Photographers

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2019 Workforce

121k

Average Age

37.8

Estimated Job Growth

−3.6%

10-year projection

Average Salary

$37,020

Average Male Salary

$42,142

Average Female Salary

$31,325

About

Photographers are most often employed by the Other professional, scientific & technical services industry. The average yearly wage for Photographers was $37,020 in 2016. The top 3 most similar occupations to Photographers by wage are Upholsterers, Secretaries and administrative assistants, except legal, medical, and executive, and Sawing machine setters, operators, & tenders, wood.

Photographers are part of the Arts, design, entertainment, sports, & media occupations, along with Artists & related workers, Commercial and industrial designers, Fashion designers, Floral designers, Graphic designers, and 25 more.

The top 3 locations that employ the most Photographers are LA City (Mount Washington, Highland Park & Glassell Park) PUMA, CA, Austin City (Northeast) PUMA, TX, and Park Slope, Carroll Gardens & Red Hook PUMA, NY. The top 3 locations with a relatively high concentration of Photographers are Park Slope, Carroll Gardens & Red Hook PUMA, NY, Boulder City PUMA, CO, and Austin City (Northeast) PUMA, TX.

Photo by Kristoffer Trolle

Management, business, science, & arts occupations Education, legal, community service, arts, & media occupations Arts, design, entertainment, sports, & media occupations

Employment

Information on the businesses and industries that employ Photographers and on wages and locations for those in the field. Other professional, scientific & technical services is the industry that employs the most Photographers, both by share and by number, though the highest paid industry for Photographers, by average wage, is Management, scientific & technical consulting services. Photographers are paid most in LA City (Central/Pacific Palisades) PUMA, CA but are relatively concentrated in Park Slope, Carroll Gardens & Red Hook PUMA, NY.

Wages

Yearly Wage

$37,020

AVERAGE SALARY

± $2,989

In 2019, Photographers earned an average of $37,020, $18,503 less than than the average national salary of $55,524.

Upholsterers make somewhat more than Photographers while Sawing machine setters, operators, & tenders, wood make somewhat less. This chart shows the various occupations closest to Photographers as measured by average annual salary in the US.

Wage Distribution

0.473

WAGE GINI

In 2015, Photographers had a wage GINI coefficient of 0.473, which is lower than than the national average of 0.478. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly for Photographers (shown in red) than for the overall labor force (shown in gray).

Wage by Location

HIGHEST PAYING PUMAS

This map shows the Public Use Microdata Areas (PUMAs) in the United States shaded by average annual wage for Photographers.

Spatial Concentration

PUMAs with a Relatively High Concentration of Photographers

This map displays which Public Use Microdata Areas (PUMAs) in the United States have a relatively high population of Photographers.

Industries

Most Common

The most common industries employing Photographers, by number of employees, are Other professional, scientific & technical services , Colleges, universities & professional schools, including junior colleges, and Independent artists, writers, and performers.

Highest Paying

The highest paying industries for Photographers, by average wage, are Management, scientific & technical consulting services, National security & international affairs, and Architectural, engineering & related services.

Industries by Share

121k

2019 Workforce

± 8,525

0.985%

1 YEAR GROWTH

± 9.92%

The number of people employed as Photographers has been growing at a rate of 0.985%, from 119,475 people in 2018 to 120,652 people in 2019.

This graphic shows the share of Photographers employed by various industries. Other professional, scientific & technical services employs the largest share of Photographers at 51%, followed by Colleges, universities & professional schools, including junior colleges with 4.91% and Independent artists, writers, and performers with 4.24%.

Diversity

Demographic information on Photographers in the US. The average age of male Photographers in the workforce is 39.8 and of female Photographers is 35.5, and the most common race/ethnicity for Photographers is White (Non-Hispanic).

Gender Composition

63.5k

MALE WORKFORCE

± 6,187

57.1k

FEMALE WORKFORCE

± 5,867

52.7% of Photographers are Male, making them the more common gender in the occupation. This chart shows the gender breakdown of Photographers.

Race & Ethnicity

Most Common Race or Ethnicity of Photographers

White (Non-Hispanic)
White (Hispanic)
Black (Non-Hispanic)

72.8% of Photographers are White (Non-Hispanic), making that the most common race or ethnicity in the occupation. Representing 8.69% of Photographers, White (Hispanic) is the second most common race or ethnicity in this occupation. This chart shows the racial and ethnic breakdown of Photographers.

Age by Gender

39.8

AVERAGE MALE AGE

± 1.4

35.5

AVERAGE FEMALE AGE

± 1.38

The median age of Photographers is 37.8, and Male employees are generally 4.29 years older than than their Female counterparts.

Education

Data on higher education choices for Photographers from The Department of Education and Census Bureau. The most common major for Photographers is Visual & Performing Arts but a relatively high number of Photographers hold a major in Visual & Performing Arts.

Majors

ACS PUMS data only shows the major for bachelor's degrees. However, we can filter the data based on highest degree obtained.

MOST COMMON MAJORS

MOST SPECIALIZED MAJORS

Skills

Data on the critical and distinctive skills necessary for Photographers from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Photographers need many skills, but most especially Active Listening, Speaking, and Social Perceptiveness. The revealed comparative advantage (RCA) shows that Photographers need more than the average amount of Operations Analysis, Equipment Selection, and Technology Design.

Radar Distribution

Bar Chart

Projections

Projections on job growth for Photographers from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The 10-year national workforce is projected to grow 3.71%, but Photographers are expected to see a growth of −3.6% over the same period. This occupation is expected to grow less than the national average.

Job Growth

−3.6%

Estimated Job Growth

10-year Projection

3.71%

National Growth

10-year Projection

This line chart shows the projected 10-year growth in the number of jobs for Photographers. This profession is expected to grow less than than 3.71%, the average rate of national job growth.