Creative pay 2026
Photographer salary in Missouri (2026)
Photographers in Missouri earn a median $39,170 a year ($18.83 an hour), according to BLS wage data for May 2025. That is 12% below the US median of $44,660; Missouri is 31st of 50 states and territories. That is below the $47,800 median for all jobs in Missouri.
- $39,170median a year in Missouri
- $18.83median an hour
- −12%vs the US median ($44,660)
- 950employee jobs (BLS estimate)
What is the salary range for a photographer in Missouri?
Half of photographers in Missouri earn between $31,880 and $58,250. Pay is bunched more tightly than nationally: the 90th percentile is 2.5 times the 10th, against 3.0 times across the US.
| 10th percentile | $29,600 | $30,820 | $14.23 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 25th | $31,880 | $36,050 | $15.33 |
| Median | $39,170 | $44,660 | $18.83 |
| 75th | $58,250 | $62,740 | $28.01 |
| 90th percentile | $74,530 | $91,810 | $35.83 |
The mean (average) is $47,380, above the median, pulled up by the highest earners.
How does Missouri compare with other states?
Missouri sits 31st of 50, between Alaska ($39,190) and Ohio ($38,470).
Which cities in Missouri pay photographers best?
Of the 3 metro areas in Missouri where BLS publishes a median for the job, Springfield pays most, at $52,510, 34% above the state median.
| St. Louis, MO-IL | 420 | $39,170 | $18.83 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kansas City, MO-KS | 280 | $43,750 | $21.03 |
| Springfield, MO | 80 | $52,510 | $25.24 |
How many photographers work in Missouri?
BLS estimates 950 employee jobs, 0.32 in every 1,000 jobs in the state. It is about as common here as nationally (location quotient 0.97).
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 Missouri?
Every other creative job here pays a higher median than photographers do.
| UX/UI designer | $70,970 | 1,210 |
|---|---|---|
| Motion designer | $65,470 | 80 |
| Copywriter | $58,140 | 600 |
| Video editor | $57,950 | 380 |
| Graphic designer | $56,750 | 4,500 |
What do freelance photographers charge?
Upwork, photographers list $25 to $45 an hour, worldwide. Missouri's employee median of $18.83 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 Missouri?
The median is $39,170 a year and the mean is $47,380, from BLS data for May 2025 covering about 950 employee jobs.
How much does a photographer make an hour in Missouri?
The median hourly wage is $18.83. The bottom 10% earn under $14.23 and the top 10% over $35.83.
What does a starting photographer earn in Missouri?
BLS does not publish pay by experience. The lowest-paid quarter of photographers in Missouri earn under $31,880 a year and the lowest-paid tenth under $29,600, 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 = 950 jobs in the Missouri 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