Highest-paying Cities for Camera Operators, Television, Video, and Motion Picture

The top 100 highest paying cities for camera operators, television, video, and motion picture (ranked by average annual salary) are listed in Table 1. The entry level salary (as measured by the salary of the lowest 10% paid earners) and the number of employment of camera operators, television, video, and motion picture in those cities are also shown in the table. As shown in the table, with a annual salary of $96,420, New York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island, New York is the highest paying city for camera operators, television, video, and motion picture. It is followed by Camden, New Jersey (average annual salary $89,200). The salary and employment information is computed from data published by U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) in April 2023 [1]. For more salary information of camera operators, television, video, and motion picture in a specific city, use the links in the table.

Table 1. 100 Highest-paying cities/areas for Camera Operators, Television, Video, and Motion Picture

Rank	City/Area	Average Salary i	Entry Level Salary i	# of Empl. i
1	New York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island, New York	$96,420	$43,830	2,500
2	Camden, New Jersey	$89,200	$41,760	40
3	Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, Washington	$88,320	$49,260	260
4	Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, West Virginia	$86,300	$49,010	770
5	Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, District of Columbia	$83,010	$45,340	640
6	Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, California	$76,930	$37,870	2,790
7	Phoenix-Mesa-Glendale, Arizona	$75,010	$45,620	500
8	Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, California	$71,230	$44,470	30
9	Joplin, Missouri	$69,000	$44,610	n/a
10	Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, Connecticut	$68,710	$33,920	50
11	San Diego-Carlsbad-San Marcos, California	$67,620	$44,880	120
12	Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale, California	$67,120	$33,060	4,860
13	Denver-Aurora-Broomfield, Colorado	$66,750	$43,650	260
14	Boston-Cambridge-Quincy, Massachusetts	$66,210	$25,110	360
15	Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, California	$66,000	$43,540	90
16	Southeast Iowa nonmetropolitan area, Iowa	$65,920	$22,880	40
17	Spokane, Washington	$65,610	$33,960	60
18	New Orleans-Metairie-Kenner, Louisiana	$64,820	$38,670	180
19	Seattle-Bellevue-Everett, Washington	$64,600	$39,750	250
20	Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers, Missouri	$64,130	$21,410	50
21	Baltimore-Towson, Maryland	$64,000	$27,100	80
22	Honolulu, Hawaii	$63,890	$34,900	120
23	Durham-Chapel Hill, North Carolina	$63,770	$31,270	30
24	San Francisco-San Mateo-Redwood City, California	$63,680	$34,690	240
25	New Haven, Connecticut	$63,280	$24,230	30
26	Newark-Union, Pennsylvania	$62,020	$36,640	40
27	Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, Washington	$61,840	$33,500	320
28	Sacramento-Arden-Arcade-Roseville, California	$61,660	$45,500	50
29	Santa Barbara-Santa Maria-Goleta, California	$61,660	$29,250	30
30	Trenton-Ewing, New Jersey	$61,450	$42,380	70
31	St Louis, Missouri	$61,200	$43,430	70
32	Minneapolis-St Paul-Bloomington, Wisconsin	$61,150	$35,110	150
33	Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Marietta, Georgia	$61,050	$34,130	350
34	El Paso, Texas	$60,980	$52,010	n/a
35	San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, California	$60,910	$28,480	50
36	Miami-Miami Beach-Kendall, Florida	$60,340	$37,060	190
37	Urban Honolulu, Hawaii	$60,030	$42,500	120
38	Los Angeles-Long Beach-Santa Ana, California	$58,270	$30,920	3,660
39	Colorado Springs, Colorado	$58,110	$27,890	50
40	Wilmington, North Carolina	$58,100	$36,150	50
41	Fort Collins-Loveland, Colorado	$57,860	$25,060	30
42	San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, California	$57,660	$43,000	230
43	Eugene-Springfield, Oregon	$57,500	$42,550	30
44	Bethesda-Rockville-Frederick, Maryland	$57,010	$25,560	100
45	Springfield, Massachusetts	$56,870	$30,800	70
46	Warren-Troy-Farmington Hills, Michigan	$56,760	$23,560	180
47	Kansas City, Missouri	$56,190	$25,060	90
48	Houston-Sugar Land-Baytown, Texas	$55,880	$36,440	140
49	Raleigh-Cary, North Carolina	$55,800	$52,030	50
50	Youngstown-Warren-Boardman, Pennsylvania	$55,730	$30,650	40
51	Huntsville, Alabama	$55,720	$31,120	30
52	San Antonio-New Braunfels, Texas	$55,290	$33,190	60
53	Ann Arbor, Michigan	$55,090	$40,680	40
54	Boise City-Nampa, Idaho	$54,640	$35,290	30
55	North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota, Florida	$54,600	$33,810	40
56	Rochester, New York	$54,220	$32,830	30
57	Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, Texas	$54,210	$37,150	150
58	Oklahoma City, Oklahoma	$54,030	$40,880	30
59	Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach-Deerfield Beach, Florida	$53,360	$33,780	110
60	Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, Pennsylvania	$53,280	$27,710	100
61	Salt Lake City, Utah	$53,100	$23,190	180
62	Louisville-Jefferson County, Kentucky	$52,660	$36,390	80
63	Tampa-St Petersburg-Clearwater, Florida	$52,200	$30,780	100
64	Nassau-Suffolk, New York	$51,870	$33,220	50
65	Tucson, Arizona	$51,690	$33,350	50
66	Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania	$51,630	$24,300	110
67	Omaha-Council Bluffs, Nebraska	$51,520	$37,860	40
68	Detroit-Warren-Livonia, Michigan	$51,460	$37,630	260
69	Augusta-Richmond County, South Carolina	$50,990	$23,090	50
70	Dallas-Plano-Irving, Texas	$50,990	$24,780	240
71	Baton Rouge, Louisiana	$50,810	$22,810	80
72	Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, Tennessee	$49,720	$29,630	180
73	Cleveland-Elyria-Mentor, Ohio	$49,440	$38,280	50
74	Montgomery, Alabama	$49,060	$31,790	50
75	Philadelphia, Pennsylvania	$48,980	$38,420	240
76	Providence-Fall River-Warwick, Rhode Island	$48,890	$30,440	30
77	Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News, Virginia	$48,860	$22,880	70
78	Oakland-Fremont-Hayward, California	$48,640	$33,420	90
79	Fort Wayne, Indiana	$48,590	$29,430	30
80	Santa Ana-Anaheim-Irvine, California	$48,520	$27,850	40
81	Lincoln, Nebraska	$48,410	$38,270	30
82	Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, Florida	$48,260	$31,820	130
83	Tulsa, Oklahoma	$47,750	$38,370	40
84	Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, Texas	$47,560	$36,960	290
85	Greensboro-High Point, North Carolina	$47,310	$30,150	30
86	Wichita, Kansas	$47,300	$26,560	30
87	Fort Worth-Arlington, Texas	$47,260	$19,860	100
88	Chicago-Joliet-Naperville (IL Metropolitan Division), Illinois	$47,230	$27,350	460
89	Syracuse, New York	$47,040	$26,000	30
90	Memphis, Tennessee	$46,580	$28,890	60
91	Reno-Sparks, Nevada	$46,330	$32,960	30
92	Missoula, Montana	$46,160	$31,500	40
93	New York-White Plains-Wayne, New York	$45,930	$22,320	1,490
94	Knoxville, Tennessee	$45,240	$28,340	50
95	Las Vegas-Paradise, Nevada	$45,080	$37,200	130
96	Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, Pennsylvania	$45,030	$24,600	280
97	Abilene, Texas	$44,900	$24,040	n/a
98	Jacksonville, Florida	$44,900	$22,890	50
99	Des Moines-West Des Moines, Iowa	$44,740	$27,710	80
100	Bakersfield-Delano, California	$44,690	$35,030	n/a

See also: 💰 Highest paying industries for camera operators, television, video, and motion picture.