Camera Operators, Television, Video, and Film Salary - BLS OEWS Wage Benchmarks
SOC 27-4031 · National · May 2025 OEWS Data
Median Annual Salary
$74,984
$36.05/hr
Verified BLS OEWS data · Updated May 18, 2026
Source: BLS OEWS · Published May 15, 2026
Next refresh: May 2027
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The national median salary for Camera Operators, Television, Video, and Film is $74,984 per year ($36.05/hr) according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2025. The middle 50% of earners make between $50,918 and $106,662 annually. Top earners at the 90th percentile reach $135,179 per year. There are approximately 21,550 camera operators, television, video, and film employed in the United States.
About This Role
BLS Standard Occupational Classification 2018
Operate television, video, or film camera to record images or scenes for television, video, or film productions.
Career Outlook
BLS Employment Projections · 2024-2034
10-year growth
+1.2%
About as fast as average
Annual openings
3K
per year, on avg
Workforce today
36K
as of 2024
Why those openings exist
1% from new growth99% from people leaving the role
Most openings come from replacement, not growth. Retention matters more than recruiting here.
Typical entry requirements
Education
Bachelor's degree
Experience
None
On-the-job training
None
Industry Wage Breakdown
Top 5 industries by employment · median annual wage, sector-specific
Industry
Workforce
Median Pay
Motion Picture and Video Industries
NAICS 512100
8K
$93,940
Radio and Television Broadcasting Stations
NAICS 516100
2K
$61,850
Media Streaming Distribution Services, Social Networks, and Other Media Networks and Content Providers
NAICS 516200
2K
$61,770
Employment Services
NAICS 561300
1K
$110,570
Spectator Sports
NAICS 711200
1K
$53,790
Wage range across top 5 industries: $53,790 to $110,570 (106% spread)
Wage Percentiles
Hourly & annualized (2,080 hours)
Percentile
Hourly Rate
Annual Salary
P10
$18.52
$38,522
P25
$24.48
$50,918
P50MEDIAN
$36.05
$74,984
P75
$51.28
$106,662
P90
$64.99
$135,179
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 camera operators, television, video, and film salary?
The national median salary for Camera Operators, Television, Video, and Film is $74,984 per year ($36.05/hr) according to BLS OEWS May 2025 data. The middle 50% earn between $50,918 and $106,662 annually.
How much do top-earning camera operators, television, video, and film make?
The 90th percentile salary for Camera Operators, Television, Video, and Film is $135,179 per year ($64.99/hr). The 75th percentile is $106,662 per year.
What is the entry-level salary for camera operators, television, video, and film?
Entry-level Camera Operators, Television, Video, and Film (10th percentile) earn approximately $38,522 per year ($18.52/hr). The 25th percentile is $50,918 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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