Photographers

Detailed Occupation

Add Comparison

2021 Workforce

113k

Average Age

38.6

Estimated Job Growth

−3.6%

10-year projection

Average Salary

$42,250

Average Male Salary

$51,360

Average Female Salary

$31,558

About

Photographers are most often employed by the Other professional, scientific & technical services industry. The average yearly wage for Photographers was $42,250 in 2021.

The locations that employ the most Photographers are Greenpoint & Williamsburg PUMA, NY, Lake (South) & Sumter (South) Counties PUMA, FL, and LA City (East Central/Hollywood) PUMA, CA. The locations with a relatively high concentration of Photographers are Greenpoint & Williamsburg PUMA, NY, Quincy City & Milton Town PUMA, MA, and Borough Park, Kensington & Ocean Parkway PUMA, NY.

Photo by Kristoffer Trolle

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

Employment and salary information for the Photographers workforce. Photographers workforce in 2021 was 113,005 people, of which 46% were women and 54% were men. Photographers are paid most in LA City (Central/Pacific Palisades) PUMA, CA but are relatively concentrated in Greenpoint & Williamsburg PUMA, NY.

Employment Over Time

Metric

Grouping

61,019

Male Workforce

± 6.06k

51,986

Female Workforce

± 5.6k

The Photographers workforce in 2021 was 113,005 people (46% women and 54% men). This implies an average annual growth of 14.2% between 2014 (98,933) and 2021 (113,005).

Employment by Location

Level

Metric

This map shows the states in the United States shaded by average wage for Photographers.

During 2021, the states that concentrated the best average annual wage were District of Columbia ($101,063), Delaware ($88,018), and New York ($65,833).

Yearly Wage Ranking

$42,250

AVERAGE WAGE

#359 in the ranking (2021)

$59,596

NATIONAL AVERAGE WAGE

For all occupations across the US

In 2021, Photographers earned an average of $42,250, $17,345 less than the average national salary of $59,596

The graph shows the ranking of Photographers in relation to all Detailed Occupation in 2021.

Wage Distribution

Gender

0.484

WAGE GINI

In 2021, Photographers had a wage GINI coefficient of 0.484, which is higher than the national average of 0.478. In other words, wages are distributed less evenly for Photographers (shown in red) than for the overall labor force (shown in gray).

The graphic shows the distribution of average salaries by buckets for Photographers compared to the entire workforce in the country.

Industry

Information on the industries that employ Photographers and on wages 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 Performing arts companies ($162,186).

Occupations by Industries

Metric

Value

113k

2021 Workforce

± 8,250

0.319%

1 YEAR GROWTH

± 10.3%

This graphic shows the share of Photographers employed by various industries. Other professional, scientific & technical services employs the largest share of Photographers at 87.2%, followed by Broadcasting (except internet) with 7.22% and Independent artists, writers, and performers with 5.53%.

Diversity

Demographic information on Photographers in the US. The workforce of Photographers in 2021 was 113,005 people, with 46% woman, and 54% men. The average age of male Photographers in the workforce is 41.4 and of female Photographers is 35.4, and the most common race/ethnicity for Photographers is White.

Gender and Age

Metric

The workforce of Photographers in 2021 was 113,005 people, with 46% woman, and 54% men.

The age ranges that concentrated the largest workforce were 25 to 29 years (18,071 people), 30 to 34 years (16,156 people), and 35 to 39 years (14,472 people). Among them they concentrated 43.3% of the total workforce.

Ethnicity

Gender

In 2021, 11.3% of Photographers workers were Hispanic and 88.7% non-Hispanic.

The treemap shows the distribution of Hispanic workers according to their origin, highlighting Mexican (70.4%), Puerto Rican (17.2)%, and All Other Spanish/Hispanic/Latino (12.5)%

You can review this information by gender using the selectors above.

Races

In 2021, 78.3% of the Photographers workforce were White, of which 48.4% were women and 51.6% men. Other races that concentrated a significant number of workers were Black (7.89%) and Two or More Races (5.43%).

Education & Skills

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 the most specialized major according to RCA in 2021 were Visual & Performing Arts.

Among the necessary skills for Photographers, Active Listening stands, but the revealed comparative advantage (RCA) shows that Photographers need more than the average amount of Operations Analysis.

Majors

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

Type of Majors

Degree

The most common majors achieved by Photographers in 2021 (counting all academic degrees) were Visual & Performing Arts (15,456 people), Communications (10,494 people), and Business (5,704 people).

You can review this information for different academic grades by modifying the option selected in the selector above.

Education Levels

Metric

The main educational levels achieved by the Photographers workers were Bachelors Degree (44,985 people), Some college (28,596 people), and High School or Equivalent (15,203 people).

The graphic shows the Photographers workforce by gender and educational level.

Skills

Chart

Value

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, Social Perceptiveness.

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.