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Also called controls technician, electrical lighting technician, ELT and entertainment lighting technician.
$68,060
Median pay a year
8,900
People do this work
6
Resume lines ready for you
Pay and headcount are from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The lines are written from what the US Department of Labor records about this work.
An example
A Lighting Technician resume, filled in
Every line below comes from the same public record as the rest of this page. The greyed parts are the ones only you can answer.
Lighting Technician
Summary
Lighting technician setting up, maintaining, and dismantling light fixtures and control devices for photography, television, film, video, and live productions while consulting with production staff to meet specific lighting requirements
Experience
Lighting Technician
Where you worked
Month Year to Month Year
Consulted with lighting director or production staff to determine lighting requirements
Set up and focused light fixtures to meet requirements of television, theater, concerts, or other productions
Installed electrical cables or wire fixtures for various lighting setups
Operated manual or automated systems to control lighting throughout productions
Tested lighting equipment function and desired lighting effects before performances
Disassembled and stored equipment after performances to ensure proper maintenance
Visited and assessed structural and electrical layout of locations before setting up lighting equipment
Skills
Core Skills
Setting up cameras, Gathering work condition information, Testing systems or equipment, Unloading materials, Running wiring, Setting temporary structures, Attaching equipment extensions, Calibrating equipment, Inspecting equipment
Hands-On Work
Loading materials or equipment
Open to
On site, Remote
Education
Certificate Your training program, Year
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Choose what fits, or say your own.
Assessed safety of wiring and equipmentConsulted with production staff on lighting needsDisassembled and stored equipment after performancesInstalled color effects onto lighting fixturesLoaded and positioned lighting equipmentMatched light fixture settings to design plans
becomes
On your resume
Assessed safety of wiring and equipment to minimize risks during performances.
Disassembled and stored lighting equipment after performances, ensuring proper handling and organization for future use.
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Show what improved once the safety assessments were done.
The line
Assessed safety of wiring and equipment, leading to fewer safety incidents during shows
Show what improved once the safety assessments were done.
Pick one that fits
Fewer safety incidents during showsSmoother setup and breakdown timesIncreased confidence from the crew
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In your wordsAdd it
Adding it to the line…
Added to your resume
Add how often you did this for different events.
The line
Disassembled and stored lighting equipment after performances, ensuring proper handling and organization for future use.
Add how often you did this for different events.
Pick one that fits
After every performanceFor multiple shows each weekFor various events throughout the month
Or add your own.
In your wordsAdd it
Adding it to the line…
Added to your resume
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What it is made of
Skills for a Lighting Technician resume
What this work is made of. Rung offers these and keeps the ones you claim.
What are you good at?
Setting up cameras
Gathering work condition information
Inspecting equipment
Testing systems or equipment
Unloading materials
Loading materials or equipment
Running wiring
Setting temporary structures
Attaching equipment extensions
Calibrating equipment
Disassembling equipment for repair
Installing systems
The work itself
What a Lighting Technician does
The public record of what this job is, in one paragraph.
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.
What it pays
How much does a Lighting Technician make?
Annual pay across the United States. The middle figure is the median: half earn less than that, and half earn more.
25th percentile
$52,770
Median
$68,060
75th percentile
$95,640
About 8,900 people do this work in the United States.
What it pays in each state
State
25th percentile
Median
75th percentile
CA
$61,040
$94,070
$109,560
CT
$65,170
$72,450
$93,630
FL
$48,380
$62,190
$81,030
GA
$61,790
$70,150
$98,590
IN
$43,630
$50,080
$73,310
KS
$44,620
$48,790
$64,230
LA
$42,300
$66,840
$108,160
MA
$57,160
$60,110
$65,050
MD
$42,660
$49,080
$71,220
MI
$60,210
$60,210
$60,210
MO
$35,040
$41,900
$64,820
MT
$53,540
$54,870
$56,350
NC
$49,410
$49,410
$62,400
NE
$49,860
$49,860
$49,860
NJ
$86,190
$87,550
$102,980
NV
$45,990
$61,250
$80,190
NY
$55,290
$78,000
$105,660
OH
$47,360
$54,940
$58,900
OK
$53,160
$67,110
$83,800
OR
$51,820
$57,900
$78,000
PA
$47,440
$57,660
$71,920
PR
$36,490
$38,400
$44,870
SC
$44,160
$46,720
$49,840
TN
$45,400
$60,870
$82,920
TX
$38,450
$53,150
$64,890
UT
$40,650
$49,080
$65,580
VA
$44,610
$60,340
$64,320
WA
$92,510
$126,100
$136,150
Other names
Other names for this job
controls technician, electrical lighting technician, ELT, entertainment lighting technician, light technician, lighting controls technician, lighting service technician, production technician, rigging electrical lighting technician, RELT, set lighting technician, sound and lighting technician.
More names for this work
stage lighting technician, stage technician, theater technician, video lighting technician, controls tech, dimmer board operator, entertainment professional, gaffer, lamp operator, light tech, lighting designer, lighting engineer, lighting operator, lighting service tech, lighting specialist, lighting tech, set lighting tech, sound and lighting tech, spotlight operator, stage electrician, stage tech, stagehand.
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This page is about the occupation Lighting Technicians. What this job involves and what it is made of come from O*NET 30.3, the US Department of Labor's occupation database, refreshed July 2026; Rung writes those records into the plain sentences you see. Pay comes from the Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS release for 2025. Rung is an independent service and is not affiliated with or endorsed by either agency. How Rung handles accuracy is on the accuracy page, and the full data credits are on the credits page.