occupation · 27-4021 · detailed
Photographers — wages and employment
Photographers earned a median annual wage of $42,520 in the United States in May 2024, with 51,230 people employed, according to the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics.
What stands out
Photographers earned a median annual wage of $42,520 in the United States in May 2024, with 51,230 people employed, according to the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics. The lowest-paid tenth earned $29,610 or less, the best-paid tenth $94,760 or more. Since May 2023 the median moved from $40,760 to $42,520, +4.3 %. The best-paying state is District of Columbia at $110,530; the lowest Arkansas at $33,850. Among metropolitan areas, Rochester, MN pays the highest median, $78,870. Wages are as published by BLS for May of each year; '≥ $239,200' is BLS's top code. Every value links to its fact record.
United States, year by year
Annual wages at the median, mean and four percentiles; employment is the May estimate.
| Reference | Employment | Median | Mean | 10th | 25th | 75th | 90th | Median hourly | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 2024 | 51,230 | $42,520 | $55,650 | $29,610 | $34,790 | $62,370 | $94,760 | $20.44 | evidence → |
| May 2023 | 53,630 | $40,760 | $53,380 | $28,510 | $32,240 | $62,480 | $95,740 | $19.60 | evidence → |
By state
Median annual wage, May 2024, highest first. Each state has its own record with the full series.
| State | Median annual | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| District of Columbia | $110,530 | 270 |
| Massachusetts | $60,610 | 1,170 |
| New York | $57,700 | 3,620 |
| Oregon | $55,640 | 570 |
| Minnesota | $54,650 | 530 |
| New Jersey | $50,760 | 1,280 |
| California | $50,610 | 7,300 |
| Delaware | $50,040 | 250 |
| Rhode Island | $49,770 | 160 |
| Louisiana | $49,740 | 410 |
| Connecticut | $48,260 | 490 |
| New Hampshire | $48,180 | 180 |
| Utah | $47,610 | 650 |
| Hawaii | $45,440 | 450 |
| Maryland | $44,890 | 870 |
| Mississippi | $44,660 | 190 |
| Maine | $44,610 | 170 |
| Washington | $44,580 | 1,260 |
| Colorado | $43,560 | 1,000 |
| Virginia | $43,180 | 1,360 |
| Kentucky | $42,000 | 300 |
| New Mexico | $41,600 | 210 |
| Georgia | $40,050 | 1,950 |
| Wyoming | $39,700 | 60 |
| Pennsylvania | $39,640 | 2,000 |
| Wisconsin | $39,440 | 1,040 |
| Nebraska | $39,020 | 290 |
| North Carolina | $38,400 | 1,620 |
| Florida | $38,230 | 4,450 |
| Arizona | $38,210 | 1,090 |
| Oklahoma | $37,920 | 360 |
| Missouri | $37,280 | 810 |
| Indiana | $37,270 | 870 |
| Idaho | $36,900 | 170 |
| Puerto Rico | $36,780 | 110 |
| Texas | $36,760 | 3,780 |
| Iowa | $36,380 | 370 |
| Alaska | $36,190 | 50 |
| Montana | $36,180 | 180 |
| Tennessee | $36,000 | 1,090 |
| Kansas | $35,930 | 270 |
| Nevada | $35,560 | 790 |
| West Virginia | $35,470 | 120 |
| South Dakota | $35,150 | 100 |
| Alabama | $35,140 | 490 |
| North Dakota | $35,090 | 80 |
| South Carolina | $34,870 | 590 |
| Illinois | $34,600 | 2,530 |
| Ohio | $33,990 | 1,970 |
| Arkansas | $33,850 | 240 |
Highest-paying metropolitan areas
Top 20 by median annual wage.
| Metro area | Median annual | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| Rochester, MN | $78,870 | 30 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $75,070 | 980 |
| Bend, OR | $72,760 | 30 |
| Springfield, MA | $64,880 | 70 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | $63,340 | 870 |
| Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA | $60,910 | 50 |
| Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI | $60,270 | 370 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | $60,270 | 3,690 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | $60,250 | 3,550 |
| New Orleans-Metairie, LA | $57,800 | 150 |
| Fort Collins-Loveland, CO | $57,550 | 70 |
| Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury, CT | $57,110 | 90 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | $56,340 | 870 |
| Salem, OR | $56,190 | 30 |
| Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA | $55,900 | 40 |
| Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA | $55,840 | 420 |
| Baton Rouge, LA | $53,770 | 100 |
| Montgomery, AL | $53,640 | 30 |
| Lansing-East Lansing, MI | $50,590 | 60 |
| Springfield, MO | $50,380 | 80 |
Machine access — free, no API key
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