Photographers

Detailed Occupation

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2020 Workforce

113k

Average Age

38.5

Estimated Job Growth

−3.6%

10-year projection

Average Salary

$40,525

Average Male Salary

$49,567

Average Female Salary

$29,792

About

Photographers are most often employed by the Other professional, scientific & technical services industry. The average yearly wage for Photographers was $40,525 in 2016. The top 3 most similar occupations to Photographers by wage are Medical, dental, & ophthalmic laboratory technicians, Miscellaneous metal workers & plastic workers, including multiple machine tool setters, and Recreational therapists.

Photographers are part of the Arts, design, entertainment, sports, & media occupations, along with Artists & related workers, Commercial and industrial designers, Fashion designers, Floral designers, Graphic designers, and 25 more.

The top 3 locations that employ the most Photographers are Greenpoint & Williamsburg PUMA, NY, Kendall & Grundy Counties PUMA, IL, and LA City (East Central/Silver Lake, Echo Park & Westlake) PUMA, CA. The top 3 locations with a relatively high concentration of Photographers are Greenpoint & Williamsburg PUMA, NY, Miami Beach City & Miami Shores Village PUMA, FL, and Park Slope, Carroll Gardens & Red Hook PUMA, NY.

Photo by Kristoffer Trolle

Information on the businesses and industries that employ Photographers and on wages and locations 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. Photographers are paid most in Howard Beach & Ozone Park PUMA, NY but are relatively concentrated in Greenpoint & Williamsburg PUMA, NY.

Yearly Wage

$40,525

AVERAGE SALARY

± $3,494

In 2020, Photographers earned an average of $40,525, $15,429 less than than the average national salary of $55,954.

Recreational therapists make somewhat more than Photographers while Medical, dental, & ophthalmic laboratory technicians make somewhat less. This chart shows the various occupations closest to Photographers as measured by average annual salary in the US.

Wage Distribution

0.505

WAGE GINI

In 2015, Photographers had a wage GINI coefficient of 0.505, which is higher than 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).

Wage by Location

HIGHEST PAYING PUMAS

This map shows the Public Use Microdata Areas (PUMAs) in the United States shaded by average annual wage for Photographers.

Spatial Concentration

PUMAs with a Relatively High Concentration of Photographers

This map displays which Public Use Microdata Areas (PUMAs) in the United States have a relatively high population of Photographers.

Most Common

The most common industries employing Photographers, by number of employees, are Other professional, scientific & technical services , Broadcasting (except internet), Colleges, universities & professional schools, including junior colleges, Independent artists, writers, and performers, Newspaper publishers, Amusement & Recreation, Car Dealers, Motion pictures & video industries, Advertising, public relations & related services, Miscellaneous retail stores, and Lessors of real estate, and offices of real estate agents and brokers.

Highest Paying

The highest paying industries for Photographers, by average wage, are Aircraft & parts manufacturing, Performing arts companies, and Management, scientific & technical consulting services.

Industries by Share

113k

2020 Workforce

± 8,237

−0.345%

1 YEAR GROWTH

± 10.4%

The number of people employed as Photographers has been declining at a rate of −0.345%, from 113,036 people in 2019 to 112,646 people in 2020.

This graphic shows the share of Photographers employed by various industries. Other professional, scientific & technical services employs the largest share of Photographers at 54.6%, followed by Broadcasting (except internet) with 4.41% and Colleges, universities & professional schools, including junior colleges with 3.67%.

Diversity

Demographic information on Photographers in the US. The average age of male Photographers in the workforce is 41.2 and of female Photographers is 35.4, and the most common race/ethnicity for Photographers is White (Non-Hispanic).

Composition by Sex

61.1k

MALE WORKFORCE

± 6,069

51.5k

FEMALE WORKFORCE

± 5,571

54.3% of Photographers are Male, making them the more common sex in the occupation. This chart shows the sex breakdown of Photographers.

Race & Ethnicity

Most Common Race or Ethnicity of Photographers

White (Non-Hispanic)
White (Hispanic)
Black (Non-Hispanic)

73.5% of Photographers are White (Non-Hispanic), making that the most common race or ethnicity in the occupation. Representing 7.02% of Photographers, White (Hispanic) is the second most common race or ethnicity in this occupation. This chart shows the racial and ethnic breakdown of Photographers.

Age by Sex

41.2

AVERAGE MALE AGE

± 1.45

35.4

AVERAGE FEMALE AGE

± 1.38

The median age of Photographers is 38.5, and Male employees are generally 5.76 years older than than their Female counterparts.

Education

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 a relatively high number of Photographers hold a major in Communication Technologies.

Majors

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

MOST COMMON MAJORS

MOST SPECIALIZED MAJORS

Skills

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, and Social Perceptiveness. The revealed comparative advantage (RCA) shows that Photographers need more than the average amount of Operations Analysis, Equipment Selection, and Technology Design.

Radar Distribution

Bar Chart

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.