Creative pay 2026
Photographer salary in Minnesota (2026)
Photographers in Minnesota earn a median $46,470 a year ($22.34 an hour), according to BLS wage data for May 2025. That is close to the US median for the job ($44,660), 15th of 50 states and territories. That is below the $56,920 median for all jobs in Minnesota.
- $46,470median a year in Minnesota
- $22.34median an hour
- +4%vs the US median ($44,660)
- 730employee jobs (BLS estimate)
What is the salary range for a photographer in Minnesota?
Half of photographers in Minnesota earn between $44,450 and $65,050. Pay is bunched more tightly than nationally: the 90th percentile is 2.3 times the 10th, against 3.0 times across the US.
| 10th percentile | $36,890 | $30,820 | $17.74 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 25th | $44,450 | $36,050 | $21.37 |
| Median | $46,470 | $44,660 | $22.34 |
| 75th | $65,050 | $62,740 | $31.27 |
| 90th percentile | $84,530 | $91,810 | $40.64 |
The mean (average) is $56,220, above the median, pulled up by the highest earners.
How does Minnesota compare with other states?
Minnesota sits 15th of 50, between Virginia ($46,550) and Maryland ($46,450).
Which cities in Minnesota pay photographers best?
Of the 4 metro areas in Minnesota where BLS publishes a median for the job, La Crosse-Onalaska pays most, at $47,300, 2% above the state median.
| Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI | 520 | $46,960 | $22.58 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sioux Falls, SD-MN | 80 | $45,760 | $22.00 |
| Fargo, ND-MN | 50 | $38,210 | $18.37 |
| La Crosse-Onalaska, WI-MN | 30 | $47,300 | $22.74 |
How many photographers work in Minnesota?
BLS estimates 730 employee jobs, 0.25 in every 1,000 jobs in the state. The job is rarer here than nationally: a location quotient of 0.74, 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 Minnesota?
Every other creative job here pays a higher median than photographers do.
| UX/UI designer | $82,650 | 1,520 |
|---|---|---|
| Copywriter | $72,810 | 720 |
| Motion designer | $64,990 | 30 |
| Graphic designer | $63,860 | 5,570 |
| Video editor | $53,150 | 200 |
| Videographer | $51,420 | 300 |
What do freelance photographers charge?
Upwork, photographers list $25 to $45 an hour, worldwide. Minnesota's employee median of $22.34 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 Minnesota?
The median is $46,470 a year and the mean is $56,220, from BLS data for May 2025 covering about 730 employee jobs.
How much does a photographer make an hour in Minnesota?
The median hourly wage is $22.34. The bottom 10% earn under $17.74 and the top 10% over $40.64.
What does a starting photographer earn in Minnesota?
BLS does not publish pay by experience. The lowest-paid quarter of photographers in Minnesota earn under $44,450 a year and the lowest-paid tenth under $36,890, 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 = 730 jobs in the Minnesota 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
- Maryland $46,450