occupation · 27-4031 · detailed
Camera Operators, Television, Video, and Film — wages and employment
Camera Operators, Television, Video, and Film earned a median annual wage of $68,810 in the United States in May 2024, with 24,460 people employed, according to the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics.
What stands out
Camera Operators, Television, Video, and Film earned a median annual wage of $68,810 in the United States in May 2024, with 24,460 people employed, according to the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics. The lowest-paid tenth earned $36,240 or less, the best-paid tenth $131,420 or more. Since May 2023 the median moved from $61,800 to $68,810, +11.3 %. The best-paying state is California at $101,610; the lowest Arkansas at $32,510. Among metropolitan areas, Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA pays the highest median, $103,930. 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 | 24,460 | $68,810 | $79,870 | $36,240 | $48,060 | $102,400 | $131,420 | $33.08 | evidence → |
| May 2023 | 23,940 | $61,800 | $71,890 | $34,420 | $44,000 | $93,870 | $120,740 | $29.71 | evidence → |
By state
Median annual wage, May 2024, highest first. Each state has its own record with the full series.
| State | Median annual | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| California | $101,610 | 5,520 |
| District of Columbia | $100,940 | 310 |
| Oregon | $93,610 | 290 |
| New York | $89,960 | 3,510 |
| New Jersey | $85,560 | 440 |
| Illinois | $82,950 | 870 |
| Arizona | $74,830 | 630 |
| Colorado | $74,350 | 310 |
| Virginia | $71,760 | 510 |
| Maryland | $67,580 | 270 |
| Ohio | $67,040 | 500 |
| Texas | $64,430 | 1,530 |
| Connecticut | $63,950 | 230 |
| North Carolina | $62,130 | 300 |
| Georgia | $61,500 | 340 |
| Nevada | $61,020 | 410 |
| Florida | $61,020 | 1,770 |
| South Carolina | $59,690 | 90 |
| Louisiana | $58,860 | 270 |
| Missouri | $58,080 | 220 |
| Idaho | $56,880 | — |
| Indiana | $56,800 | 190 |
| Tennessee | $56,540 | 440 |
| Mississippi | $55,810 | — |
| Minnesota | $55,120 | 300 |
| Michigan | $54,910 | 440 |
| Washington | $53,340 | 630 |
| Pennsylvania | $50,830 | 670 |
| Massachusetts | $49,670 | 440 |
| New Hampshire | $48,780 | 70 |
| North Dakota | $48,460 | 50 |
| Vermont | $48,350 | 110 |
| Iowa | $48,110 | 140 |
| Wisconsin | $47,080 | 320 |
| Utah | $46,600 | 400 |
| Kansas | $46,490 | 120 |
| New Mexico | $46,420 | 420 |
| Kentucky | $46,110 | 120 |
| Oklahoma | $45,310 | 250 |
| Alabama | $45,180 | 120 |
| Hawaii | $41,850 | 110 |
| West Virginia | $39,470 | 70 |
| South Dakota | $39,470 | 50 |
| Nebraska | $39,070 | 110 |
| Maine | $36,040 | 70 |
| Montana | $35,080 | 130 |
| Arkansas | $32,510 | 90 |
Highest-paying metropolitan areas
Top 20 by median annual wage.
| Metro area | Median annual | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA | $103,930 | 200 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | $102,310 | 3,790 |
| Tucson, AZ | $99,510 | 100 |
| Rochester, NY | $98,020 | 60 |
| Jacksonville, FL | $96,950 | 100 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | $89,960 | 3,170 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $88,760 | 760 |
| Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury, CT | $85,610 | 80 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | $83,200 | 640 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN | $82,950 | 680 |
| Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA | $79,000 | 40 |
| Raleigh-Cary, NC | $75,270 | — |
| Fort Collins-Loveland, CO | $74,990 | — |
| Charleston-North Charleston, SC | $73,220 | 30 |
| Columbus, OH | $70,720 | 80 |
| Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO | $70,290 | 160 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $70,190 | 70 |
| St. Louis, MO-IL | $70,060 | 80 |
| Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX | $69,360 | 200 |
| Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD | $69,250 | 150 |
Machine access — free, no API key
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