145,000
photographer jobs in the United States
The Bureau of Labor Statistics counted about 145,000 photographer jobs in 2025, including self-employed photographers.
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2025A SOURCED REFERENCE
U.S. photography industry statistics.
A clear, citable snapshot of photographer work, pay, and outlook in the United States. Every figure links to its original public source.
Last updated November 3, 2026
THE SHORT VERSION
Photography is a field with a large independent core.
The numbers below separate the broader photographer workforce from the BLS employee wage survey where needed. That distinction matters: self-employed photographers are included in the occupation total but excluded from the wage survey.
67%
of photographers were self-employed
Self-employed workers made up the largest share of photographer employment in 2025, ahead of photographic services, publishing, arts, and retail work.
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook, 202517%
worked in photographic services
Photographic services was the largest employer category after self-employment in the 2025 BLS employment profile.
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2025$21.47
median hourly wage for photographers
Half of photographers earned more than this amount and half earned less, according to the latest BLS occupation profile.
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook, May 2025$18.84
median hourly wage in photographic services
This is the median hourly wage BLS reports for photographers working in photographic services, one of the occupation's main employing industries.
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook, May 202551,760
employee photographers in wage estimates
The BLS wage survey estimated 51,760 employee photographers nationally. It excludes self-employed workers, so it is not directly comparable to the broader employment total above.
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025$55,410
mean annual wage for employee photographers
This is the national mean annual wage reported in the BLS wage survey for employee photographers.
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 202510,700
average annual job openings projected
BLS projects about 10,700 photographer openings each year, on average, from 2025 through 2035. These openings are expected mainly from people leaving the occupation rather than net growth.
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2025–2035 projection−1%
projected employment change
BLS projects photographer employment to move from 145,000 jobs in 2025 to 144,000 in 2035.
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2025–2035 projectionMETHOD & SOURCES
How to read these figures.
This page uses U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data only. The Occupational Outlook Handbook combines employment projections and occupation context. The Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey reports wage and employment estimates for employee photographers, excluding self-employed workers.
Figures are shown exactly as reported by BLS. “Median” means the midpoint of reported earnings. “Mean” is the average. Projections describe BLS expectations, not a guarantee for any photographer, studio, or market.
- Bureau of Labor Statistics, Photographers, Occupational Outlook Handbook. Last modified August 27, 2026. Data: May 2025 and 2025–2035 projections.
- Bureau of Labor Statistics, National employment and wage data by occupation. Data: May 2025.
Cite this page
James Yoke Photography & Creations. “U.S. Photography Industry Statistics.” Updated November 3, 2026. https://jyokephotography.com/photography-industry-statistics
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