Job Numbers and Growth
About 122,000 professional photographers can be found working in the US. A high unemployment level has been the case recently. Employees without jobs were about 4%.
Area Job Conditions
Finding professional photographers is easiest in Cleveland (Tennessee), Anniston (Alabama), and Altoona (Pennsylvania), and by comparison more challenging in Oakland (California), Tacoma (Washington), and Lafayette (Louisiana).
The pay is best in San Francisco (California), Ann Arbor (Michigan), and Springfield (Illinois) and worst in San Antonio (Texas), Prescott (Arizona), and Anniston (Alabama).
Training and Education
You'll generally want long-term on-the-job training for this career path. Of current professional photographers, 46% graduated from college with degrees. Some 36% of workers attened college but did not go on to get a bachelor's degree. A high school education was sufficient for 19% of employees. Recommended schools are shown in the column to the right; request information from them to help you decide which if any could help you with this career.
Part-Time Work and Self-Employment
Professional photographers working part-time accounted for 22% of those employed in 2008. Self-employed workers represent an estimated 54% of the total.
Professional Photographers by Metropolitan Area (city and its surroundings)
In the table below, a Job Density near 0% means the area has an average number of people in this occupation, for its population. A higher or lower Job Density (e.g., +22% or -45%) tells you there are that many more or fewer workers of that type there than in the average US metro area. So, the higher the number, the more common the occupation.
Alabama
City and Area Median Salary Employees Job Density Anniston $20,000 80 +340% Auburn $23,000 30 +74% Birmingham $24,000 170 -26% Huntsville 110 +24% Mobile $21,000 60 -23% Montgomery $27,000 100 +38% Tuscaloosa $23,000 50 +37%
Arizona
City and Area Median Salary Employees Job Density Phoenix $40,000 930 +12% Prescott $21,000 30 +23% Tucson $43,000 140 -13%
Arkansas
City and Area Median Salary Employees Job Density Fayetteville $32,000 100 +18% Little Rock $26,000 130 -12%
California
City and Area Median Salary Employees Job Density Bakersfield 120 +4% Chico $26,000 40 +45% Fresno $31,000 120 -17% Modesto $29,000 100 +44% Oakland $38,000 250 -45% Riverside $35,000 400 -30% Sacramento $40,000 310 -21% San Diego $34,000 440 -26% San Francisco $62,000 560 +26% Santa Ana $41,000 590 -13% Santa Cruz $43,000 30 -16% Vallejo $32,000 50 -2% Visalia $35,000 50 -11%
Colorado
City and Area Median Salary Employees Job Density Boulder $35,000 100 +47% Colorado Springs $30,000 190 +75% Denver $39,000 580 +4% Fort Collins $38,000 60 +20%
Connecticut
City and Area Median Salary Employees Job Density Bridgeport $32,000 260 +35% Hartford $38,000 280 +9% New Haven $40,000 120 -1% Norwich $30,000 60 +16%
Delaware
City and Area Median Salary Employees Job Density Dover $26,000 40 +88% Wilmington $32,000 90 -37%
District of Columbia
City and Area Median Salary Employees Job Density Washington $47,000 960 -7%
Florida
City and Area Median Salary Employees Job Density Cape Coral $25,000 90 +0% Deltona $32,000 50 -24% Fort Lauderdale $30,000 460 +42% Gainesville $23,000 50 +5% Jacksonville $32,000 300 +13% Lakeland $28,000 50 -40% Miami $42,000 730 +66% Orlando $29,000 470 +1% Palm Bay $35,000 110 +31% Pensacola $28,000 90 +43% Sarasota $29,000 100 -12% Tallahassee $32,000 100 +45% Tampa $38,000 350 -35% West Palm Beach $32,000 400 +69%
Georgia
City and Area Median Salary Employees Job Density Atlanta $25,000 1,520 +44% Augusta $30,000 80 -9% Columbus $29,000 40 -11% Macon $28,000 30 -26% Savannah $27,000 70 +11%
Hawaii
City and Area Median Salary Employees Job Density Honolulu $29,000 350 +83%
Idaho
City and Area Median Salary Employees Job Density Boise $27,000 110 -6% Idaho Falls $24,000 60 +230%
Illinois
City and Area Median Salary Employees Job Density Chicago $56,000 1,860 +9% Peoria $28,000 70 -3% Springfield $55,000 40 -6%
Indiana
City and Area Median Salary Employees Job Density Bloomington $29,000 50 +83% Elkhart $22,000 40 -26% Evansville $35,000 60 -19% Fort Wayne $28,000 110 +21% Gary $24,000 170 +40% Indianapolis $32,000 930 +134% South Bend $25,000 120 +111%
Iowa
City and Area Median Salary Employees Job Density Ames $25,000 40 +181% Cedar Rapids $27,000 50 -11% Davenport $26,000 180 +130% Des Moines $27,000 370 +159% Sioux City $24,000 40 +41% Waterloo $25,000 50 +44%
Kansas
City and Area Median Salary Employees Job Density Topeka $26,000 110 +141% Wichita $29,000 160 +20%
Kentucky
City and Area Median Salary Employees Job Density Bowling Green $25,000 50 +123% Lexington $35,000 150 +43% Louisville $29,000 260 -5%
Louisiana
City and Area Median Salary Employees Job Density Baton Rouge $28,000 110 -32% Lafayette $27,000 30 -51% New Orleans $24,000 250 +11% Shreveport $31,000 90 +21%
Maine
City and Area Median Salary Employees Job Density Portland $28,000 90 +4%
Maryland
City and Area Median Salary Employees Job Density Baltimore $33,000 830 +43% Bethesda $34,000 270 +7% Hagerstown $24,000 50 +23% Salisbury $21,000 40 +97%
Massachusetts
City and Area Median Salary Employees Job Density Boston $41,000 750 -2% Framingham $27,000 210 +206% Springfield $30,000 160 +23% Taunton 40 +126% Worcester 70 -35%
Michigan
City and Area Median Salary Employees Job Density Ann Arbor $55,000 60 -15% Flint $28,000 50 -13% Grand Rapids $35,000 270 +63% Lansing $34,000 100 +21%
Minnesota
City and Area Median Salary Employees Job Density Duluth $34,000 60 +13% Minneapolis $57,000 1,500 +88% St Cloud $37,000 30 -28%
Mississippi
City and Area Median Salary Employees Job Density Jackson $31,000 90 -18%
Missouri
City and Area Median Salary Employees Job Density Columbia 50 +51% Jefferson City $24,000 40 +47% Joplin $19,000 40 +24% Kansas City $40,000 550 +20% Springfield $26,000 60 -28% St Joseph $26,000 30 +56% St Louis $34,000 900 +49%
Montana
City and Area Median Salary Employees Job Density Missoula 40 +100%
Nebraska
City and Area Median Salary Employees Job Density Lincoln $25,000 70 +1% Omaha $29,000 300 +47%
Nevada
City and Area Median Salary Employees Job Density Las Vegas $36,000 930 +127% Reno $40,000 70 -21%
New Hampshire
City and Area Median Salary Employees Job Density Manchester $31,000 30 -30% Nashua $35,000 50 -14%
New Jersey
City and Area Median Salary Employees Job Density Atlantic City $38,000 80 +28% Camden $42,000 170 -27% Edison $40,000 320 -30% Newark $35,000 350 -22% Trenton $34,000 60 -35%
New Mexico
City and Area Median Salary Employees Job Density Albuquerque $38,000 180 +5%
New York
City and Area Median Salary Employees Job Density Albany $36,000 170 -12% Buffalo $29,000 250 +5% Glens Falls $38,000 40 +96% Nassau $30,000 740 +33% New York $52,000 2,050 -10% Poughkeepsie $27,000 70 -32% Syracuse $28,000 200 +48% Utica $30,000 30 -44%
North Carolina
City and Area Median Salary Employees Job Density Asheville $35,000 90 +19% Charlotte $33,000 300 -24% Durham $32,000 180 +52% Fayetteville $29,000 50 -1% Greensboro $34,000 220 +35% Hickory $28,000 60 -13% Raleigh 330 +46% Wilmington $26,000 50 -18%
North Dakota
City and Area Median Salary Employees Job Density Fargo $31,000 140 +191%
Ohio
City and Area Median Salary Employees Job Density Akron $27,000 130 -12% Canton $26,000 130 +76% Cincinnati $25,000 700 +52% Cleveland $30,000 550 +17% Columbus $32,000 360 -13% Dayton $33,000 210 +23% Toledo $23,000 150 +10% Youngstown $24,000 140 +39%
Oklahoma
City and Area Median Salary Employees Job Density Oklahoma City $22,000 390 +56% Tulsa $30,000 150 -22%
Oregon
City and Area Median Salary Employees Job Density Eugene $34,000 70 +11% Portland $38,000 390 -15% Salem $32,000 80 +26%
Pennsylvania
City and Area Median Salary Employees Job Density Allentown $33,000 160 +8% Altoona $31,000 80 +243% Erie $31,000 40 -23% Harrisburg $36,000 80 -42% Johnstown $27,000 40 +82% Lancaster $41,000 170 +67% Philadelphia $37,000 830 -1% Pittsburgh $30,000 430 -15% Reading $36,000 70 +0% Scranton $36,000 160 +44% State College $37,000 30 +37% York $28,000 90 +17%
Rhode Island
City and Area Median Salary Employees Job Density Providence $40,000 340 +36%
South Carolina
City and Area Median Salary Employees Job Density Anderson $38,000 30 +27% Charleston $33,000 70 -45% Columbia $29,000 160 +4% Greenville $33,000 120 -9% Myrtle Beach $22,000 140 +184% Spartanburg $36,000 30 -41%
South Dakota
City and Area Median Salary Employees Job Density Rapid City $24,000 80 +225% Sioux Falls $32,000 50 -14%
Tennessee
City and Area Median Salary Employees Job Density Chattanooga $25,000 180 +79% Cleveland $23,000 70 +433% Johnson City $25,000 60 +101% Kingsport $24,000 40 -15% Knoxville $32,000 210 +44% Memphis $26,000 200 -27% Nashville $32,000 280 -17%
Texas
City and Area Median Salary Employees Job Density Abilene $27,000 40 +64% Amarillo $28,000 50 +22% Austin $35,000 500 +48% Beaumont $28,000 50 -25% Corpus Christi $28,000 70 -6% Dallas $36,000 930 -1% El Paso $25,000 120 +5% Fort Worth $34,000 520 +36% Houston $27,000 1,400 +22% Killeen $24,000 30 -39% Lubbock $28,000 90 +79% Mcallen $25,000 90 -4% San Antonio $22,000 390 +4% Tyler $26,000 60 +63%
Utah
City and Area Median Salary Employees Job Density Ogden $30,000 60 -30% Provo $26,000 60 -14% Salt Lake City $36,000 230 -17%
Vermont
City and Area Median Salary Employees Job Density Burlington $40,000 30 -34%
Virginia
City and Area Median Salary Employees Job Density Blacksburg $31,000 40 +67% Richmond $36,000 170 -36% Roanoke $34,000 80 +20% Virginia Beach $26,000 420 +26%
Washington
City and Area Median Salary Employees Job Density Bremerton $28,000 60 +79% Kennewick $30,000 40 +10% Olympia $26,000 30 -21% Seattle $36,000 840 +31% Spokane $37,000 90 +0% Tacoma $34,000 60 -49%
West Virginia
City and Area Median Salary Employees Job Density Charleston $28,000 60 -2% Huntington $25,000 90 +92%
Wisconsin
City and Area Median Salary Employees Job Density Appleton $39,000 50 +6% Eau Claire $23,000 40 +30% Green Bay $34,000 100 +41% La Crosse $34,000 50 +84% Madison $45,000 200 +38% Milwaukee $38,000 340 -10% Oshkosh $39,000 40 +18% Wausau $34,000 40 +51%
Wyoming
City and Area Median Salary Employees Job Density Casper $36,000 40 +182%
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