Photographer salary
What a photographer actually earns, from 231 live job postings blended with the official US OEWS (Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics) wage anchor. Pick a market for its median and range, then read the seniority split, the trend, and the country comparison below. Updated 2026-07-23.
Switch the market above to see photographer pay in the 2 countries our sources cover, each with its own cost of living. The trend, seniority, and state detail below are United States data, where the official record runs deepest.
What the number means
A photographer earns a blended US median near 62,869 dollars, with the typical middle running from 59,469 dollars to 68,370 dollars. The official OEWS median is 42,520 dollars, under the posted figure, because the advertised roles skew senior or well-funded. The official trend has moved up about 17 percent since 2019. Demand is rated high, and 0% of postings are fully remote. The nearest adjacent move on our skill graph is video editor, at 17 percent coverage; the instrument maps the rest.
By country
- United States$59,469 – $68,370 · median $62,869
- United Kingdom$37,642 – $44,577 · median $40,480
Top-paying US states
OEWS median by state, highest first.
- New Yorkmedian $57,700
- Washingtonmedian $44,580
- Coloradomedian $43,560
- Virginiamedian $43,180
- Oklahomamedian $37,920
- Indianamedian $37,270
Is your offer fair?
Run a specific number through FairElephant, which weighs it against this data, your location, and remote market rates.
Related salaries
- Video Editor salary$73,462 median
- Brand Designer salary$118,531 median
- Graphic Designer salary$68,638 median
Quick answers
How much does a photographer make?
The blended US median is about 62,869 dollars, with a typical range from 59,469 dollars to 68,370 dollars, against an official OEWS median of 42,520 dollars.
Is photographer a good career in 2026?
Demand for the role is rated high in our July 2026 corpus, with 0% of postings fully remote. The pay is shown above by seniority and by country.
What can a photographer move into?
The nearest adjacent role on our skill graph is video editor, at 17 percent skill coverage. Run the instrument for the full set of reachable moves.
Method: bands are the 25th, 50th, and 75th percentiles of live US postings with stated pay, shrunk toward the official OEWS anchor by sample size (the “blended” figure). Trend is the OEWS annual median for SOC (Standard Occupational Classification) code 27-4021. Unemployment is the 2025 BLS (Bureau of Labor Statistics) CPS (Current Population Survey) annual-average rate for “Photographers.” Live corpus 231 observations, 2026-07-23. Definitions in the glossary.