basic video editing job averages $65 total" and that high-end commercial videos "may cost as much as $450 a minute". | $10–$100a finished minute | Worldwide | Platform guide |
| Bectu UK minimum, short-form online editor (3+ years) (Bectu rate card 2023–24)Junior editor £315, assistant editor £260. TV commercials: editor £565. Minimums for a 9-hour day, from a 2023–2024 card. | £435 minimuma day | UK | Union minimum |
| Bectu UK minimum, factual and entertainment TV editor (Bectu rate card 2023–24)Including holiday. From a 2023–2024 card. | £2,040–£2,370a week | UK | Union minimum |
| Payoneer survey, multimedia production (average) (Payoneer survey, 2022)Self-reported, 2022. The survey has no separate video editing category. | $33 averagean hour | Worldwide | Survey, self-reported |
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 video editor make in the US?
In the US, the median employed video editor earns $75,420 a year, or $36.26 an hour (BLS, May 2025). The middle half earn $52,720 to $105,310.
How much does a video editor make in the UK?
In the UK, the nearest official group (Photographers, audio-visual and broadcasting equipment operators) has a full-time median of £32,643 a year, about $43,063 (ONS ASHE, April 2025 (provisional)). The UK group also counts photographers, camera operators and sound engineers.
How much does a video editor make in Canada?
In Canada, Editors (NOC 51110) earn a median of C$34.62 an hour, about $24.78 (Job Bank Canada, 2023–24 data). Job Bank files the job title "video editor" under Editors (NOC 51110), a group that also counts print and online editors.
How much does a video editor make in Australia?
In Australia, employees in Film, television, radio and stage directors (ANZSCO 2123) average A$2,017 a week, part-time included, about $1,301 (ABS, May 2025). ABS publishes averages only at this level, not percentiles.
How much should a freelance video editor charge?
Published figures: Upwork, video editors: $10 to $60 an hour (Upwork, May 2026); Upwork, video editors by experience (entry, mid, senior medians): medians of $10 (entry), $40 (mid), $100 (senior) an hour (Upwork, checked October 2026); Fiverr, per finished minute: $10 to $100 a finished minute (Fiverr, August 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 video editors are self-employed?
BLS counts 39,400 film and video editors in the US in 2025, of whom 35.5% are self-employed, and projects growth of 3.7% 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.
- Bectu (Post Production & Facilities Branch), Short Form Ratecard 2023–2025, published 2 July 2025. Checked 2 October 2026. Union minimumMinimum day rates (8 hours plus 1) for work under 15 minutes long, reached "after consultation with branch members and non-members". The card itself is headed 2023–2024; Bectu has not posted a newer one. Copyright Bectu; quoted with attribution.
- Bectu (Post Production & Facilities Branch), Factual & Entertainment TV Editors Ratecard 2023–2025, published 2 July 2025. Checked 2 October 2026. Union minimumMinimum rates, including holiday. The card itself is headed 2023–2024. Copyright Bectu; quoted with attribution.
- Fiverr, How Much Does a Video Editor Cost?, published 16 January 2025. Checked 2 October 2026. Platform guideA buying guide. No sample or method is stated. Copyright Fiverr; quoted with attribution.
- Payoneer, Global Freelancer Income Report 2022, published 2022. Checked 2 October 2026. Survey, self-reportedSurvey of 2,000 Payoneer customers in over 100 countries. Self-reported averages (means). Four years old: the newer 2023 edition gives no figures by field. Copyright Payoneer; quoted with attribution.
- Upwork, Upwork Hourly Rate: Rates by Skill & Experience in 2026, published 12 May 2026. Checked 2 October 2026. Platform dataUpwork calls these ranges directional benchmarks from its own marketplace. Worldwide, all experience levels. Copyright Upwork; quoted with attribution.
- Upwork, Video Editor Hourly Rates | Cost to Hire Video Editor. 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
Social media manager · Content creator / YouTuber · Podcast producer · 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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