Quick answer
Photographers in the US earn a median of $21.47 an hour ($44,660 a year), according to Bureau of Labor Statistics data for May 2025. The middle half earn $17.33 to $30.16. Self-employed photographers usually bill more, about $49 an hour at the median wage, to cover taxes, overhead, unbilled time, and profit.
Photographers pay in the US
Hourly wages for 51,760 employed photographers, May 2025.
| Lowest 10% | 25th percentile | Median | 75th percentile | Top 10% |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $14.82 | $17.33 | $21.47 | $30.16 | $44.14 |
Turn a wage into a billing rate
Wages above are what employers pay photographers. If you work for yourself, your rate also has to cover what an employer would pay for. Change any number to match your business.
Starts at the national median for photographers
Self-employment tax, liability insurance, benefits
Hours you can charge for after quotes, travel, and admin
Tools, vehicle, software, marketing
What the business keeps after paying you
$49 per hour
Pay x (1 + taxes) x (1 + overhead) x (1 + profit), divided by billable time. This is an estimate to start from, not a market price.
Pay by state
Median hourly pay in the 49 states with published data, highest first.
| State | Median | Middle half | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|
| District of Columbia | $53.35 | $39.99 to $60.20 | 260 |
| New York | $28.87 | $20.71 to $45.01 | 3,650 |
| Massachusetts | $27.88 | $20.87 to $47.35 | 830 |
| Oregon | $25.78 | $20.46 to $38.79 | 510 |
| Utah | $25.07 | $16.42 to $29.90 | 660 |
| Delaware | $24.09 | $17.01 to $28.94 | 180 |
| Connecticut | $23.94 | $21.30 to $33.52 | 630 |
| New Mexico | $23.12 | $19.70 to $32.23 | 230 |
| Washington | $23.10 | $19.56 to $31.46 | 960 |
| California | $23.00 | $18.47 to $34.66 | 7,980 |
| Kentucky | $22.68 | $14.52 to $28.65 | 380 |
| Colorado | $22.63 | $18.62 to $33.65 | 1,140 |
| Maine | $22.44 | $17.32 to $31.04 | 180 |
| Virginia | $22.38 | $17.14 to $26.83 | 1,580 |
| Minnesota | $22.34 | $21.37 to $31.27 | 730 |
| Maryland | $22.33 | $17.45 to $39.03 | 790 |
| Hawaii | $22.10 | $17.18 to $28.71 | 440 |
| Mississippi | $22.05 | $16.89 to $27.90 | 190 |
| South Dakota | $21.79 | $16.87 to $24.11 | 190 |
| New Hampshire | $21.53 | $16.97 to $28.51 | 220 |
| Georgia | $21.04 | $15.44 to $35.03 | 1,420 |
| Florida | $20.50 | $16.29 to $31.20 | 4,390 |
| Wisconsin | $20.22 | $17.84 to $27.38 | 850 |
| Nebraska | $20.15 | $14.90 to $29.61 | 220 |
| Texas | $19.85 | $16.82 to $24.77 | 4,330 |
| New Jersey | $19.48 | $17.50 to $29.20 | 1,460 |
| Pennsylvania | $19.48 | $16.36 to $26.86 | 1,870 |
| Montana | $19.18 | $13.90 to $25.00 | 190 |
| Wyoming | $18.91 | $14.68 to $24.10 | 50 |
| Alaska | $18.84 | $17.62 to $26.58 | 50 |
| Missouri | $18.83 | $15.33 to $28.01 | 950 |
| Ohio | $18.50 | $15.22 to $25.57 | 1,540 |
| Iowa | $18.41 | $11.38 to $23.77 | 430 |
| Tennessee | $18.25 | $15.76 to $24.78 | 780 |
| South Carolina | $18.22 | $13.43 to $27.35 | 630 |
| Kansas | $18.17 | $16.46 to $24.27 | 300 |
| Nevada | $18.01 | $12.95 to $22.90 | 890 |
| North Dakota | $17.99 | $17.34 to $24.45 | 70 |
| Rhode Island | $17.93 | $16.87 to $27.81 | 220 |
| North Carolina | $17.84 | $15.95 to $25.32 | 2,130 |
| Arizona | $17.77 | $16.65 to $22.43 | 1,360 |
| Louisiana | $17.71 | $12.62 to $27.19 | 510 |
| Oklahoma | $17.67 | $10.19 to $24.03 | 330 |
| Illinois | $17.58 | $15.53 to $27.69 | 2,150 |
| Alabama | $17.37 | $13.69 to $26.81 | 530 |
| West Virginia | $17.36 | $17.02 to $22.01 | 110 |
| Indiana | $17.29 | $14.83 to $22.69 | 810 |
| Idaho | $16.02 | $13.50 to $21.70 | 190 |
| Arkansas | $15.78 | $13.05 to $17.92 | 240 |
States are left out when BLS does not publish an estimate for them.
Photographers pay FAQ
How much do photographers make an hour?
The national median is $21.47 an hour. The lowest-paid 10% earn under $14.82 and the top 10% earn over $44.14. Pay depends on location, experience, and specialty.
Which state pays photographers the most?
District of Columbia has the highest median at $53.35 an hour, and Arkansas the lowest at $15.78, among the 49 states with published data. Higher-paying states usually have higher living costs too.
How much should a self-employed photographer charge per hour?
Start from the pay you want, then add taxes and insurance, overhead, and profit, and divide by the share of hours you can bill. At the median wage and our default assumptions, that comes to about $49 an hour. Use the calculator on this page to plug in your own numbers.
Where does this pay data come from?
From the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey (May 2025), occupation "Photographers". It covers employees on payrolls, not self-employed workers or business owners.
Source
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, occupation 27-4021 "Photographers". Figures are wages for employees and do not include self-employed workers. The billing rate is our estimate using the assumptions in the calculator.