Photographic Process Workers and Processing Machine Operators Salary - BLS OEWS Wage Benchmarks
SOC 51-9151 · National · May 2025 OEWS Data
Median Annual Salary
$40,602
$19.52/hr
Verified BLS OEWS data · Updated May 18, 2026
Source: BLS OEWS · Published May 15, 2026
Next refresh: May 2027
Get notified when this number updates
Personal or work email, both work. No account needed. Unsubscribe anytime.
The national median salary for Photographic Process Workers and Processing Machine Operators is $40,602 per year ($19.52/hr) according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2025. The middle 50% of earners make between $35,173 and $50,149 annually. Top earners at the 90th percentile reach $68,806 per year. There are approximately 4,800 photographic process workers and processing machine operators employed in the United States.
About This Role
BLS Standard Occupational Classification 2018
Perform work involved in developing and processing photographic images from film or digital media. May perform precision tasks such as editing photographic negatives and prints.
Career Outlook
BLS Employment Projections · 2024-2034
10-year growth
-2.6%
Slower than average
Annual openings
2K
per year, on avg
Workforce today
11K
as of 2024
Why those openings exist
0% from new growth100% 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
Short-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
2K
$39,510
Other Personal Services
NAICS 812900
810
$37,180
Electronics and Appliance Retailers
NAICS 449200
140
$38,280
Employment Services
NAICS 561300
140
$35,580
Other Miscellaneous Manufacturing
NAICS 339900
120
$45,380
Wage range across top 5 industries: $35,580 to $45,380 (28% spread)
Wage Percentiles
Hourly & annualized (2,080 hours)
Percentile
Hourly Rate
Annual Salary
P10
$14.47
$30,098
P25
$16.91
$35,173
P50MEDIAN
$19.52
$40,602
P75
$24.11
$50,149
P90
$33.08
$68,806
Market Context Signal
JOLTS · manufacturing sector
Stable
Openings Rate
3.5%
Quits Rate
1.4%
Manufacturing openings ticked up to 462K (+19K) in March, with the rate at 3.5%. Hires rose to 310K. The sector has stabilized after late-2025 softening.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the average photographic process workers and processing machine operators salary?
The national median salary for Photographic Process Workers and Processing Machine Operators is $40,602 per year ($19.52/hr) according to BLS OEWS May 2025 data. The middle 50% earn between $35,173 and $50,149 annually.
How much do top-earning photographic process workers and processing machine operators make?
The 90th percentile salary for Photographic Process Workers and Processing Machine Operators is $68,806 per year ($33.08/hr). The 75th percentile is $50,149 per year.
What is the entry-level salary for photographic process workers and processing machine operators?
Entry-level Photographic Process Workers and Processing Machine Operators (10th percentile) earn approximately $30,098 per year ($14.47/hr). The 25th percentile is $35,173 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.
Built and maintained by Falcon Incentives, a compensation strategy and incentive design consultancy.