Photographers Salary in the US
A photographers earns a national median of $44,660 a year (mean $55,410) — BLS OEWS May 2025, ranked #668 of 825.
How much does a photographers earn in the US?
A photographers in the United States earns a median of $44,660 a year (mean $55,410), per BLS OEWS May 2025. That is 12% below the US all-occupations median of $50,980. About 51,760 people work in this occupation (SOC 27-4021), ranked #668 of 825 by national median pay. Updated annually from BLS OEWS.
Median
$44,660
per year
Mean
$55,410
per year
Employment
51,760
US workers
National rank
#668
of 825 by median
What a photographers earns in the US
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS May 2025 national estimates, a photographers (SOC 27-4021) earns a median annual wage of $44,660 and a mean (average) of $55,410. The median is the midpoint — half of photographers earn more and half earn less — and is 12% below the US all-occupations median of $50,980. The mean is higher than the median when a minority of very high earners pull the average up.
Note: BLS top-codes any annual wage at or above $239,200/year, so occupations at that ceiling share the same figure.
Frequently asked questions
- What is the average salary for a photographers in the US?
- The BLS OEWS May 2025 national annual median wage for photographers is $44,660, and the mean (average) is $55,410. The median is the midpoint — half of photographers earn more and half earn less.
- How does photographers pay compare to the US average?
- At $44,660, a photographers earns 12% below the US all-occupations median of $50,980 (BLS OEWS May 2025). The all-occupations US median is $50,980.
- How many photographers are employed in the US?
- BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates about 51,760 photographers employed nationally (SOC 27-4021), across all industries.
- Where does this photographers salary data come from?
- From the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2025 national release — cross-industry, all-ownership estimates, SOC code 27-4021. As US federal government work it is public domain. GeraJobs publishes the figures verbatim; suppressed cells are shown as "—", never estimated.
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Find photographers jobs with salary ranges
GeraJobs lists live US vacancies with employer-stated salary ranges — see which photographers roles pay above the BLS benchmark.
Data source
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) · May 2025 national estimates · SOC 27-4021 · Public domain (U.S. federal government work)
Published verbatim by GeraJobs. Last updated: 2026-06-27. ← All US salaries