Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
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Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2019
27-4021 Photographers
Photograph people, landscapes, merchandise, or other subjects. May use lighting equipment to enhance a subject’s appearance. May use editing software to produce finished images and prints. Includes commercial and industrial photographers, scientific photographers, and photojournalists. Excludes “Camera Operators, Television, Video, and Film” (27-4031).
National estimates for this occupation
Industry profile for this occupation
Geographic profile for this occupation
National estimates for this occupation:
Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for this occupation:
| Employment (1) |
Employment
RSE (3) |
Mean hourly
wage |
Mean annual
wage (2) |
Wage RSE (3) |
| 50,620 |
2.3 % |
$21.85 |
$45,440 |
1.7 % |
Percentile wage estimates for this occupation:
| Percentile |
10% |
25% |
50%
(Median) |
75% |
90% |
| Hourly Wage |
$9.92 |
$12.09 |
$17.44 |
$27.53 |
$38.19 |
| Annual Wage (2) |
$20,630 |
$25,150 |
$36,280 |
$57,250 |
$79,440 |
Industry profile for this occupation:
Industries with the highest published employment and wages for this occupation are provided.
For a list of all industries with employment in this occupation, see the Create Customized Tables function.
Industries with the highest levels of employment in this occupation:
| Industry |
Employment (1) |
Percent of industry employment |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Other Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services |
29,230 |
3.89 |
$19.73 |
$41,040 |
| Radio and Television Broadcasting |
3,630 |
1.69 |
$25.01 |
$52,020 |
| Newspaper, Periodical, Book, and Directory Publishers |
1,970 |
0.65 |
$25.40 |
$52,820 |
| Motion Picture and Video Industries |
1,910 |
0.45 |
$34.46 |
$71,670 |
| Electronic Shopping and Mail-Order Houses |
1,100 |
0.28 |
$23.33 |
$48,520 |
Industries with the highest concentration of employment in this occupation:
| Industry |
Employment (1) |
Percent of industry employment |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Other Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services |
29,230 |
3.89 |
$19.73 |
$41,040 |
| Radio and Television Broadcasting |
3,630 |
1.69 |
$25.01 |
$52,020 |
| Independent Artists, Writers, and Performers |
880 |
1.65 |
$22.20 |
$46,170 |
| Newspaper, Periodical, Book, and Directory Publishers |
1,970 |
0.65 |
$25.40 |
$52,820 |
| Motion Picture and Video Industries |
1,910 |
0.45 |
$34.46 |
$71,670 |
Top paying industries for this occupation:
Geographic profile for this occupation:
States and areas with the highest published employment, location quotients, and wages for this occupation are provided.
For a list of all areas with employment in this occupation, see the Create Customized Tables function.
States with the highest employment level in this occupation:
| State |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| California |
6,600 |
0.38 |
1.10 |
$26.19 |
$54,470 |
| Florida |
4,790 |
0.54 |
1.58 |
$15.46 |
$32,150 |
| New York |
4,680 |
0.49 |
1.43 |
$31.28 |
$65,070 |
| Texas |
3,300 |
0.27 |
0.77 |
$24.41 |
$50,770 |
| Illinois |
2,460 |
0.41 |
1.18 |
$19.03 |
$39,590 |
States with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in this occupation:
| State |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Nevada |
1,100 |
0.79 |
2.29 |
$14.34 |
$29,820 |
| Hawaii |
430 |
0.68 |
1.98 |
$21.05 |
$43,780 |
| District of Columbia |
440 |
0.61 |
1.78 |
$42.94 |
$89,310 |
| Rhode Island |
280 |
0.59 |
1.70 |
$28.10 |
$58,460 |
| Florida |
4,790 |
0.54 |
1.58 |
$15.46 |
$32,150 |
Top paying States for this occupation:
Metropolitan areas with the highest employment level in this occupation:
| Metropolitan area |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA |
4,870 |
0.50 |
1.46 |
$30.70 |
$63,850 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA |
3,500 |
0.56 |
1.63 |
$28.52 |
$59,330 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI |
2,150 |
0.46 |
1.34 |
$18.65 |
$38,790 |
| Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA |
1,570 |
0.57 |
1.66 |
$23.43 |
$48,730 |
| Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL |
1,480 |
1.15 |
3.33 |
$12.56 |
$26,120 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX |
1,210 |
0.33 |
0.96 |
(8) |
(8) |
| Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL |
1,080 |
0.41 |
1.19 |
$19.50 |
$40,570 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH |
1,010 |
0.36 |
1.04 |
$28.47 |
$59,220 |
| Las Vegas-Henderson-Paradise, NV |
970 |
0.96 |
2.77 |
$14.57 |
$30,290 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA |
910 |
0.37 |
1.07 |
$29.58 |
$61,530 |
Metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in this occupation:
| Metropolitan area |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL |
1,480 |
1.15 |
3.33 |
$12.56 |
$26,120 |
| Hammond, LA |
40 |
0.99 |
2.88 |
$12.24 |
$25,460 |
| Las Vegas-Henderson-Paradise, NV |
970 |
0.96 |
2.77 |
$14.57 |
$30,290 |
| Kahului-Wailuku-Lahaina, HI |
70 |
0.96 |
2.79 |
$17.79 |
$37,000 |
| Asheville, NC |
140 |
0.72 |
2.10 |
$13.64 |
$28,370 |
| Urban Honolulu, HI |
330 |
0.71 |
2.07 |
$22.66 |
$47,130 |
| Rockford, IL |
100 |
0.69 |
2.00 |
$13.40 |
$27,860 |
| Springfield, MO |
140 |
0.68 |
1.98 |
$13.91 |
$28,940 |
| South Bend-Mishawaka, IN-MI |
90 |
0.67 |
1.96 |
(8) |
(8) |
| Harrisburg-Carlisle, PA |
220 |
0.66 |
1.92 |
$15.87 |
$33,010 |
United States Department of Labor
