Photographers
Photographers earn an average annual salary of $78,302, making it one of the higher-paying occupations. While facing some shifts, the field is adapting to changes in the job market. Professionals in this field are primarily employed in industries such as Cross-industry and Cross-industry, Private Ownership only.
Key Statistics
Employment
Employment and salary information for the Photographers workforce.
Employment Over Time
7,300 Workforce in 2023
The Photographers workforce has been growing over time.
Historical employment trends for Photographers.
Yearly Wage Ranking
$78,302 Average Wage
In 2023, Photographers earned an average of $78,302.
Wage ranking compared to other occupations.
Wage Distribution
This chart shows the distribution of average salaries by income buckets for Photographers.
Salary distribution for Photographers.
Employment Growth Projections
1.9% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR)
30,931 Projected Employment (5 years)
Projected growth: 9.6%
33,904 Projected Employment (10 years)
Projected growth: 20.1%
This occupation is projected to grow at 1.9% annually, indicating strong future demand.
Historical employment trends and future projections for Photographers.
Industry
Information on the industries that employ Photographers and on wages for those in the field.
Occupations by Industries
This graphic shows the share of Photographers employed by various industries.
Industry distribution for Photographers.
Wage Trends by Industry
-0.3% Average Annual Wage Growth Rate
Historical wage growth trends by industry for Photographers.
Geographic Distribution
Employment and wage information by geographic location for Photographers.
Metropolitan employment on this page is from the California OEWS extract. Area names omit state codes; all listed metros are in California, so the state chart shows California totals (not a multi-state ranking).
Top States by Employment
Top States by Employment:
- CA: 6,810 employees, $78,706 avg wage
Top 10 states by employment for Photographers.
Top Metropolitan Areas
Top Metropolitan Areas:
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale MD: 2,530 employees, $97,126 avg wage
- Anaheim-Santa Ana-Irvine MD: 1,020 employees, $58,649 avg wage
- San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad MSA: 660 employees, $56,197 avg wage
- San Francisco-San Mateo-Redwood City MD: 520 employees, $105,984 avg wage
- Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario MSA: 490 employees, $54,810 avg wage
- Oakland-Fremont-Berkeley MD: 390 employees, $81,214 avg wage
- Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom MSA: 310 employees, $65,205 avg wage
- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara MSA: 230 employees, $72,375 avg wage
- Fresno MSA: 130 employees, $54,666 avg wage
- Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura MSA: 100 employees, $68,492 avg wage
Top 10 metropolitan statistical areas by employment for Photographers.
Diversity
Demographic information on Photographers in the US.
Gender and Age
The workforce of Photographers in 2023 was 7,300 people, with 62.0% women and 38.0% men.
Gender and age distribution for Photographers.
Races
Racial and ethnic shares when present in the career dataset. If the chart area shows a notice instead, occupational race/ethnicity fields are not yet populated for this extract.
Race and ethnicity distribution for Photographers.
Education & Skills
Data on higher education choices and required skills for Photographers.
Majors
The most common majors achieved by Photographers in 2023 were Business Administration, Visual Arts, Photography.
Common majors for Photographers.
Education Levels
The main educational levels achieved by Photographers workers.
Education level distribution for Photographers.
Skills
Photographers need many skills, but most especially Speaking, Active Listening, Service Orientation, Active Learning, Monitoring.
Required skills for Photographers.
Knowledge & Abilities
Knowledge areas and abilities required for Photographers.
Knowledge Areas
The most important knowledge areas for Photographers include Customer and Personal Service, Sales and Marketing, Computers and Electronics, Administration and Management, English Language.
Knowledge areas required for Photographers.
Abilities
Key abilities needed for Photographers include Near Vision, Oral Expression, Visualization, Far Vision, Originality.
Required abilities for Photographers.
Work Activities
Common work activities performed by Photographers.
Daily Activities
Photographers spend their time on activities such as Working with Computers, Thinking Creatively, Performing for or Working Directly with the Public, Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships, Selling or Influencing Others.
Most important work activities for Photographers.
About
Photographers
The average yearly wage for Photographers was $78,302 in 2023.
SOC Code
27-4021 - Photographers
Insights and Analysis
Compensation snapshot: Photographers reports an average salary of $78,302.
Labor market presence: The current workforce is approximately 7,300 workers, indicating sustained demand.
Forward outlook: Projected annual growth is 1.9%, which should inform long-term career planning.
Data Sources
This page uses data from the following sources:
- College Scorecard - U.S. Department of Education
- Institutional characteristics, costs, completion rates, and earnings data
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: collegescorecard.ed.gov
- Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)
- Employment and wage data by occupation
- Latest data: May 2024
- Source: bls.gov/oes
- O*NET Online - U.S. Department of Labor
- Occupational skills, knowledge, abilities, and work activities
- Database version: 28.0 (August 2023)
- Source: onetcenter.org
- IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) - National Center for Education Statistics
- Institutional data, completions, enrollment, and financial aid
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: nces.ed.gov/ipeds
- Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS)
- Demographic and workforce data
- Latest data: 2023 ACS 5-Year Estimates
- Source: census.gov/acs
Data Processing: All data has been processed, cleaned, and aggregated for presentation. Where specific data points are unavailable, estimates are based on available data and clearly marked.
Last Updated: Data reflects the most recent available information as of January 2025.
Methodology
Data for this profile is sourced from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS), and O*NET Online.
All wage figures represent annual averages and may vary by location, industry, and experience level.