How much do camera operators make in 2026?
Camera operators earn a national median of $74,990 a year, or $36.05 an hour, according to BLS OEWS May 2025 for SOC 27-4031, camera operators in television, video and film, with the bottom 10% near $38,520 and the top 10% at $135,180 across 21,550 operators. The code is an exact match, but the employment structure behind it is unusual enough to change how the numbers should be read. A substantial share of camera work is freelance, booked by the day or the production, and those operators appear in this survey only when they are engaged as employees of a production company. Staff positions, mainly in broadcast news, live sports and corporate or institutional video, form the more stable core of the measured population. Within the band, the drivers are format and specialism: news and corporate work sits lower, scripted and commercial work higher, and specialist operators on Steadicam, technocrane, aerial or high-speed systems sit at the top because the equipment skill is scarce and the rental relationship is part of the deal. Productions signatory to collective agreements pay negotiated minimums published by the relevant unions. BLS projects 1.2% growth through 2034 with roughly 2,900 openings a year. → Full camera operator career guide, career path, credentials & placement →
Note: $74,990 blends every experience level and every setting in this occupation. For pay by level alone, see Pay by Level below.
- Camera Operators earn a national median $74,990/yr ($36.05/hr) (BLS OEWS May 2025, SOC 27-4031); the P10 to P90 range is $38,520 to $135,180.
- A large share of this occupation works freelance on day rates, so the annual wage series describes the staff population and cannot represent booking-dependent income.
- Specialist operating skills, Steadicam, technocrane, aerial and high-speed systems, are what place operators in the top decile, partly because equipment ownership travels with the skill.
- Where productions are signatory to collective agreements, minimum rates and conditions come from the unions' own published schedules rather than from wage survey data.
US Camera Operator Pay Distribution · BLS OEWS May 2025
Pay by Level · BLS OEWS May 2025
How much do camera operators earn at each level?
BLS OEWS publishes one blended wage for the whole occupation and does not break pay out by credential or practice level. The levels below distribute the published percentile range across the credential tiers this role actually hires at.
Level medians are aligned to the BLS OEWS May 2025 percentile distribution for SOC 27-4031; GlobalCybers does not yet publish a verified placement sample for this role, so no verified median is shown.
Methodology & Sources
How the numbers on this page are built
Published (BLS): BLS OEWS May 2025, SOC 27-4031, United States national estimate. Public, methodologically rigorous, but sampled on a rolling 3-year basis and published ~10 months after collection — so it reflects wages that are already 1–2 years old by the time you read them.
Level and certification medians: distributed across the published BLS percentile range for this SOC code (P10 through P90) according to the credential tiers this occupation actually hires at. They are modeled reference points, not separately surveyed wages.
State and metro figures: modeled — the BLS national median multiplied by the GlobalCybers state wage index, and for metros by the published metro index for that state. They are estimates of local pay, not BLS state or metropolitan-area observations, and are labelled as modeled in the tables below.
No verified placement sample:GlobalCybers does not yet publish a placement median for this role, so no "verified" figure appears anywhere on this page.
Pay by Career Level
How much does a camera operator earn at each career stage?
Camera pay follows format and specialist skill rather than years behind a camera. Each median below is anchored to the BLS OEWS distribution for SOC 27-4031.
By State
Which states pay camera operators the most in 2026?
These are modeled state estimates, not BLS state observations: the national median for SOC 27-4031 scaled by the GlobalCybers state wage index. Production employment follows film tax incentives, so states with strong incentive programmes host far more camera work than their general wage levels would predict, and that is where the freelance day-rate market is deepest.
6 of 51 state guides shown, ranked by median. Bar is relative to California ($86,240), the highest-paying state shown. See all role salary guides →
By Metro
Which cities pay camera operators the most?
Metro figures are modeled, national median times state wage index times published metro index, not BLS metropolitan observations. Los Angeles, New York and Atlanta concentrate this occupation because of studio infrastructure and incentives, which a metro cost index does not measure.
BLS OEWS MSA estimates, May 2025. Nominal pay — weigh each metro against its cost of living before relocating.
Certification Impact
Which certifications raise a camera operator’s pay the most?
Median annual pay before and after each credential, based on GlobalCybers placement data cross-referenced with BLS. License upgrades move the needle most; stackable certs add on top.
Impacts are not additive, the licensing rows share the same career ladder. Browse all 167 certifications →
Trade Comparison
How does camera operator pay compare to related roles?
BLS OEWS national median across the closest trades. Camera Operators sit mid-pack on median but carry one of the widest P10–P90 spreads, licensing and specialization drive the upside.
BLS OEWS May 2025. Verify camera operator wages on BLS.gov →
Take-Home Pay
What does a camera operator actually take home after taxes?
The medians above are gross base wage.
Estimates use 2026 federal brackets, standard deduction, and 7.65% FICA. Actual take-home varies with filing status, deductions, and local tax.
FAQ
Camera Operator Salary, Frequently Asked Questions
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