Audio and Video Technicians
Median $58,100
Occupation · SOC 27-4021
Photographers: pay and where the jobs are
What photographers earn in the U.S., how pay varies across workers and states, and tools to plan around it.
National pay, May 2025
$44,660 median annual wage
- Mean (average) annual wage
- $55,410
- Median hourly wage
- $21.47
- Mean hourly wage
- $26.64
- Employment
- 51,760
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 27-4021.
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See where your pay falls among photographers nationally and in your state. Nothing you type leaves your browser.
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Use these numbers
How much do photographers make?
The median annual wage for photographers was $44,660 in May 2025, so half of workers earned more and half earned less. The lowest-paid 10% earned less than $30,820 and the highest-paid 10% more than $91,810. As an hourly rate, the median is $21.47. About 51,760 people work in this occupation nationwide. The highest state medians are in District of Columbia ($110,970), New York ($60,050) and Massachusetts ($57,990). District of Columbia also comes out on top after taxes and local prices.
Pay ladder
What each step of the pay range for photographers looks like per month. Take-home here includes federal tax, Social Security and Medicare for a single filer; add your state in the paycheck calculator.
| Step | Annual | Hourly | Monthly gross | Monthly after federal tax & FICA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $30,820 | $14.82 | $2,568 | $2,245 |
| 25th percentile | $36,050 | $17.33 | $3,004 | $2,596 |
| Median | $44,660 | $21.47 | $3,722 | $3,172 |
| 75th percentile | $62,740 | $30.16 | $5,228 | $4,383 |
| 90th percentile | $91,810 | $44.14 | $7,651 | $6,118 |
Photographers: pay by state
50 states and territories have a published median, sorted from highest to lowest. The last two columns are our estimates: the median after 2026 federal and state taxes, and that take-home restated in national-average prices.
1
$73,187 take-home in national prices
2
$44,008 take-home in national prices
3
$43,617 take-home in national prices
Where a median photographer paycheck goes furthest after 2026 taxes and BEA price levels.
| State | Employment | Median | 10th pct. | 90th pct. | Median after tax* | In national prices† |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| District of Columbia | 260 | $110,970 | $46,080 | $148,360 | $80,433 | $73,187 |
| New York | 3,650 | $60,050 | $37,890 | $109,470 | $47,494 | $44,008 |
| Massachusetts | 830 | $57,990 | $38,480 | $112,760 | $45,829 | $43,334 |
| Oregon | 510 | $53,630 | $37,010 | $110,380 | $41,466 | $40,118 |
| Utah | 660 | $52,140 | $31,440 | $81,070 | $42,279 | $42,765 |
| Delaware | 180 | $50,100 | $32,980 | $71,170 | $40,131 | $40,208 |
| Connecticut | 630 | $49,790 | $34,010 | $79,880 | $39,947 | $38,555 |
| New Mexico | 230 | $48,090 | $34,800 | $79,780 | $39,720 | $43,074 |
| Washington | 960 | $48,050 | $37,440 | $83,200 | $40,122 | $37,492 |
| California | 7,980 | $47,840 | $36,470 | $125,490 | $39,088 | $35,303 |
| Kentucky | 380 | $47,170 | $23,990 | $76,490 | $38,548 | $42,755 |
| Colorado | 1,140 | $47,070 | $36,440 | $92,200 | $38,431 | $37,293 |
| Maine | 180 | $46,680 | $33,270 | $79,230 | $37,965 | $39,119 |
| Virginia | 1,580 | $46,550 | $31,200 | $91,060 | $37,720 | $37,309 |
| Minnesota | 730 | $46,470 | $36,890 | $84,530 | $37,647 | $38,173 |
| Maryland | 790 | $46,450 | $31,200 | $93,660 | $37,662 | $35,883 |
| Hawaii | 440 | $45,960 | $30,800 | $105,820 | $37,145 | $33,783 |
| Mississippi | 190 | $45,860 | $24,030 | $65,370 | $37,926 | $43,617 |
| South Dakota | 190 | $45,330 | $31,150 | $54,750 | $38,603 | $43,576 |
| New Hampshire | 220 | $44,780 | $22,110 | $76,570 | $38,161 | $36,635 |
| Georgia | 1,420 | $43,770 | $22,690 | $103,550 | $35,914 | $37,296 |
| Florida | 4,390 | $42,640 | $29,990 | $80,400 | $36,441 | $35,238 |
| Wisconsin | 850 | $42,060 | $31,540 | $80,550 | $34,790 | $36,973 |
| Nebraska | 220 | $41,920 | $28,080 | $71,150 | $34,835 | $38,661 |
| Texas | 4,330 | $41,280 | $24,910 | $62,720 | $35,348 | $36,420 |
| New Jersey | 1,460 | $40,520 | $34,990 | $91,780 | $33,695 | $30,968 |
| Pennsylvania | 1,870 | $40,520 | $29,020 | $75,100 | $33,465 | $34,298 |
| Montana | 190 | $39,900 | $24,070 | $110,570 | $33,121 | $34,995 |
| Wyoming | 50 | $39,330 | $28,430 | $70,290 | $33,782 | $36,445 |
| Alaska | 50 | $39,190 | $34,040 | $101,430 | $33,473 | $32,702 |
| Missouri | 950 | $39,170 | $29,600 | $74,530 | $32,749 | $36,061 |
| Ohio | 1,540 | $38,470 | $23,670 | $80,990 | $32,483 | $35,013 |
| Iowa | 430 | $38,290 | $15,080 | $77,830 | $32,143 | $36,625 |
| Tennessee | 780 | $37,950 | $28,820 | $67,060 | $32,673 | $35,564 |
| South Carolina | 630 | $37,890 | $26,480 | $71,810 | $32,169 | $34,314 |
| Kansas | 300 | $37,790 | $29,340 | $72,380 | $31,235 | $34,680 |
| Nevada | 890 | $37,460 | $26,610 | $57,640 | $32,279 | $32,286 |
| North Dakota | 70 | $37,410 | $35,350 | $71,500 | $32,239 | $36,240 |
| Rhode Island | 220 | $37,300 | $34,600 | $76,810 | $30,958 | $30,268 |
| North Carolina | 2,130 | $37,120 | $28,330 | $76,060 | $31,034 | $32,900 |
| Arizona | 1,360 | $36,970 | $32,080 | $84,130 | $31,355 | $31,144 |
| Louisiana | 510 | $36,830 | $19,180 | $70,310 | $31,054 | $35,206 |
| Oklahoma | 330 | $36,750 | $17,210 | $63,370 | $30,600 | $34,835 |
| Illinois | 2,150 | $36,570 | $31,200 | $96,770 | $29,899 | $29,911 |
| Alabama | 530 | $36,130 | $24,590 | $72,550 | $29,752 | $33,496 |
| West Virginia | 110 | $36,110 | $29,130 | $57,510 | $30,274 | $33,827 |
| Indiana | 810 | $35,960 | $24,960 | $59,350 | $30,043 | $32,190 |
| Puerto Rico | 90 | $34,060 | $23,040 | $48,880 | — | — |
| Idaho | 190 | $33,320 | $22,470 | $53,790 | $28,295 | $29,630 |
| Arkansas | 240 | $32,810 | $24,890 | $43,950 | $27,816 | $31,996 |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 27-4021. *Our estimate for a single filer paid biweekly with no pre-tax deductions or local tax, 2026 federal and state rules. †Take-home ÷ BEA Regional Price Parity × 100 (2024 price levels).
Sources
- OEWS May 2025 (oesm25nat.zip) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Accessed 2026-10-09.
- OEWS May 2025 (oesm25st.zip) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Accessed 2026-10-09.