Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and Tenders
Median $43,220
Occupation · SOC 51-9151
Photographic Process Workers and Processing Machine Operators: pay and where the jobs are
What photographic process workers and processing machine operators earn in the U.S., how pay varies across workers and states, and tools to plan around it.
National pay, May 2025
$40,610 median annual wage
- Mean (average) annual wage
- $46,050
- Median hourly wage
- $19.52
- Mean hourly wage
- $22.14
- Employment
- 4,800
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 51-9151.
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See where your pay falls among photographic process workers and processing machine operators nationally and in your state. Nothing you type leaves your browser.
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How much do photographic process workers and processing machine operators make?
The median annual wage for photographic process workers and processing machine operators was $40,610 in May 2025, so half of workers earned more and half earned less. The lowest-paid 10% earned less than $30,090 and the highest-paid 10% more than $68,800. As an hourly rate, the median is $19.52. About 4,800 people work in this occupation nationwide. The highest state medians are in New York ($57,760), Virginia ($47,380) and California ($47,320). New York also comes out on top after taxes and local prices.
Pay ladder
What each step of the pay range for photographic process workers and processing machine operators 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 | $30,090 | $14.47 | $2,508 | $2,196 |
| 25th percentile | $35,170 | $16.91 | $2,931 | $2,537 |
| Median | $40,610 | $19.52 | $3,384 | $2,901 |
| 75th percentile | $50,150 | $24.11 | $4,179 | $3,540 |
| 90th percentile | $68,800 | $33.08 | $5,733 | $4,769 |
Photographic Process Workers and Processing Machine Operators: pay by state
29 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
$42,427 take-home in national prices
2
$41,004 take-home in national prices
3
$40,516 take-home in national prices
Where a median photographic process workers and processing machine operator paycheck goes furthest after 2026 taxes and BEA price levels.
| State | Employment | Median | 10th pct. | 90th pct. | Median after tax* | In national prices† |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York | 400 | $57,760 | $39,490 | $106,470 | $45,787 | $42,427 |
| Virginia | 110 | $47,380 | $31,790 | $59,310 | $38,340 | $37,921 |
| California | 740 | $47,320 | $37,900 | $84,430 | $38,708 | $34,960 |
| Florida | 450 | $46,840 | $27,080 | $52,800 | $39,816 | $38,501 |
| Wisconsin | 60 | $46,480 | $37,210 | $61,990 | $38,123 | $40,516 |
| Washington | 80 | $46,280 | $36,640 | $75,310 | $38,724 | $36,186 |
| Maryland | 200 | $45,600 | $36,130 | $76,370 | $37,020 | $35,271 |
| Iowa | 90 | $43,310 | $30,480 | $52,970 | $35,986 | $41,004 |
| New Jersey | 110 | $43,300 | $35,390 | $51,020 | $35,761 | $32,867 |
| Delaware | 30 | $42,220 | $40,140 | $42,220 | $34,269 | $34,334 |
| Oregon | 40 | $39,940 | $39,940 | $46,940 | $31,603 | $30,575 |
| Utah | 60 | $39,510 | $37,390 | $43,050 | $32,857 | $33,235 |
| Michigan | 150 | $38,610 | $32,120 | $51,540 | $31,813 | $33,064 |
| Massachusetts | Not published | $38,400 | $36,880 | $85,530 | $31,158 | $29,462 |
| Illinois | Not published | $37,940 | $31,200 | $74,800 | $30,932 | $30,945 |
| Indiana | 240 | $37,670 | $31,840 | $54,690 | $31,366 | $33,608 |
| Connecticut | 80 | $37,460 | $34,010 | $47,130 | $30,971 | $29,892 |
| Kentucky | 120 | $37,430 | $27,480 | $45,920 | $31,063 | $34,453 |
| Pennsylvania | 160 | $37,340 | $30,890 | $48,300 | $31,010 | $31,782 |
| Arizona | Not published | $36,650 | $34,580 | $44,540 | $31,106 | $30,897 |
| Louisiana | 60 | $36,500 | $32,730 | $47,970 | $30,799 | $34,917 |
| Texas | 160 | $35,950 | $28,890 | $66,630 | $31,066 | $32,008 |
| North Carolina | 320 | $35,580 | $34,680 | $58,310 | $29,858 | $31,654 |
| Georgia | 50 | $34,790 | $24,810 | $139,830 | $29,146 | $30,268 |
| Missouri | 100 | $33,540 | $30,080 | $49,270 | $28,490 | $31,371 |
| South Carolina | 50 | $30,010 | $26,780 | $34,310 | $25,994 | $27,728 |
| Alabama | 40 | $29,850 | $27,510 | $46,090 | $24,997 | $28,143 |
| Ohio | 190 | $29,770 | $28,030 | $37,830 | $25,732 | $27,736 |
| Tennessee | 110 | $29,050 | $18,720 | $53,560 | $25,522 | $27,780 |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 51-9151. *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.