Contents
- Car audio installation employment statistics: pay and wage percentiles
- Car audio installation employment statistics: where installers work
- Car audio installation employment statistics: state job concentrations and wages
- Car audio installation employment statistics: metro employment and wages
- car audio installation employment: Car audio installer outlook, education, and work conditions
- Sources
Car audio installation employment statistics: pay and wage percentiles
Car-audio installation does not have a separate occupational series in the figures cited here. The closest category is SOC 49-2096, Electronic Equipment Installers and Repairers, Motor Vehicles. O*NET’s description includes sound equipment and lists “Car Stereo Installer” among reported job titles. The category also covers communications, security, and navigation equipment, so its employment and wage statistics describe a broader vehicle-electronics occupation rather than car-audio specialists alone. BLS 2025 Occupational Employment and Wages; O*NET occupation profile
For May 2025, the national mean hourly wage for motor-vehicle electronic equipment installers was $24.79. O*NET separately reports a $23.28 hourly median and a $48,420 annual median for 2025. Mean and median are different measures: the mean is an average, while the median marks the midpoint of a wage distribution. These values are separate reference points for the occupation. BLS 2025 Occupational Employment and Wages; O*NET occupation profile
The percentile series below is historical: it gives annual U.S. wage estimates for May 2023. The 50th-percentile value is the median; the other figures show positions lower or higher in that distribution. BLS May 2023 occupation profile
| May 2023 annual wage percentile | Wage |
|---|---|
| 10th | $32,380 |
| 25th | $37,790 |
| 50th (median) | $45,570 |
| 75th | $54,690 |
| 90th | $64,880 |
Car audio installation employment statistics: where installers work
The May 2023 industry profile places SOC 49-2096 workers in retail, repair, manufacturing, and warehousing. Electronics and appliance retailers had the largest employment count among the selected industries, with 2,250 workers in the occupation. Automotive parts, accessories, and tire retailers had 1,520; electronic and precision equipment repair and maintenance had 750; automotive repair and maintenance had 540; and motor vehicle body and trailer manufacturing had 530. These are occupation counts within each industry, not counts of car-audio-only specialists. BLS May 2023 occupation profile
Annual mean wages below are for occupation 49-2096 workers in each named industry. BLS May 2023 occupation profile
| Industry, May 2023 | Employment in occupation | Annual mean wage |
|---|---|---|
| Electronics and appliance retailers | 2,250 | $45,790 |
| Automotive parts, accessories, and tire retailers | 1,520 | $43,130 |
| Electronic and precision equipment repair and maintenance | 750 | $44,530 |
| Automotive repair and maintenance | 540 | $41,450 |
| Motor vehicle body and trailer manufacturing | 530 | $51,120 |
The occupation’s reported settings extend beyond specialist audio retailers. It also appears in broader automotive retail and repair businesses, electronics repair, and vehicle manufacturing. In automotive parts, accessories, and tire retail, the annual mean was $43,130 and the hourly mean was $20.73. In automotive repair and maintenance, the annual mean was $41,450 and the hourly mean was $19.93. These estimates concern the broader occupation in those industries. BLS May 2023 occupation profile
Warehousing and storage appears in the profile’s top-paying industries table, with 110 workers in the occupation and an annual mean wage of $77,620 in May 2023. This is an industry-specific estimate for the broad occupational category. BLS May 2023 occupation profile
Car audio installation employment statistics: state job concentrations and wages
The May 2023 state estimates show occupation counts as well as its representation in local employment. California had the highest published state employment count, at 1,450. Texas reported 1,100, Florida 540, Tennessee 460, and Indiana 440. These estimates cover SOC 49-2096, not only car-stereo specialists. BLS May 2023 occupation profile
Employment per 1,000 jobs describes the occupation’s representation in a state workforce. The location quotient compares that concentration with the national concentration; annual mean wage is a separate pay measure. The table brings together selected May 2023 state observations. BLS May 2023 occupation profile
| State, May 2023 | Employment | Jobs per 1,000 | Location quotient | Annual mean wage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| California | 1,450 | 0.08 | 1.38 | $50,250 |
| Texas | 1,100 | 0.08 | 1.38 | $49,190 |
| Florida | 540 | 0.06 | 0.97 | $44,600 |
| Tennessee | 460 | 0.14 | 2.46 | $45,430 |
| Indiana | 440 | 0.14 | 2.37 | $50,980 |
| Kansas | 330 | 0.23 | 3.95 | $39,010 |
| North Dakota | 70 | 0.17 | 2.92 | $44,480 |
| Hawaii | 90 | 0.15 | 2.54 | $53,170 |
| Washington | 80 | 0.02 | 0.40 | $59,190 |
| Arizona | 340 | 0.11 | 1.84 | $57,330 |
California leads this selection by employment count, while Kansas has the highest listed location quotient, 3.95, with 330 workers and 0.23 jobs per 1,000. A higher quotient reflects greater concentration relative to the national occupation share; it does not mean the state has the most workers. BLS May 2023 occupation profile
Among these selected state results, Washington had the highest published annual mean wage, $59,190, alongside employment of 80 and a location quotient of 0.40. Arizona’s annual mean was $57,330, with employment of 340 and a quotient of 1.84. These are May 2023 estimates. BLS May 2023 occupation profile
Car audio installation employment statistics: metro employment and wages
In selected metropolitan results for May 2023, Los Angeles–Long Beach–Anaheim had the largest employment count, 480. Dallas–Fort Worth–Arlington reported 350, and Phoenix–Mesa–Scottsdale reported 270. Their annual mean wages were $42,450, $56,080, and $60,120, respectively. These estimates cover the broader motor-vehicle electronics occupation. BLS May 2023 occupation profile
As with state figures, employment per 1,000 jobs describes the occupation’s share of local employment, while the location quotient compares that concentration with the national one. Annual mean wage is a separate measure. These selected areas do not represent every metropolitan area. BLS May 2023 occupation profile
| Metropolitan area, May 2023 | Employment | Jobs per 1,000 | Location quotient | Annual mean wage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles–Long Beach–Anaheim, CA | 480 | 0.08 | 1.33 | $42,450 |
| Dallas–Fort Worth–Arlington, TX | 350 | 0.09 | 1.49 | $56,080 |
| Phoenix–Mesa–Scottsdale, AZ | 270 | 0.12 | 2.04 | $60,120 |
| Fargo, ND–MN | 30 | 0.22 | 3.78 | $45,920 |
| Kansas City, MO–KS | 230 | 0.22 | 3.69 | $42,040 |
| Seattle–Tacoma–Bellevue, WA | 60 | 0.03 | 0.46 | $63,290 |
Fargo had a location quotient of 3.78, and Kansas City had 3.69, among the listed concentration results. Their employment counts were 30 and 230, respectively. An area with fewer workers can have a higher quotient when the occupation forms a larger share of its local workforce. BLS May 2023 occupation profile
Seattle–Tacoma–Bellevue had the highest published metropolitan annual mean wage among these results, $63,290, with 60 workers and a location quotient of 0.46. Phoenix–Mesa–Scottsdale also appears among the selected higher-employment and higher-wage areas, with 270 workers, a 2.04 quotient, and a $60,120 annual mean. All metro figures are for May 2023. BLS May 2023 occupation profile
car audio installation employment: Car audio installer outlook, education, and work conditions
BLS projects employment in SOC 49-2096 at 8,600 in 2025 and 7,400 in 2035. The projected change over that period is -15%, or -1,300 jobs. O*NET separately lists 400 projected job openings for 2025–2035. Projected openings include openings associated with growth and replacement, so they measure something different from the projected change in total employment. Both figures apply to the broader motor-vehicle electronics occupation. BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook; O*NET occupation profile
O*NET’s education question asks respondents what education a new hire needs for the occupation. A postsecondary certificate was selected in 47% of responses, a high school diploma or equivalent in 45%, and an associate’s or other 2-year degree in 4%. These are respondent selections for occupation 49-2096, not licensure rules or counts of workers holding each credential. The displayed occupation data were updated in 2026. O*NET occupation profile
O*NET work-context responses provide a snapshot of reported conditions for the broader occupation. 75% of responses indicated a typical work week of more than 40 hours. 87% indicated working in an enclosed vehicle or operating enclosed equipment every day. 80% indicated continual or almost continual use of hands to handle, control, or feel objects, tools, or controls. These are survey response shares for the occupation. O*NET occupation profile
Other responses describe sound and workspace. 73% reported distracting or uncomfortable sound every day, and 45% reported cramped work space or awkward positions every day. These are work-context responses for the broader occupation, not direct exposure measurements or estimates specific to car-audio shops. O*NET occupation profile
Sources
- Occupational Employment and Wages News Release — 2025 A01 Results
- 49-2096.00 — Electronic Equipment Installers and Repairers, Motor Vehicles
- Electronic Equipment Installers and Repairers, Motor Vehicles — Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2023
- Electrical and Electronics Installers and Repairers: Occupational Outlook Handbook