The highest-paying states for photographers (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 photographers in those states are also shown in the table. As shown in the table, with an annual salary of $75,770, District of Columbia is the highest paying state for photographers. It is followed by New York (average annual salary $59,740). 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 photographers in a specific state, use the links in the table.
| Rank | State | Average Salary i | Entry Level Salary i |
# of Empl. i |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | District of Columbia | $75,770 |
$48,370 | 430 |
| 2 | New York | $59,740 |
$35,240 | 4,070 |
| 3 | California | $55,530 |
$36,370 | 5,200 |
| 4 | Massachusetts | $51,420 |
$33,560 | 820 |
| 5 | New Mexico | $50,870 |
$27,510 | 260 |
| 6 | Minnesota | $50,520 |
$34,120 | 960 |
| 7 | Vermont | $49,060 |
$36,750 | 50 |
| 8 | Georgia | $48,800 |
$25,830 | 1,860 |
| 9 | Oregon | $48,560 |
$33,560 | 380 |
| 10 | Connecticut | $47,560 |
$34,940 | 370 |
| 11 | Washington | $47,180 |
$31,140 | 1,040 |
| 12 | New Hampshire | $46,170 |
$33,330 | 130 |
| 13 | Alaska | $45,880 |
$32,830 | 40 |
| 14 | Maine | $45,550 |
$38,370 | 150 |
| 15 | Utah | $43,990 |
$21,220 | 840 |
| 16 | New Jersey | $42,480 |
$29,410 | 1,340 |
| 17 | Hawaii | $41,840 |
$27,920 | 340 |
| 18 | Louisiana | $41,810 |
$23,370 | 340 |
| 19 | Idaho | $41,600 |
$24,670 | 240 |
| 20 | Mississippi | $41,090 |
$17,590 | 130 |
| 21 | Illinois | $40,000 |
$29,100 | 2,590 |
| 22 | Montana | $39,820 |
$21,260 | 100 |
| 23 | Nevada | $39,760 |
$25,090 | 810 |
| 24 | Colorado | $39,580 |
$30,940 | 1,050 |
| 25 | North Carolina | $38,630 |
$26,680 | 1,530 |
| 26 | Virginia | $38,350 |
$24,400 | 1,200 |
| 27 | Rhode Island | $37,940 |
$29,500 | 220 |
| 28 | Michigan | $37,660 |
$28,220 | 770 |
| 29 | Wyoming | $37,440 |
$28,580 | 60 |
| 30 | South Dakota | $37,310 |
$29,970 | 120 |
| 31 | Pennsylvania | $36,850 |
$28,380 | 1,840 |
| 32 | Ohio | $36,760 |
$23,500 | 1,550 |
| 33 | Missouri | $36,570 |
$26,440 | 870 |
| 34 | Indiana | $36,450 |
$26,000 | 820 |
| 35 | Maryland | $36,020 |
$28,820 | 970 |
| 36 | Wisconsin | $35,830 |
$23,850 | 840 |
| 37 | Oklahoma | $35,760 |
$22,820 | 370 |
| 38 | Delaware | $35,730 |
$27,430 | 130 |
| 39 | Alabama | $35,590 |
$20,710 | 470 |
| 40 | Florida | $35,000 |
$27,480 | 3,090 |
| 41 | Arizona | $34,520 |
$30,160 | 1,000 |
| 42 | Tennessee | $33,290 |
$20,350 | 1,040 |
| 43 | Nebraska | $33,080 |
$21,170 | 370 |
| 44 | Kentucky | $32,950 |
$20,470 | 290 |
| 45 | South Carolina | $31,200 |
$17,890 | 650 |
| 46 | Kansas | $30,230 |
$20,870 | 320 |
| 47 | North Dakota | $30,220 |
$21,080 | 90 |
| 48 | Texas | $30,070 |
$21,610 | 4,390 |
| 49 | West Virginia | $29,660 |
$24,960 | 140 |
| 50 | Arkansas | $29,500 |
$23,980 | 240 |
| 51 | Iowa | $29,240 |
$19,680 | 460 |
| 52 | Puerto Rico | $28,190 |
$18,130 | 110 |
| 53 | Guam | $24,510 |
$17,270 | 50 |