How much does a professional model make?

The average professional model salary in the United States is $236,556. Professional model salaries typically range between $89,000 and $624,000 yearly. The average hourly rate for professional models is $113.73 per hour. Professional model salary is impacted by location, education, and experience. Professional models earn the highest average salary in North Dakota.

Professional model salary

Q: What state pays Professional Models the most?

North Dakota pays Professional Models the most in the United States, with an average salary of $199,663 per year, or $95.99 per hour.

Q: How do I know if I'm being paid fairly as a professional model?

You know if you are being paid fairly as a professional model if your pay is close to the average pay for the state you live in. For example, if you live in Minnesota you should be paid close to $188,662 per year.

Average professional model salary

$236,556

$113.73 hourly rate

Entry-level professional model salary

$89,000 yearly salary

Updated January 8, 2025

Understanding Professional Model Salaries

The profession of modeling encompasses a vast range of opportunities, leading to varied salary expectations. As of October 2025, the average annual salary for a Professional Model is $236,556 or about $114 per hour. However, earnings can fluctuate based on several factors:

Location: Certain states, such as California and New York, are known for higher pay scales due to the concentration of fashion industries and demand for models.
Experience: Entry-level models may start with lower salaries, while seasoned professionals can command significantly more based on their portfolio and reputation.
Specialization: Models in niches like runway, commercial, or editorial may find varying salary ranges; for example, high-fashion models often earn more than commercial models.

Additionally, models can increase their income through endorsements, brand partnerships, and participation in lucrative advertising campaigns. Understanding these factors can help aspiring models make informed career decisions and maximize their earning potential in this competitive field.

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Professional model salary by:

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Where can a Professional Model earn more?

Compare salary by location

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Columbus, OH$235,037

Tuscaloosa, AL$108,251

Compare salary by company

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Click Model Management - New York$312,090

Marathon Petroleum$151,912

Professional model salary estimates from across the web

Based on the latest salary information compiled by Zippia, Glassdoor and Comparably, the average salary for a professional model typically falls between $49,308 and $236,556.

zippia

$236,556yearly

glassdoor[1]

$69,531yearly

comparably[2]

$49,308yearly

Average professional model salary by state

The average professional model salary in North Dakota, Minnesota, and Wisconsin are the highest in the U.S. The lowest average professional model salary states are Virginia, South Carolina, and Arizona.

State view
County view

Average salary:

Highest paying states for professional models

Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
1	North Dakota	$199,663	$95.99
2	Minnesota	$188,662	$90.70
3	Wisconsin	$177,774	$85.47
4	West Virginia	$174,677	$83.98
5	Maine	$166,714	$80.15
6	Wyoming	$164,088	$78.89
7	Kentucky	$171,934	$82.66
8	Alaska	$171,374	$82.39
9	Indiana	$159,589	$76.73
10	Michigan	$168,711	$81.11
11	Vermont	$163,499	$78.61
12	Colorado	$163,977	$78.84
13	Iowa	$159,284	$76.58
14	Massachusetts	$161,652	$77.72
15	Washington	$175,337	$84.30
16	Idaho	$163,211	$78.47
17	Oregon	$160,601	$77.21
18	Rhode Island	$153,412	$73.76
19	Delaware	$152,467	$73.30
20	New Jersey	$158,282	$76.10
21	Illinois	$161,334	$77.56
22	District of Columbia	$171,088	$82.25
23	Maryland	$160,217	$77.03
24	Connecticut	$157,003	$75.48
25	Nebraska	$155,295	$74.66
26	South Dakota	$144,478	$69.46
27	New York	$164,112	$78.90
28	Kansas	$146,491	$70.43
29	New Hampshire	$155,748	$74.88
30	North Carolina	$149,857	$72.05
31	Utah	$142,702	$68.61
32	Ohio	$137,227	$65.97
33	Missouri	$145,034	$69.73
34	Montana	$142,892	$68.70
35	Florida	$147,625	$70.97
36	Tennessee	$133,996	$64.42
37	Mississippi	$135,362	$65.08
38	Pennsylvania	$125,299	$60.24
39	California	$153,869	$73.98
40	Nevada	$134,699	$64.76
41	Arkansas	$135,911	$65.34
42	South Carolina	$118,827	$57.13
43	New Mexico	$131,229	$63.09
44	Oklahoma	$130,667	$62.82
45	Hawaii	$85,799	$41.25
46	Texas	$124,981	$60.09
47	Georgia	$127,604	$61.35
48	Arizona	$117,702	$56.59
49	Louisiana	$110,902	$53.32
50	Virginia	$122,413	$58.85
51	Alabama	$104,803	$50.39

Top professional model jobs near you

Highest paying cities for professional models

The highest-paying cities for professional models are Seattle, WA, Denver, CO, and Boston, MA.

Rank	City	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
1	Seattle, WA	$235,037	$113.00
2	Denver, CO	$211,363	$101.62
3	Boston, MA	$207,268	$99.65
4	New York, NY	$205,319	$98.71
5	Chicago, IL	$198,278	$95.33
6	San Francisco, CA	$193,034	$92.80
7	Fairbanks, AK	$192,769	$92.68
8	Edison, NJ	$192,107	$92.36
9	Orlando, FL	$190,896	$91.78
10	Morrisville, NC	$177,154	$85.17
11	Toledo, OH	$157,388	$75.67
12	Las Vegas, NV	$146,892	$70.62
13	Tulsa, OK	$145,441	$69.92
14	Atlanta, GA	$140,927	$67.75
15	Plano, TX	$139,207	$66.93
16	McLean, VA	$133,951	$64.40
17	Pittsburgh, PA	$133,942	$64.40
18	Phoenix, AZ	$124,862	$60.03
19	Baton Rouge, LA	$116,088	$55.81
20	Tuscaloosa, AL	$108,251	$52.04

Professional model salary details

A professional model's salary ranges from $89,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $624,000 at the 90th percentile.

Average professional model salary graph, trends, and summary

What is a professional model's salary?

Percentile	Annual salary	Monthly salary	Hourly rate
90th Percentile	$624,000	$52,000	$300
75th Percentile	$394,000	$32,833	$189
Average	$236,556	$19,713	$114
25th Percentile	$141,000	$11,750	$68
10th Percentile	$89,000	$7,417	$43

Highest paying professional model jobs

The highest paying types of professional models are male model, studio model, and fashion model.

Job title	Annual salary	Monthly salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
Modeler	$67,837	$5,653	$32.61	2,910
Art Model	$90,336	$7,528	$43.43	4,470

Top companies hiring professional models now:

Which companies pay professional models the most?

Professional model salaries at Click Model Management - New York and Marilyn's Agency are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average professional model salary at companies like Stewart Talent and Wilhelmina International are highly competitive.

Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate
1	Click Model Management - New York	$312,090	$150.04
2	Marilyn's Agency	$308,689	$148.41
3	Stewart Talent	$287,813	$138.37
4	Wilhelmina International	$279,782	$134.51
5	RED Model Management - RED NYC	$278,005	$133.66
6	Samsung Electronics Device Solutions (Semiconductor & Display)	$253,261	$121.76
7	Dna	$245,905	$118.22
8	Robert Half	$235,526	$113.23
9	Muse	$231,718	$111.40
10	Race Communications	$223,987	$107.69
11	Souls	$214,378	$103.07
12	One Models	$209,605	$100.77
13	Photogenic	$207,461	$99.74
14	n/a	$205,721	$98.90
15	Freddie Mac	$185,658	$89.26
16	Morgan Stanley	$171,176	$82.30
17	MUFG EMEA	$164,225	$78.95
18	Allergan plc	$162,419	$78.09
19	University of Alaska	$157,452	$75.70
20	Marathon Petroleum	$151,912	$73.03

Wage gap by gender, race and education

$242,000$236,000$230,000$224,000$218,000$212,000

MaleFemale

Professional model salary trends

The average professional model salary has risen by $98,151 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average professional model earned $138,405 annually, but today, they earn $236,556 a year. That works out to a 46% change in pay for professional models over the last decade.

Compare professional model salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.

Average professional model salary over time

Compare professional model salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.

Professional model salary by year

Year	Avg. salary	Hourly rate	% Change
2025	$237,000	$113.73	+11.2%
2024	$210,000	$101.04	+16.2%
2023	$176,000	$84.72	+3.7%
2022	$170,000	$81.62	+4.5%
2021	$162,000	$77.95	-25.9%

Recently added professional model salaries

Company	Job	Location	Date added	Salary
Latitude	A/V Professional	Annapolis, MD	06/27/2025	$50,000
Latitude Inc.	A/V Professional	Washington, DC	06/27/2025	$50,000
00 RHA Health Services	Qualified Professional/QP/CST	New Bern, NC	06/21/2025	$45,914
Vivint	AMI Professional	Provo, UT	06/14/2025	$35,479
00 RHA Health Services	Qualified Professional/QP/CST	Wilmington, NC	05/25/2025	$45,914
State Street	Naba 2025 Convention & Expo-Professionals	Boston, MA	05/02/2025	$110,000
Perkins Eastman	Emerging Professional	San Francisco, CA	04/25/2025	$62,000
Selby Jennings	T&R Professional	Dallas, TX	04/14/2025	$150,000
Riverhead Building Supply Corp	Experienced Estimating Professional	Calverton, NY	04/09/2025	$48,001
Perkins Eastman	Emerging Professional	Pittsburgh, PA	04/04/2025	$55,000

Professional model salary FAQs

What state pays Professional Models the most?

How do I know if I'm being paid fairly as a professional model?

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Updated January 8, 2025

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