Industry reference
Current employment, pay, outlook, and studio payroll data for writers, business leaders, and anyone researching professional photography.
Last updated September 28, 2026. Every figure links to its original source.
At a glance
Citable data
Photography is not one tidy business category. Occupational figures describe photographers working across employers and self-employment. Studio payroll data tracks employees at photography studios and portrait businesses. Those measures answer different questions, so this page keeps them separate.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics uses this estimate for the photographer occupation, which includes people working across employers and self-employment.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook: PhotographersMedian pay is the midpoint, meaning half of photographers earned more and half earned less. This measure does not represent a typical client project fee.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook: PhotographersThis is the median hourly wage for photographers working in the photographic services industry, a narrower measure than the occupation-wide figure above.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook: PhotographersThe national projection is rounded to the nearest whole percent. It measures employment, not the volume or value of photography assignments.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook: PhotographersThe projected openings include replacement needs as workers change occupations or leave the workforce.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook: PhotographersThis preliminary, seasonally unadjusted estimate tracks jobs at photography studios and portrait businesses. It is not a count of every working photographer.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Employment Statistics: Photography Studios, PortraitCalculated from the Bureau of Labor Statistics series: 42,500 jobs in July 2025 and 40,000 in July 2026. Both monthly figures are seasonally unadjusted.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Employment Statistics: Photography Studios, PortraitMethodology and sources
All figures on this page come from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The occupational figures are from the agency's photographer profile and 2025 to 2035 employment projections. Studio payroll figures are from the agency's monthly series for Photography Studios, Portrait. The July 2026 payroll estimate is preliminary.
The July year-over-year payroll change is calculated from the two published monthly values and shown to one decimal place. This page will be reviewed monthly, or sooner when a key source releases new data.
Mort Tucker Photography. “U.S. Photography Industry Statistics: 2026.” Updated September 28, 2026. https://morttucker.com/photography-industry-statistics.
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