Camera Operators, Television, Video, and Film Salary

Yes — at the median salary of $57K, rent takes 28.3% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,064/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 $37K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $2,202/month. At HUD’s $1,064/month FMR, rent would take 48% of that take-home — above the 30% guideline, so a 1-bedroom or shared housing is likely necessary starting out.

Local pay runs 24% below the national median — $57K here vs. $75K nationally. Cost of living is 11% below the national average, which narrows that gap in real purchasing power.

Iowa pays $57K median vs. the U.S. average of $75K — that’s -24%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 88.86), the purchasing-power equivalent is $64K — below the national median.

The median is $57,220 a year, that works out to about $28 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $36,700, and experienced camera operators, television, video, and films can clear $81,180. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.

On that salary, you'd take home roughly $3,765/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,064/month, which eats 28.3% of your paycheck. That's under the 30% guideline most financial planners use, so the numbers work.

Iowa has a Regional Price Parity of 88.86 (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 $64,393 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.