SOC 27-2091.00

    Disc Jockeys, Except Radio

    Play prerecorded music for live audiences at venues or events such as clubs, parties, or wedding receptions.

    Median pay
    Not reported
    Growth
    +3.8%
    As fast as average
    Openings a year
    1,700
    Typical education
    High school diploma

    Data verified Nov 2026 · CollegesRef 2026–27 edition

    Source: BLS 2025 wages · 2025–35 projections

    See the pathway

    Annual pay range

    Not reported in the 2025 federal data

    National wages for all workers in this occupation. BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025.

    7,920 people work in this occupation.

    What disc jockeys, except radio do

    Job Zone 2: Some preparation

    Play prerecorded music for live audiences at venues or events such as clubs, parties, or wedding receptions. May use techniques such as mixing, cutting, or sampling to manipulate recordings. May also perform as emcee (master of ceremonies).

    Usually a high school diploma; some on-the-job training or experience.

    Interest profile

    Realistic (R)
    33 / 100
    Investigative (I)
    9 / 100
    Artistic (A) · strongest
    64 / 100
    Social (S)
    32 / 100
    Enterprising (E)
    43 / 100
    Conventional (C)
    42 / 100
    How strongly each interest area describes the work, from O*NET (scores rescaled to 0–100). The interest code lists the strongest areas in order.

    Interest code AEC. Compare it with yours

    What you'd do

    Getting Information
    93
    Performing for or Working Directly with the Public
    91
    Working with Computers
    89
    Thinking Creatively
    86
    Communicating with People Outside the Organization
    77
    Scheduling Work and Activities
    76
    Making Decisions and Solving Problems
    74
    Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work
    73
    Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials
    71
    Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships
    70
    Work activities rated by importance for this occupation, O*NET (0–100).

    Skills and strengths

    Skills

    • Social Perceptiveness
    • Speaking
    • Active Listening
    • Monitoring
    • Service Orientation
    • Time Management
    • Critical Thinking
    • Coordination
    • Reading Comprehension
    • Judgment and Decision Making

    Knowledge

    • Customer and Personal Service
    • Computers and Electronics
    • English Language
    • Communications and Media
    • Sales and Marketing
    • Administration and Management
    • Education and Training
    • Administrative
    • Economics and Accounting
    • Transportation

    Abilities

    • Oral Comprehension
    • Oral Expression
    • Hearing Sensitivity
    • Speech Clarity
    • Category Flexibility
    • Information Ordering
    • Auditory Attention
    • Problem Sensitivity
    • Speech Recognition
    • Manual Dexterity

    Work styles

    • Social Orientation
    • Dependability
    • Optimism
    • Cooperation
    • Self-Confidence
    • Adaptability
    • Innovation
    • Leadership Orientation
    • Stress Tolerance
    • Attention to Detail

    Also called

    Announcer · Club DJ (Club Disc Jockey) · DJ (Disc Jockey) · DJ (Disk Jockey) · DJ Assistant (Disc Jockey Assistant) · Emcee · Event DJ (Event Disc Jockey) · Event Entertainer · Event MC (Event Master of Ceremonies) · Host DJ (Host Disc Jockey)

    Career pathway

    From your interests to disc jockeys, except radio

    Interests that fit the work, the career, majors that lead there and colleges whose graduates in those majors earn the most. Hover or focus a step to follow one path.

    1. Interests

    2. This career

      • Disc Jockeys, Except RadioPay not reported

    3. Majors

    4. Colleges

    College Scorecard program outcomes

    Colleges with strong outcomes

    Programs that lead to this career, ranked by what their graduates earn four years after finishing. Earnings are for graduates who received federal aid.

    1. 1Metropolitan State University of Denver logo
      Metropolitan State University of Denver

      Denver, CO · Electrical/Electronic Engineering Technologies/Technicians · Bachelor's

      1 yr after
      $84,200
      4 yrs after
      $100,358
      Median debt
      Not reported
    2. 2Texas A & M University-College Station logo
      Texas A & M University-College Station

      College Station, TX · Electrical/Electronic Engineering Technologies/Technicians · Bachelor's

      1 yr after
      $78,810
      4 yrs after
      $99,943
      Median debt
      $20,000
    3. 3Wayne State University-Michigan logo
      Wayne State University-Michigan

      Detroit, MI · Electrical/Electronic Engineering Technologies/Technicians · Bachelor's

      1 yr after
      $68,259
      4 yrs after
      $96,821
      Median debt
      Not reported
    4. 4Rochester Institute of Technology logo
      Rochester Institute of Technology

      Rochester, NY · Electrical/Electronic Engineering Technologies/Technicians · Bachelor's

      1 yr after
      $80,391
      4 yrs after
      $96,361
      Median debt
      $30,750
    5. 5New England Institute of Technology logo
      New England Institute of Technology

      East Greenwich, RI · Electrical/Electronic Engineering Technologies/Technicians · Bachelor's

      1 yr after
      $70,076
      4 yrs after
      $93,997
      Median debt
      $27,000
    6. 6California State Polytechnic University-Pomona logo
      California State Polytechnic University-Pomona

      Pomona, CA · Electrical/Electronic Engineering Technologies/Technicians · Bachelor's

      1 yr after
      $73,679
      4 yrs after
      $91,709
      Median debt
      $14,589
    7. 7
      CUNY New York City College of Technology

      Brooklyn, NY · Electrical/Electronic Engineering Technologies/Technicians · Bachelor's

      1 yr after
      $61,142
      4 yrs after
      $91,486
      Median debt
      Not reported
    8. 8Kennesaw State University logo
      Kennesaw State University

      Kennesaw, GA · Electrical/Electronic Engineering Technologies/Technicians · Bachelor's

      1 yr after
      $74,494
      4 yrs after
      $91,329
      Median debt
      $22,500

    Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard field-of-study data, 2025. Programs with few graduates are not listed.

    NCES CIP–SOC crosswalk

    Majors that lead here

    Related programs by four-digit CIP code. They are common routes in, not the only ones.

    CareerOneStop

    Certifications, licenses and pay by state

    What disc jockeys, except radio may need beyond a degree, where a license is required, and what the work pays in each state.

    Training

    Programs of study that prepare people for this work.

    • Audio Engineering Technology/Technician
    • Music Technology
    • Recording Arts Technology/Technician

    Find training near you on CareerOneStop

    Licenses by state

    16 states list a license for this work. Open your state for the license and the agency that issues it.

    Check license requirements on CareerOneStop

    Data from CareerOneStop, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor (Employment and Training Administration, with the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development). Retrieved November 9, 2026.

    Your plan

    Build my pathway plan

    Courses, majors, colleges, scholarships and a timeline for this career, built from your profile.

    Related careers

    Careers with similar work, interests or skills.

    All careers

    Sources and attribution

    Every figure on this page comes from these public datasets. Missing values are shown as not reported, never estimated.

    O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. CollegesRef has modified all or some of this information.

    Data from CareerOneStop, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor (Employment and Training Administration, with the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development). Retrieved November 9, 2026.

    Page data updated November 5, 2026.