Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media · Holland code RC
Lighting Technicians
Set up, maintain, and dismantle light fixtures, lighting control devices, and the associated lighting electrical and rigging equipment used for photography, television, film, video, and live productions. May focus or operate light fixtures, or attach color filters or other lighting accessories.
O*NET 27-4015.00
At a glance
- US median annual pay
- $68,060
- Middle half earn $52,770 to $95,640. BLS OEWS, May 2025.
- Preparation needed
- Job Zone 3 of 5
- Medium preparation. Zone 1 is little or none; zone 5 is graduate-level.
What the work involves
The tasks workers in this occupation rate as most important, from the O*NET survey.
- Assess safety of wiring or equipment set-up to determine the risk of fire or electrical shock.
- Consult with lighting director or production staff to determine lighting requirements.
- Disassemble and store equipment after performances.
- Install color effects or image patterns, such as color filters, onto lighting fixtures.
- Install electrical cables or wire fixtures.
- Load, unload, or position lighting equipment.
- Match light fixture settings, such as brightness and color, to lighting design plans.
- Notify supervisors when major lighting equipment repairs are needed.
Who tends to enjoy it
How strongly this occupation draws on each of the six Holland interest types, which is the same profile the career interests test compares you against.
- Realistic100
- Investigative17
- Artistic23
- Social4
- Enterprising16
- Conventional52
The same work abroad
Other countries classify jobs differently, so these are the closest matches through the international ISCO-08 standard, not exact equivalents.
European occupation titles (ESCO)
- intelligent lighting engineer · DE Beleuchtungstechniker (computergesteuerte Lichtanlage)/Beleuchtungstechnikerin (computergesteuerte Lichtanlage) · FR technicien lumières automatisées/technicienne lumières automatisées
- theatre technician · DE Theatertechniker/Theatertechnikerin · FR technicien de théâtre/technicienne de théâtre
- followspot operator · DE Verfolgerfahrer/Verfolgerfahrerin · FR poursuiteur/poursuiteuse
- light board operator · DE Lichtpult-Operator/Lichtpult-Operatorin · FR pupitreur régie lumière/pupitreuse régie lumière
- stage technician · DE Bühnentechniker/Bühnentechnikerin · FR technicien plateau/technicienne plateau
- ground lighting officer · DE Flugfeldbeleuchtungsinspektor/Flugfeldbeleuchtungsinspektorin · FR technicien de balisage lumineux de piste/technicienne de balisage lumineux de piste
Closest UK occupation groups (SOC 2020)
- Arts officers, producers and directors (3416)113,500 employed
- Graphic and multimedia designers (2142)123,000 employed
- Photographers, audio-visual and broadcasting equipment operators (3417)81,300 employed
Employment is the UK Annual Population Survey for April 2025 to March 2026, all workers in the group, which can be broader than this one occupation.
Pay across Europe, for the whole group
Median annual earnings of all employees in “Technicians and associate professionals”. This is the broad ISCO group this occupation falls in, not the occupation itself, so treat it as context for the wage level, not as a salary for this job.
| Country | Median pay |
|---|---|
| Belgium | €50,992 |
| Austria | €46,986 |
| Germany | €44,473 |
| Netherlands | €42,448 |
| Ireland | €41,613 |
| Sweden | €41,155 |
| Italy | €34,882 |
| France | €34,816 |
| Spain | €29,757 |
| Portugal | €18,080 |
| Poland | €12,108 |
Eurostat Structure of Earnings Survey, businesses with ten or more employees outside public administration, in euro and not adjusted for the cost of living. Reference years differ between sources: the US, Japan and Europe figures on this page come from different survey years, so compare them as rough levels, not to the euro or yen.
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