Camera Operators, Television, Video, and Film Salary

Yes — at the median salary of $100K, rent takes 22.8% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,407/month. That stays under the 30% guideline most financial planners use.

The 10th-percentile wage — what new camera operators, television, video, and films typically earn — is $39K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $2,330/month. At HUD’s $1,407/month FMR, rent would take 60% of that take-home — above the 30% guideline, so a 1-bedroom or shared housing is likely necessary starting out.

Local pay is 34% above the national median — $100K here vs. $75K nationally.

Illinois pays $100K median vs. the U.S. average of $75K — that’s +34%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 93.85), the purchasing-power equivalent is $107K — still ahead of the national median.

The median is $100,170 a year, that works out to about $48 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $38,840, and experienced camera operators, television, video, and films can clear $133,940. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.

On that salary, you'd take home roughly $6,158/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,407/month, which eats 22.8% of your paycheck. That's under the 30% guideline most financial planners use, so the numbers work.

Illinois has a Regional Price Parity of 93.85 (100 is the national average). That's below average, your money stretches further here than the raw salary number suggests. After cost-of-living adjustment, the median camera operators, television, video, and film salary is worth about $106,734 in national-average purchasing power.

The table above ranks every state by median pay for this role. Keep in mind that the highest-paying states tend to have the highest costs of living, so the top salary doesn't always mean the most money in your pocket.