Creative pay 2026
Photographer salary in Indiana (2026)
Photographers in Indiana earn a median $35,960 a year ($17.29 an hour), according to BLS wage data for May 2025. That is 19% below the US median of $44,660; Indiana is 47th of 50 states and territories. That is below the $47,860 median for all jobs in Indiana.
- $35,960median a year in Indiana
- $17.29median an hour
- −19%vs the US median ($44,660)
- 810employee jobs (BLS estimate)
What is the salary range for a photographer in Indiana?
Half of photographers in Indiana earn between $30,840 and $47,200. Pay is bunched more tightly than nationally: the 90th percentile is 2.4 times the 10th, against 3.0 times across the US.
| 10th percentile | $24,960 | $30,820 | $12.00 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 25th | $30,840 | $36,050 | $14.83 |
| Median | $35,960 | $44,660 | $17.29 |
| 75th | $47,200 | $62,740 | $22.69 |
| 90th percentile | $59,350 | $91,810 | $28.54 |
The mean (average) is $40,650, above the median, pulled up by the highest earners.
How does Indiana compare with other states?
Indiana is near the bottom: 47th of 50. The best-paying state, District of Columbia, has a median of $110,970.
Which cities in Indiana pay photographers best?
Of the 8 metro areas in Indiana where BLS publishes a median for the job, Louisville/Jefferson County pays most, at $50,000, 39% above the state median.
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN | 1,590 | $36,810 | $17.70 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN | 290 | $43,040 | $20.69 |
| Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood, IN | 230 | $37,040 | $17.81 |
| Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN | 150 | $50,000 | $24.04 |
| Fort Wayne, IN | 100 | $36,900 | $17.74 |
| Evansville, IN | 50 | $35,420 | $17.03 |
| Lafayette-West Lafayette, IN | 40 | $41,750 | $20.07 |
| South Bend-Mishawaka, IN-MI | 40 | $35,920 | $17.27 |
How many photographers work in Indiana?
BLS estimates 810 employee jobs, 0.25 in every 1,000 jobs in the state. The job is rarer here than nationally: a location quotient of 0.76, where 1 is the US average.
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 Indiana?
Every other creative job here pays a higher median than photographers do.
| Copywriter | $75,820 | 450 |
|---|---|---|
| Motion designer | $75,250 | 300 |
| UX/UI designer | $63,430 | 1,160 |
| Videographer | $56,810 | 200 |
| Graphic designer | $55,480 | 3,450 |
| Video editor | $46,780 | 450 |
What do freelance photographers charge?
Upwork, photographers list $25 to $45 an hour, worldwide. Indiana's employee median of $17.29 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 Indiana?
The median is $35,960 a year and the mean is $40,650, from BLS data for May 2025 covering about 810 employee jobs.
How much does a photographer make an hour in Indiana?
The median hourly wage is $17.29. The bottom 10% earn under $12.00 and the top 10% over $28.54.
What does a starting photographer earn in Indiana?
BLS does not publish pay by experience. The lowest-paid quarter of photographers in Indiana earn under $30,840 a year and the lowest-paid tenth under $24,960, which is the nearest guide to starting pay.
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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 = 810 jobs in the Indiana estimate. Last updated 2 October 2026.
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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