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Job outlook for photographer/photo editors in the United States
Are photographer/photo editor jobs in demand?
Photographer/Photo Editor job and salary trends over time
Photographer/Photo Editor jobs over time
Photographer/Photo Editor job growth rate over time
Year  | # Of Jobs | % Of Population |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 3,324 | 0.00% |
| 2020 | 3,540 | 0.00% |
| 2019 | 3,926 | 0.00% |
| 2018 | 3,883 | 0.00% |
| 2017 | 3,899 | 0.00% |
Average photographer/photo editor salary over time
Photographer/Photo Editor salary by year
| Year | Avg. Salary | Hourly Rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $38,077 | $18.31 | +3.3% |
| 2024 | $36,858 | $17.72 | +3.2% |
| 2023 | $35,723 | $17.17 | +1.2% |
| 2022 | $35,297 | $16.97 | +2.7% |
| 2021 | $34,360 | $16.52 | +2.1% |
Photographer/Photo Editor jobs by state
Most common states for photographer/photo editors
| Rank | State | Population | # of Jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | District of Columbia | 693,972 | 165 | 24% |
| 2 | New York | 19,849,399 | 844 | 4% |
| 3 | Virginia | 8,470,020 | 249 | 3% |
| 4 | Massachusetts | 6,859,819 | 173 | 3% |
| 5 | Oregon | 4,142,776 | 107 | 3% |
| 6 | Alaska | 739,795 | 21 | 3% |
| 7 | California | 39,536,653 | 777 | 2% |
| 8 | Pennsylvania | 12,805,537 | 233 | 2% |
| 9 | Georgia | 10,429,379 | 177 | 2% |
| 10 | Maryland | 6,052,177 | 133 | 2% |
| 11 | Washington | 7,405,743 | 130 | 2% |
| 12 | Tennessee | 6,715,984 | 110 | 2% |
| 13 | Colorado | 5,607,154 | 105 | 2% |
| 14 | Connecticut | 3,588,184 | 82 | 2% |
| 15 | Alabama | 4,874,747 | 79 | 2% |
| 16 | Utah | 3,101,833 | 74 | 2% |
| 17 | Arkansas | 3,004,279 | 46 | 2% |
| 18 | Idaho | 1,716,943 | 26 | 2% |
| 19 | Delaware | 961,939 | 16 | 2% |
| 20 | Vermont | 623,657 | 13 | 2% |
Most common cities for photographer/photo editors
| Rank | City | # of Jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl | Avg. Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Columbia | 1 | 1% | $30,453 |
Photographer/Photo Editor job outlook: Expert opinions
Our panel of photographer/photo editor experts
Georgia State University
Southern Illinois University
What skills stand out on Photographer/Photo Editor resumes?
Jill Frank: The ability to use all camera functions and fully understand the tools, both analog and digital. Having an artistic vision and creative drive that makes your portfolio unique and memorable. Confidence with lighting, managing large photoshoots, awareness of the current trends in photography, ability to handle deadlines and difficult situations.
What soft skills should all Photographer/Photo Editors possess?
Jill Frank: Listening, being observant, trusting your vision. It is always important to work well in teams and have the patience to be a good collaborator.
What hard/technical skills are most important for Photographer/Photo Editors?
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 Photographer/Photo Editors 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.
Antonio Martinez
Associate Professor of Photography/Intermedia Arts, Faculty Advisor, Movie Camera Movement (MCM) and Photogenesis, Editor, Lux MagazineSouthern Illinois University
School of Art and Design
What skills stand out on Photographer/Photo Editor resumes?
Antonio Martinez: When looking for a photo editor, I am looking for someone who is proficient in either Adobe Lightroom or Capture One software for bulk editing and file management purposes and equally proficient in Adobe Photoshop for more refined editing tasks such as compositing, advanced masking, and fine-tune color corrections.
What soft skills should all Photographer/Photo Editors possess?
Antonio Martinez: Having strong organizational skills is essential, from organizing files and folders to properly identifying and locating exported assets and keywords. With the high volume and variety of photos, from subject matter to stylistic approaches and genre, it's imperative that a photo editor can easily locate, share, and publish photos in a timely manner.
Knowing how to receive and give feedback in a respectful tone and with sincerity. The attitude in our group and individual critique sessions at SIU is unique. I ask our students to imagine themselves as medical surgeons who are about to operate on a "patient, "and in our situation, the "patient" is the photo that they evaluate. Judgment is sidelined during this imagined role-playing game, while the desire to offer helpful guidance and assessment to improve a photo is increased. It helps students sharpen their interpersonal skills and to communicate more sharply and effectively, versus just being nice with feedback.
What hard/technical skills are most important for Photographer/Photo Editors?
Antonio Martinez: A good photo editor must have been a well-trained photographer with a critical eye, one who has a strongly developed sensibility to lighting, color, and composition. Being able to easily recognize weak and strong compositions and use of color and tones allows a photo editor to use editing software with guided purpose versus randomly tinkering with settings and property sliders. An experienced photo editor will be able to assess and execute the most efficient and effective technique to improve an image in a timely manner. I consider color correcting (especially skin tones of all ethnicities), tonal placement editing (burn and dodging), and masking the three most important photo editing techniques.
What skills will help Photographer/Photo Editors earn the most?
Antonio Martinez: It depends on the genre and geographical market. Editing a fashion model's face, an athlete's body, an engagement, and wedding, a trendy sportscar, an e-commerce product line, or even a super expensive wristwatch requires a solid understanding of color correction, masking, and tonal adjustments. Any Art Director will look for a talented photo editor who can elevate the ordinary to the extraordinary in a timely manner.
Our alumni working in the industry have noted the impact of a good photo can now be measured in monetary terms, simply by the online metrics connected from the time a photo is posted and a viewer clicks, shares, and buys a service or product. This means a photographer/photo editor can articulate and advocate their worth to their employer.
Let's be clear for a second. Before a photo editor receives an image to edit, hopefully, the photographer has a strong command of the lighting and exposure to make things less difficult for a photo editor. If not, then the pressure is on the photo editor to bring a mediocre image to greatness. If this is the case, then the miracle-working photo editor deserves a raise or fair compensation for such talent and experience.
Looking ahead, I would advise photo editors to look at 3D imaging software programs like Blender or Maya and incorporate texture mapping programs and services such as Quixel's Megascans to generate photorealistic product shots or environments. The other obvious way to diversify a photo editor's skill set is to explore color grading if you are in partnership with a videographer or keep a pulse on VR technology and venture towards applying your skills to VR editing possibilities. Having an additional tangentially related skill relevant to photo editing will help open a door or, in the least, set one apart from others.