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Job outlook for digital photographers in the United States
Digital photographer job growth summary. After extensive research, interviews, and analysis, Zippia's data science team found that:
The projected digital photographer job growth rate is 9% from 2018-2028.
About 11,200 new jobs for digital photographers are projected over the next decade.
Digital photographer salaries have increased 21% for digital photographers in the last 5 years.
There are over 20,871 digital photographers currently employed in the United States.
There are 17,419 active digital photographer job openings in the US.
The average digital photographer salary is $41,706.
Are digital photographer jobs in demand?
Digital photographer job and salary trends over time
Digital photographer jobs over time
Digital photographer job growth rate over time
| Year | # of jobs | % of population |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 20,871 | 0.01% |
| 2020 | 22,599 | 0.01% |
| 2019 | 27,499 | 0.01% |
| 2018 | 26,923 | 0.01% |
| 2017 | 26,793 | 0.01% |
Average digital photographer salary over time
Digital photographer salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | $41,706 | $20.05 | +13.8% |
| 2025 | $36,654 | $17.62 | +6.7% |
| 2024 | $34,351 | $16.51 | +4.6% |
| 2023 | $32,825 | $15.78 | --4.6% |
| 2022 | $34,422 | $16.55 | +7.4% |
Digital photographer jobs by state
Most common states for digital photographers
| Rank | State | Population | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | District of Columbia | 693,972 | 115 | 17% |
| 2 | Delaware | 961,939 | 64 | 7% |
| 3 | Massachusetts | 6,859,819 | 346 | 5% |
| 4 | Vermont | 623,657 | 30 | 5% |
| 5 | Illinois | 12,802,023 | 509 | 4% |
| 6 | Minnesota | 5,576,606 | 198 | 4% |
| 7 | Utah | 3,101,833 | 132 | 4% |
| 8 | Rhode Island | 1,059,639 | 47 | 4% |
| 9 | California | 39,536,653 | 1,140 | 3% |
| 10 | New York | 19,849,399 | 604 | 3% |
| 11 | Pennsylvania | 12,805,537 | 353 | 3% |
| 12 | Georgia | 10,429,379 | 331 | 3% |
| 13 | New Jersey | 9,005,644 | 263 | 3% |
| 14 | Virginia | 8,470,020 | 253 | 3% |
| 15 | Maryland | 6,052,177 | 194 | 3% |
| 16 | Connecticut | 3,588,184 | 114 | 3% |
| 17 | Idaho | 1,716,943 | 55 | 3% |
| 18 | New Hampshire | 1,342,795 | 46 | 3% |
| 19 | Alaska | 739,795 | 21 | 3% |
| 20 | Wyoming | 579,315 | 17 | 3% |
Digital Photographer job outlook: Expert opinions
Our panel of digital photographer experts
University of the Pacific
Stevenson University
Georgia State University
University of South Dakota
Murray State University
Jennifer Little
Associate Professor of PhotographyUniversity of the Pacific
Film/Video And Photographic Arts
What general advice would you give to a Digital Photographer?
Jennifer Little: If you want to maximize your salary potential, it is good to have multiple specialties, or sub-specialties within Photography and Media. However, it is also critical to understand your audience and tailor the portfolio you submit to a specific type of job, client, or audience, just as you would your résumé. The type and style of photographs you would include in Fine Art, Documentary, Editorial or Commercial Photography Portfolios are very different. Commercial Photography also has many subspecialties, including Portrait Photography, Fashion Photography, Wedding Photography, Product Photography, and Architectural Photography, among others. Most photographers set up completely different web sites featuring their portfolios in these and other specialties because potential clients want to see that they have in-depth knowledge and previous work in the type of photography that they need. For example, if you have a portfolio of gritty documentary photojournalism, you will usually not want to show that to possible clients for your wedding photography, and you should keep these portfolios on different web sites. It is important to know that most Photographers are freelancers now, unless you teach Photography at an academic institution. You will need to learn how to promote yourself and your work as a freelance small business. Many people get started in this area by working as assistants for more established photographers who already have a large studio and freelance client base.
What Digital Photographer skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Jennifer Little: It is very common for Photographers to also work as Videographers, especially for those who document live events, weddings, or sports, as well as people doing traditional Photojournalism or Documentary work. If you are interested in working in these areas, you should combine still Photography and short Videos of related subjects together in your portfolio. New AI image generating technology will have the least impact on Documentary, Journalism and Event Photography, where there is an expectation that photographs or videos document unadulterated reality. If you want to specialize in areas like Portrait, Fashion, Architectural or Product Photography, it will be extremely important to incorporate new AI image generating tools like Adobe Photoshop's Generative Fill into your workflow. AI image generating tools can be very useful for pre-visualization and modification of your original photographs of products, clothing, or interior designs, for example. AI will be used by product designers, fashion designers, and interior decorators to modify photographs with different design concepts. There is also great demand for licensed drone pilots to do commercial aerial photography and videography.
What will help Digital Photographers increase their earning potential?
Jennifer Little: A strong portfolio of your original artwork is the most important factor in finding professional work in Photography, as well as Art and Media in general. You should put your photography portfolio on well-organized portfolio web sites, and also promote your work through social media. It is extremely important that your photography portfolio demonstrates your depth of knowledge and skill in a specific specialty, style or subject matter. Photographers are usually expected to create thematic series of work or 'photo essays' that tell a long form story about a specific subject through a series of photographs. Submitting your work to Photography competitions or attending portfolio reviews like FotoFest is a good way to show your work to high-level professionals in the field and get feedback about your portfolio.
Elena Volkova
Professor of Art and DesignStevenson University
Design And Applied Arts
What general advice would you give to a Digital Photographer?
Elena Volkova: One way to maximize salary potential is to understand professional practices such as contracts, creative fees, licensing, copyright, etc. Emerging professionals must be confident in the value of their work and not undervalue it.
What Digital Photographer skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Elena Volkova: In addition to creative and technical skills, people skills are the most important. Commitment to one's work and ability to develop ideas will be even more important as technical tools become easier.
What will help Digital Photographers increase their earning potential?
Elena Volkova: My advice to graduating photography students is to be open to a variety of opportunities to build skills. Say 'yes' to every gig and learn from every opportunity. Additionally, having a personal project that will drive a photographer's creative process is extremely important.
What hard/technical skills are most important for Digital Photographers?
Jill Frank: There is an expectation that material and technique are mastered. For example, if you want to photograph an event at night, you should know how to handle the resolution, the iso, the lighting, the speed of the shutter, etc., so that the images work for their intended purpose. If you are not ready to handle the technical elements, you are not ready for the photoshoot.
What skills will help Digital Photographers earn the most?
Jill Frank: This is probably too abstract a question for the field of art, but I will try my best: the better you are at taking photographs and marketing yourself & the better you are at moving seamlessly across different media and speaking to the relevant issues, the greater your success will be.
What are the biggest trends we'll see in the Digital Photographer job market given the pandemic?
John Banasiak: Our best case scenario for graduates with an Art Degree are careers as professional Artists. With the pandemic there could be problems with gallery attendance and as a result there would be problems with sales of Art. There are mechanisms that enable online sales and online exhibitions of work, but they are not as powerful as real life exhibitions and interactions with Artists and the viewing public. Of course with Photography there are many off shoots of useful careers like photojournalism, medical photography, studio/fashion/commercial photography, etc.
Will there be an enduring impact of the coronavirus pandemic on Digital Photographers?
Michelle Burdine: If I looked at the history of economic downturns to guide me for this answer, I would have to say yes. However, our current situation is different, giving some reason to hope that our economy will bounce back more quickly than in the past. Despite the myth of the isolated genius artist, toiling alone in his studio, the arts are, at their core, about engagement. A vast majority of careers in the arts rely on public interaction, many of which are not possible, or not best experienced, via video. My hope, then, is that we continue to mask-up and stay distant until we reach herd immunity. With the vaccine, this could be as early as late summer 2021. If this happens, the impact will significantly lessen for graduates in the arts, as communities will be eager to get back into a social routine which includes the arts. It's actually easy for me to imagine a creative boom to balance the stifling isolation of life during this pandemic. My optimism, however, hinges on reaching herd immunity before we are overrun by new variants, in which case we could slide back to square one. A potential upside is that business may be looking to hire new employees at wages that would be manageable for recent graduates, but not for their more-experienced competition.
What certifications/licenses/courses can have the biggest impact for Digital Photographers?
Michelle Burdine: My recommendation to gain an advantage in the arts would be any courses that teach specialty software applications from the Microsoft to the Adobe Suite and far beyond. Like it or not, there is just as much administrative work in the arts as in any field. It would give a graduate an edge to understand art making as well as to be able to be confident with specialty software applications. This extends to understanding ways to use social media to the advantage of the hiring organization. I would also recommend courses in grant writing, and perhaps anything dealing with non-profit organizations.
What will help Digital Photographers increase their earning potential?
Michelle Burdine: Our society maintains the idea of the great life of the "starving artist" -a misconception which is a disservice for both artists and the general public. First it implies that artists don't mind living in poverty and so don't need to be paid fairly, or at all, for their work. Second, it perpetuates the myth that there are no jobs if you are an artist. Luckily, artists are good at ignoring social norms and blazing our own paths. My recommendation is to apply this quality to your job search. Of course, it is true that it is almost impossible to get paid directly out of college to sit in your studio and make art. And yes, it is true that very few artists at this level have collectors knocking down their doors to buy the work you made for your BFA show. Good thing there are so many other avenues to making a living in the arts! For example, look into non-profit organization, community art centers, live-work spaces, museums, galleries, and the even the commercial-arts industry.
You will also increase your earning potential if you say "yes" to unlikely jobs and are willing to relocate. For example, there is an apprentice system established for painting backgrounds and sets for theater and tv/movie productions, if you are willing to move to NY or Massachusetts. Another example-I have a friend with a BFA who has now has a high-level position working for a large bicycle company. He started out as a recent graduate working in a bike shop because he loves cycling. He moved up to managing a store within that company before getting recruited by this bike company. His BFA in photography was instrumental to his success, as creative thinking combined with manual skills is always in demand. Upon graduation, taking a job selling bikes was not the likely path for The Artist. However, he said "yes" to something that he liked even though it was not directly related to the arts. Success, then, can be a matter of applying your transferable skills to an adjacent sector. Despite the fact that you won't see an "artist wanted" ad, art itself, art thinking, and/or art related skills are needed in every type of business. I believe the key for graduates of the arts is a deep understanding of, and confidence in, the vast number of skills you have acquired while obtaining your degree, and the ability to transfer those skills to any sector interesting to you.