Photographers

Detailed Occupation

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2023 Workforce

117k

Average Age

38.7

Estimated Job Growth

3.84%

10-year projection

Average Salary

$45,954

Average Male Salary

$53,206

Average Female Salary

$37,601

About

Photographers are most often employed by the Other professional, scientific & technical services industry. The average yearly wage for Photographers was $45,954 in 2023.

The locations that employ the most Photographers are NYC-Brooklyn Community District 1--Williamsburg & Greenpoint PUMA, NY, Kent County (Central)--Grand Rapids City Area PUMA, MI, and San Diego County (West)--San Diego City (Southwest/Central Coastal) PUMA, CA. The locations with a relatively high concentration of Photographers are Broward County (NNW)--Coral Springs (North), Parkland, & Coconut Creek (North) Cities PUMA, FL, NYC-Brooklyn Community District 6--Park Slope & Carroll Gardens PUMA, NY, and Atlanta Regional Commission--Fulton County (Central)--Atlanta City (Southwest) PUMA, GA.

Photo by Kristoffer Trolle

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

Employment

Employment and salary information for the Photographers workforce. Photographers workforce in 2023 was 116,500 people, of which 46.5% were women and 53.5% were men. Photographers are paid most in NYC-Manhattan Community Districts 1 & 2--Financial District & Greenwich Village PUMA, NY but are relatively concentrated in Broward County (NNW)--Coral Springs (North), Parkland, & Coconut Creek (North) Cities PUMA, FL.

Employment Over Time

Metric

Grouping

62,361

Male Workforce

± 6.13k

54,139

Female Workforce

± 5.71k

The Photographers workforce in 2023 was 116,500 people (46.5% women and 53.5% men). This implies an average annual growth of 17.3% between 2014 (99,342) and 2023 (116,500).

Employment by Location

Level

Metric

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

During 2023, the states that concentrated the best average annual wage were Mississippi ($71,803), District of Columbia ($67,312), and New Jersey ($62,318).

Yearly Wage Ranking

$45,954

AVERAGE WAGE

#371 in the ranking (2023)

$67,727

NATIONAL AVERAGE WAGE

For all occupations across the US

In 2023, Photographers earned an average of $45,954, $21,773 less than the average national salary of $67,727

The graph shows the ranking of Photographers in relation to all Detailed Occupation in 2023.

In 2023, Photographers had a wage GINI coefficient of 0.467, which is lower than the national average of 0.476. In other words, wages are distributed more 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 Aircraft & parts manufacturing ($184,976).

Occupations by Industries

Metric

Value

117k

2023 Workforce

± 8,377

1.43%

1 YEAR GROWTH

± 10.1%

This graphic shows the share of Photographers employed by various industries. Other professional, scientific & technical services employs the largest share of Photographers at 69.5%, followed by uninformed with 18.3% and Independent artists, writers, and performers with 6.95%.

Diversity

Demographic information on Photographers in the US. The workforce of Photographers in 2023 was 116,500 people, with 46.5% woman, and 53.5% men. The average age of male Photographers in the workforce is 41.2 and of female Photographers is 35.7, and the most common race/ethnicity for Photographers is White.

Gender and Age

Metric

The workforce of Photographers in 2023 was 116,500 people, with 46.5% woman, and 53.5% men.

The age ranges that concentrated the largest workforce were 30 to 34 years (18,162 people), 25 to 29 years (17,606 people), and 35 to 39 years (15,893 people). Among them they concentrated 44.4% of the total workforce.

Ethnicity

Gender

In 2023, 13.3% of Photographers workers were Hispanic and 86.7% non-Hispanic.

The treemap shows the distribution of Hispanic workers according to their origin, highlighting Mexican (49.4%), Puerto Rican (13.3)%, and All Other Spanish/Hispanic/Latino (7.77)%

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

Races

In 2023, 73.2% of the Photographers workforce were White, of which 48.7% were women and 51.3% men. Other races that concentrated a significant number of workers were Two or More Races (9.36%) and Black (7.9%).

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 2023 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 Equipment Selection.

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 2023 (counting all academic degrees) were Visual & Performing Arts (15,832 people), Communications (10,915 people), and Business (6,590 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 (47,261 people), Some college (27,829 people), and High School or Equivalent (15,371 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, Critical Thinking.

Projections

Projections on job growth for Photographers from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The 10-year national workforce is projected to grow 4.02%, but Photographers are expected to see a growth of 3.84% over the same period. This occupation is expected to grow less than the national average.

Job Growth

3.84%

Estimated Job Growth

10-year Projection

4.02%

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 4.02%, the average rate of national job growth.