How much photographers get paid in 20 major metros

Scott Olson // Getty Images In a world where 85% of American adults own a smartphone, photography has become an accessible hobby for virtually anyone. Yet professional photographers are still in high demand. The number of professional photographers in the next 10 years is expected to grow by 9%–nearly double the average projected growth rate across all industries–according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. There are an estimated 38,420 working photographers in the United States. The career path offers myriad focus areas, such as wedding and event photography, family portraiture, headshots, photojournalism, advertising, fashion, and magazine shoots. A rapidly growing sector is stock photography; other photography jobs may focus on architecture, automobiles, landscapes, or science. Giggster analyzed May 2021 data from the BLS to determine the hourly and annual wages of photographers across 20 of the most populated metropolitan areas. Metros are listed alphabetically and include the main city along with surrounding towns and suburbs. The BLS categorizes photographers as photographing landscapes, merchandise, people, or other subjects. These workers may use lighting when shooting a subject to enhance certain features and employ editing software when producing prints or images. The occupational field includes science photographers, photojournalists, and commercial and industrial photographers; it excludes similar professions such as camera operators, video and film, and television. Averages and medians were calculated to broaden the scope of annual and hourly wages. An average is calculated by adding all the salaries and dividing by the number of salaries used. The median is calculated by the middle point, where half the salaries are higher, and half are lower. The average hourly wage for photographers in the U.S. is $23.18, with an average annual wage of $48,210. When calculating by median, the hourly wage for photographers is $18.73, with an annual wage of $38,950. Keep reading to see how much photographers are paid in 20 major metros. Atlanta cendhika // Shutterstock – Photographers in metro: 1,100 – Average annual wage: $63,580 – Median annual wage: $61,000 – Average hourly wage: $30.57 – Median hourly wage: $29.33 Boston Roman Babakin // Shutterstock – Photographers in metro: 530 – Average annual wage: $55,270 – Median annual wage: $50,340 – Average hourly wage: $26.57 – Median hourly wage: $24.20 Chicago Anne Richard // Shutterstock – Photographers in metro: 1,390 – Average annual wage: $53,340 – Median annual wage: $46,910 – Average hourly wage: $25.64 – Median hourly wage: $22.55 Cincinnati Anne Kitzman // Shutterstock – Photographers in metro: 340 – Average annual wage: $41,790 – Median annual wage: $36,510 – Average hourly wage: $20.09 – Median hourly wage: $17.56 Dallas-Fort Worth Nat Chittamai // Shutterstock – Photographers in metro: 970 – Average annual wage: $44,440 – Median annual wage: $36,100 – Average hourly wage: $21.37 – Median hourly wage: $17.36 Denver Page Light Studios // Shutterstock – Photographers in metro: 520 – Average annual wage: $53,180 – Median annual wage: $45,340 – Average hourly wage: $25.57 – Median hourly wage: $21.80 Detroit Canva – Photographers in metro: 380 – Average annual wage: $52,390 – Median annual wage: $38,590 – Average hourly wage: $25.19 – Median hourly wage: $18.55 Houston Canva – Photographers in metro: 780 – Average annual wage: $39,890 – Median annual wage: $33,750 – Average hourly wage: $19.18 – Median hourly wage: $16.23 Las Vegas Ethan Miller // Getty Images – Photographers in metro: 400 – Average annual wage: $33,500 – Median annual wage: $30,220 – Average hourly wage: $16.11 – Median hourly wage: $14.53 Los Angeles Kit Leong // Shutterstock – Photographers in metro: estimate not available – Average annual wage: $51,340 – Median annual wage: $46,550 – Average hourly wage: $24.68 – Median hourly wage: $22.38 Miami Jan Schneckenhaus // Shutterstock – Photographers in metro: 1,000 – Average annual wage: $53,090 – Median annual wage: $48,860 – Average hourly wage: $25.52 – Median hourly wage: $23.49 Minneapolis-St. Paul Sam Wagner // Shutterstock – Photographers in metro: 630 – Average annual wage: $49,380 – Median annual wage: $48,320 – Average hourly wage: $23.74 – Median hourly wage: $23.23 New York City Eileen_10 // Shutterstock – Photographers in metro: 3,260 – Average annual wage: $62,730 – Median annual wage: $55,770 – Average hourly wage: $30.16 – Median hourly wage: $26.81 Philadelphia Raymond Well // Shutterstock – Photographers in metro: 560 – Average annual wage: $47,050 – Median annual wage: $43,000 – Average hourly wage: $22.62 – Median hourly wage: $20.67 Phoenix Gregory E. Clifford // Shutterstock – Photographers in metro: 690 – Average annual wage: $44,590 – Median annual wage: $32,920 – Average hourly wage: $21.44 – Median hourly wage: $15.83 San Francisco drserg // Shutterstock – Photographers in metro: 770 – Average annual wage: $66,140 – Median annual wage: $59,100 – Average hourly wage: $31.80 – Median hourly wage: $28.41 Seattle EB Adventure Photography // Shutterstock – Photographers in metro: 630 – Average annual wage: $65,810 – Median annual wage: $74,880 – Average hourly wage: $31.64 – Median hourly wage: $36.00 St. Louis matthew Munsell // Shutterstock – Photographers in metro: 300 – Average annual wage: $41,270 – Median annual wage: $36,640 – Average hourly wage: $19.84 – Median hourly wage: $17.61 Tampa Yes I Shoot models // Shutterstock – Photographers in metro: 480 – Average annual wage: $38,020 – Median annual wage: $29,780 – Average hourly wage: $18.28 – Median hourly wage: $14.32 Washington DC