Hourly Wage for Video Editor Salary in the United States

What is the hourly salary range of Video Editor?

As of August 01, 2026, the average hourly rate for a Video Editor in the United States is $29, which translates to an annual salary of about $60,240.

However, the hourly wage can vary significantly based on several factors. Here’s a detailed look at the typical pay range per hour:

  • Top Earners (90th percentile): $34 per hour
  • Majority Range (25th-75th percentile): $25 to $31 per hour
  • Entry-Level (10th percentile): $21 per hour

Key Factors That Influence Video Editor Salaries

A Video Editor's salary isn't a fixed number. It's shaped by several important factors. Below, we'll explore how your years of experience, geographic location, education and company size can directly affect your earning potential.

How Experience Level Affects Video Editor Salaries?

Experience is a primary driver of a Video Editor's salary. As you build your skills and take on more complex tasks, your compensation generally increases. Here's how the average salary grows at different career stages:

  • Entry-Level (less than 1 year): $57,327
  • Early Career (1-2 years): $57,592
  • Mid-Level (2-4 years): $60,609
  • Senior-Level (5-8 years): $62,675
  • Expert (over 8 years): $62,822
Levels Salary
Entry Level Video Editor$57,327
Intermediate Level Video Editor$57,592
Senior Level Video Editor$60,609
Specialist Level Video Editor$62,675
Expert Level Video Editor$62,822

Top Paying Cities for Video Editor

Salaries can also vary between different cities. Major metropolitan areas or cities with a high demand for technicians often offer more competitive pay. Here are a few examples of average annual salaries in different U.S. cities:

  • San Jose: $75,981
  • San Francisco: $75,149
  • Oakland: $73,565

What Skills Can Increase a Video Editor's Salary?

Demanded Skills for the Role:

  • Storytelling (Mentioned in 6.01% Job Postings): Planning, creating and presenting stories or narratives to achieve diverse personal and business goals.
  • Photoshop (Mentioned in 3.86% Job Postings): Photoshop is an image creation, graphic design and photo editing software developed by Adobe. It is used to demonstrate knowledge of image resolution, image size, and image file format for web, video, and print.
  • Photography (Mentioned in 1.58% Job Postings): Photography is the art, application and practice of creating durable images by recording light or other electromagnetic radiation, either electronically by means of an image sensor, or chemically by means of a light-sensitive material such as photographic film. It is employed in many fields of science, manufacturing (e.g., photolithography), and business, as well as its more direct uses for art, film and video production, recreational purposes, hobby, and mass communication. Typically, a lens is used to focus the light reflected or emitted from objects into a real image on the light-sensitive surface inside a camera during a timed exposure. With an electronic image sensor, this produces an electrical charge at each pixel, which is electronically processed and stored in a digital image file for subsequent display or processing. The result with photographic emulsion is an invisible latent image, which is later chemically "developed" into a visible image, either negative or positive depending on the purpose of the photographic material and the method of processing. A negative image on film is traditionally used to photographically create a positive image on a paper base, known as a print, either by using an enlarger or by contact printing.
Skills Demand Percentage
Storytelling 6.01%
Photoshop 3.86%
Photography 1.58%

What skills can make your compensation higher?

Mastering certain specialized skills can lead to a significant increase in pay. Here are examples of skills and the potential impact they can have on a Video Editor's salary.

  • Copyediting: Can increase your salary by up to 12%.
  • Publishing: Can increase your salary by up to 7%.
  • Troubleshooting: Can increase your salary by up to 6%.
Skill Salary Salary % Increase
Copyediting $67,469
12%
Publishing $64,457
7%
Troubleshooting $63,854
6%

Video Editor Salary by Company Size: Startups vs. Enterprise

Video Editor salary potential scales significantly with company size. Data shows that Enterprise companies (5,000+ employees) pay the highest average salary at around $65,216. While startup companies pay approximate $55,324.

Video Editor Salary by Company Size

Company Size Employees Average Salary
Startup 1~50 $55,324
Growth Stage 51~500 $58,471
Established 501~5000 $63,018
Enterprise 5000+ $65,216

Video Editor Salary by Industry: Top Paying Sectors

For Video Editor roles, the industry you choose can affect earning potential by as much as 80% (the gap between the highest and lowest paying industries). Data shows that the Healthcare and Edu., Gov't. & Nonprofit sectors offer the strongest compensation, at 40% above the average. In contrast, Video Editor positions in Media or Business Services typically offer lower base pay, as these industries often view Video Editor as a support function rather than a direct revenue driver.

The top paying industries for a Video Editor

Industry Sector Average Annual Salary Average Hourly Rate Pay vs.Avg
Healthcare$84,336$41.040%
Edu., Gov't. & Nonprofit$72,288$35.020%

How Education impacts an Video Editor's Salary?

Your level of education can impact your salary potential. While many Video Editor enter the field with a Bachelor's Degree, higher education can lead to more specialized and higher-paying roles.

According to our 100% employer-reported salary data, the median salary for an Video Editor with a Bachelor's Degree is between $59,065 and $62,929.

Video Editor Salaries by Degree Level

Typical Education for Video Editor
Degree Level % of user with this level of education
No Diploma 0.8%
High School 6.5%
Associates 12.2%
Bachelors 75.2%
Masters 5.3%
Doctorate 0.0%

Video Editor Salary: Hourly Rate, Weekly Pay, and Monthly Pay

Understanding how a Video Editor's annual salary breaks down can help with budgeting. Below, you can see the average hourly rate, weekly pay, and monthly pay for this role. Use the buttons to switch between different pay periods.

Last Updated on August 01, 2026
$51,368
Average $60,240/year
$65,183
$4,281
Average $5,020/month
$5,432
$988
Average $1,158/week
$1,254
$25
Average $29/hour
$31
Annual Salary Monthly Pay Weekly Pay Hourly Wage
75th Percentile $65,183 $5,432 $1,254 $31
Average $60,240 $5,020 $1,158 $29
25th Percentile $51,368 $4,281 $988 $25

Most common benefits for Video Editor

  • Social Security
  • 401 (k)
  • Disability
  • Healthcare
  • Pension
  • Time Off (days)

Common company salaries for Video Editor

Here are companies hiring for Video Editor and their salaries, click below for more details.

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FAQ about Video Editor

1. What are the responsibilities of Video Editor?

Edits video footage to desired length and format, creates motion graphics, and completes color corrections. Mixes and masters audio. Encodes final videos to desired size and format. Archives and stores all files, footage, graphics, and audio. Proficient in using production and editing software including Adobe Creative Suite and other specialized editing tools. Typically requires a bachelor's degree. Typically reports to a manager. Work is closely managed. Works on projects/matters of limited complexity in a support role. Typically requires 0-2 years of related experience.

2. What are the skills of Video Editor

Specify the abilities and skills that a person needs in order to carry out the specified job duties. Each competency has five to ten behavioral assertions that can be observed, each with a corresponding performance level (from one to five) that is required for a particular job.

1.)

Storytelling: Planning, creating and presenting stories or narratives to achieve diverse personal and business goals.

2.)

Photoshop: Photoshop is an image creation, graphic design and photo editing software developed by Adobe. It is used to demonstrate knowledge of image resolution, image size, and image file format for web, video, and print.

3.)

Photography: Photography is the art, application and practice of creating durable images by recording light or other electromagnetic radiation, either electronically by means of an image sensor, or chemically by means of a light-sensitive material such as photographic film. It is employed in many fields of science, manufacturing (e.g., photolithography), and business, as well as its more direct uses for art, film and video production, recreational purposes, hobby, and mass communication. Typically, a lens is used to focus the light reflected or emitted from objects into a real image on the light-sensitive surface inside a camera during a timed exposure. With an electronic image sensor, this produces an electrical charge at each pixel, which is electronically processed and stored in a digital image file for subsequent display or processing. The result with photographic emulsion is an invisible latent image, which is later chemically "developed" into a visible image, either negative or positive depending on the purpose of the photographic material and the method of processing. A negative image on film is traditionally used to photographically create a positive image on a paper base, known as a print, either by using an enlarger or by contact printing.

Where Does Our Salary Data Come From?

Salary.com salary estimates, histograms, trends, and comparisons are derived from both employer job postings and third-party data sources. We also provide multiple percentiles of salary information for your reference, click here to know Why the Salary Midpoint Formula Is Crucial to Getting Pay Equity Right. With more online, real-time compensation data than any other website, Salary.com helps you determine your exact pay target.

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