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The national median salary for Photographers is $44,658 per year ($21.47/hr) according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2025. The middle 50% of earners make between $36,046 and $62,733 annually. Top earners at the 90th percentile reach $91,811 per year. There are approximately 51,760 photographers employed in the United States.
About This Role
BLS Standard Occupational Classification 2018
Photograph people, landscapes, merchandise, or other subjects. May use lighting equipment to enhance a subject’s appearance. May use editing software to produce finished images and prints. Includes commercial and industrial photographers, scientific photographers, and photojournalists.
Career Outlook
BLS Employment Projections · 2024-2034
10-year growth
+1.8%
About as fast as average
Annual openings
13K
per year, on avg
Workforce today
151K
as of 2024
Why those openings exist
2% from new growth98% from people leaving the role
Most openings come from replacement, not growth. Retention matters more than recruiting here.
Typical entry requirements
Education
High school diploma or equivalent
Experience
None
On-the-job training
Moderate-term on-the-job training
Industry Wage Breakdown
Top 5 industries by employment · median annual wage, sector-specific
Industry
Workforce
Median Pay
Other Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services
NAICS 541900
29K
$39,360
Newspaper, Periodical, Book, and Directory Publishers
NAICS 513100
2K
$51,510
Media Streaming Distribution Services, Social Networks, and Other Media Networks and Content Providers
NAICS 516200
2K
$74,190
Amusement Parks and Arcades
NAICS 713100
1K
$38,410
Radio and Television Broadcasting Stations
NAICS 516100
1K
$62,520
Wage range across top 5 industries: $38,410 to $74,190 (93% spread)
Wage Percentiles
Hourly & annualized (2,080 hours)
Percentile
Hourly Rate
Annual Salary
P10
$14.82
$30,826
P25
$17.33
$36,046
P50MEDIAN
$21.47
$44,658
P75
$30.16
$62,733
P90
$44.14
$91,811
Market Context Signal
JOLTS · professional sector
Cooling
Openings Rate
4.2%
Quits Rate
2.0%
Professional & Business Services openings tumbled 318K in March -- the largest single-sector drop in this release. Openings rate fell from 5.5% to 4.2%. Layoffs jumped to 527K (+99K). White-collar demand has cooled abruptly.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the average photographers salary?
The national median salary for Photographers is $44,658 per year ($21.47/hr) according to BLS OEWS May 2025 data. The middle 50% earn between $36,046 and $62,733 annually.
How much do top-earning photographers make?
The 90th percentile salary for Photographers is $91,811 per year ($44.14/hr). The 75th percentile is $62,733 per year.
What is the entry-level salary for photographers?
Entry-level Photographers (10th percentile) earn approximately $30,826 per year ($14.82/hr). The 25th percentile is $36,046 per year.
Wage figures on this page come from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2025 release. OEWS surveys roughly 1.1 million establishments annually. It is the most comprehensive employer-reported wage dataset in the United States.
P10 through P90 percentiles represent the wage distribution across all surveyed employers (not self-reported by workers). Geographic adjustments use BLS-derived cost multipliers calibrated from regional wage variation.
Wages are estimates. Individual compensation depends on experience, education, employer size, industry, and negotiation. Use this as benchmark context, not absolute ground truth.
CompSignal is a free labor market intelligence tool built for HR, compensation, and talent acquisition teams. We make BLS data, the same primary source Mercer and Radford cross-reference in their paid surveys, searchable and actionable without an enterprise subscription.
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