Creative pay 2026
Photographer salary in Georgia (2026)
Photographers in Georgia earn a median $43,770 a year ($21.04 an hour), according to BLS wage data for May 2025. That is close to the US median for the job ($44,660), 21st of 50 states and territories. That is roughly what the typical job in Georgia pays ($48,170).
- $43,770median a year in Georgia
- $21.04median an hour
- −2%vs the US median ($44,660)
- 1,420employee jobs (BLS estimate)
What is the salary range for a photographer in Georgia?
Half of photographers in Georgia earn between $32,120 and $72,860. Pay is more spread out than nationally: the top 10% earn at least 4.6 times what the bottom 10% earn, against 3.0 times across the US.
| 10th percentile | $22,690 | $30,820 | $10.91 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 25th | $32,120 | $36,050 | $15.44 |
| Median | $43,770 | $44,660 | $21.04 |
| 75th | $72,860 | $62,740 | $35.03 |
| 90th percentile | $103,550 | $91,810 | $49.79 |
The mean (average) is $57,260, above the median, pulled up by the highest earners.
How does Georgia compare with other states?
Georgia sits 21st of 50, between New Hampshire ($44,780) and Florida ($42,640).
| Alabama | $36,130 | −17% | 530 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Florida | $42,640 | −3% | 4,390 |
| North Carolina | $37,120 | −15% | 2,130 |
| South Carolina | $37,890 | −13% | 630 |
| Tennessee | $37,950 | −13% | 780 |
Which cities in Georgia pay photographers best?
Of the 4 metro areas in Georgia where BLS publishes a median for the job, Savannah pays most, at $49,110, 12% above the state median.
| Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA | 930 | $48,670 | $23.40 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Savannah, GA | 70 | $49,110 | $23.61 |
| Chattanooga, TN-GA | 50 | $33,600 | $16.15 |
| Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC | 30 | $41,020 | $19.72 |
How many photographers work in Georgia?
BLS estimates 1,420 employee jobs, 0.29 in every 1,000 jobs in the state. It is about as common here as nationally (location quotient 0.87). The employment estimate is rough: its relative standard error is 34%.
Employees only. BLS does not count the self-employed, who are a large share of several creative jobs.
What do other creative jobs pay in Georgia?
Every other creative job here pays a higher median than photographers do.
| UX/UI designer | $103,810 | 2,800 |
|---|---|---|
| Videographer | $85,050 | 570 |
| Motion designer | $81,390 | 350 |
| Copywriter | $74,710 | 820 |
| Graphic designer | $60,250 | 5,920 |
| Video editor | $51,280 | n/a |
What do freelance photographers charge?
Upwork, photographers list $25 to $45 an hour, worldwide. Georgia's employee median of $21.04 an hour is below that range. The rate calculator works out an hourly rate from the salary you want.
Questions
What is the average photographer salary in Georgia?
The median is $43,770 a year and the mean is $57,260, from BLS data for May 2025 covering about 1,420 employee jobs.
How much does a photographer make an hour in Georgia?
The median hourly wage is $21.04. The bottom 10% earn under $10.91 and the top 10% over $49.79.
What does a starting photographer earn in Georgia?
BLS does not publish pay by experience. The lowest-paid quarter of photographers in Georgia earn under $32,120 a year and the lowest-paid tenth under $22,690, which is the nearest guide to starting pay.
Get the Slice Weekly
One free email every Friday: tools for creators and the best advice we found from people who make things.
Where do these numbers come from?
US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 (published 15 May 2026). Occupation 27-4021, Photographers. Employees only; annual figures are hourly times 2,080.
n = 1,420 jobs in the Georgia estimate. Last updated 2 October 2026.
Get the data
Free · CSV and JSON · 2 files
This page’s own figures as a CSV, and the full files behind What creative jobs pay in 2026. One email unlocks every download on Slice’s data pages.
- This page’s figures (CSV) Every table and figure on this page, with its source line.
- Every role, country and source (CSV) One row per role, country and measure: percentiles for employees and every published freelance rate, with its source.
- The full dataset (JSON) Everything above plus every US state and metro table, the outlook figures and the source records.
Free to reuse under CC BY 4.0: credit “Slice (tryslicemedia.com)” and link to this page. Leave the box unticked and we send you nothing. Everything on this page stays free to read without an email.
Photographer pay in other states
- District of Columbia $110,970
- New York $60,050
- Massachusetts $57,990
- Oregon $53,630
- Utah $52,140
- Connecticut $49,790
- Washington $48,050
- California $47,840
- Kentucky $47,170
- Colorado $47,070
- Virginia $46,550
- Minnesota $46,470