Camera Operators, Television, Video, and Film Salary
Camera Operators, Television, Video, and Films in St. Louis, MO-IL make a median of $71,360 a year, or about $34.31 an hour. The range runs from $36K at the entry level to $157K for experienced workers. Adjusted for local prices (RPP 95.09), that's roughly $75,045 in purchasing power. Rent on a 2-bedroom averages $1,218/month, or 26% of estimated take-home pay.
So what does $71K get you in St. Louis?
Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by St. Louis’s Regional Price Parity (95.09). Rent from HUD Fair Market Rents. Taxes estimated for single filer, standard deduction. * Healthcare is the employee-paid share only (premiums + out-of-pocket). Actual costs vary by coverage type: employer-sponsored, ACA marketplace, or uninsured.
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What this looks like in St. Louis
Camera operators, television, video, and film pay in St. Louis tracks closely to the national median, $71K locally vs. $75K nationwide, a 5% difference. Rent runs $1,218/month for a 2-bedroom (HUD FMR), taking 26.1% of the median take-home. That's within the 30% rule, though not by much. Cost of living (RPP 95.09) is near the national average, so spending patterns here track the typical American budget fairly closely. Pay and costs are both near average, leaving limited margin for savings at the median wage.
Compared to nearby metros
Median pay for camera operators, television, video, and films in metros near St. Louis, adjusted for local cost of living.
| Metro | Median pay | COL-adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| Kansas City | $61K | $66K |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin | $102K | $99K |
| Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin | $61K | $63K |
| Oklahoma City | $46K | $51K |
COL-adjusted = median salary ÷ (BEA Regional Price Parity ÷ 100). Expresses purchasing power in national-average dollars.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, St. Louis, MO-IL
Entry-level camera operators, television, video, and films (10th percentile) start around $36K. Mid-career wages sit at $71K. Top earners bring in $157K or more, a $121K spread from bottom to top.
Camera Operators, Television, Video, and Film pay across states
Median income ranked highest to lowest, compared to the national figure
View Camera Operators, Television, Video, and Film salary in all states
| State | Median salary | vs. national | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| California | $107K | +43% | 4,700 |
| Illinois | $100K | +34% | 1,060 |
| District of Columbia | $98K | +31% | 240 |
| New York | $93K | +25% | 2,930 |
| Georgia | $85K | +13% | 570 |
| Alaska | $84K | +12% | 50 |
| Colorado | $75K | +0% | 300 |
| Utah | $73K | -2% | 240 |
| Arizona | $68K | -9% | 520 |
| Maryland | $66K | -12% | 290 |
| Connecticut | $66K | -12% | 170 |
| Ohio | $65K | -14% | 520 |
| Texas | $63K | -16% | 1,100 |
| North Carolina | $63K | -16% | 380 |
| Florida | $62K | -17% | 970 |
| Nevada | $62K | -17% | 320 |
| Alabama | $62K | -18% | 220 |
| Massachusetts | $61K | -18% | 370 |
| Kansas | $61K | -19% | 110 |
| Washington | $60K | -20% | 440 |
| Virginia | $58K | -22% | 420 |
| Louisiana | $58K | -22% | 270 |
| Idaho | $58K | -22% | 120 |
| South Carolina | $58K | -23% | 40 |
| Iowa | $57K | -24% | 90 |
| Tennessee | $57K | -24% | 460 |
| Indiana | $57K | -24% | 200 |
| Michigan | $55K | -26% | 380 |
| Kentucky | $54K | -28% | 170 |
| North Dakota | $54K | -28% | 40 |
| Wisconsin | $53K | -30% | 300 |
| Pennsylvania | $52K | -31% | 670 |
| Minnesota | $51K | -31% | 300 |
| Montana | $51K | -32% | 110 |
| Mississippi | $50K | -33% | 60 |
| Rhode Island | $50K | -34% | 50 |
| New Mexico | $49K | -35% | 290 |
| Arkansas | $49K | -35% | 60 |
| Oklahoma | $49K | -35% | 220 |
| Vermont | $46K | -38% | 130 |
| Nebraska | $46K | -38% | 100 |
| New Hampshire | $46K | -39% | N/A |
| Hawaii | $44K | -41% | 90 |
| South Dakota | $44K | -41% | 50 |
| West Virginia | $43K | -42% | 60 |
| Maine | $38K | -50% | 70 |
Showing 1–10 of 46 states with published data
BLS does not publish data for every state when sample sizes are too small
Track camera operators, television, video, and film salary changes
BLS updates this data quarterly. We'll email you when St. Louis numbers change.
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Frequently asked questions
Can a camera operators, television, video, and film afford a 2BR apartment alone in St. Louis?
Yes — at the median salary of $71K, rent takes 26.1% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,218/month. That stays under the 30% guideline most financial planners use.
What’s the entry-level salary for camera operators, television, video, and films in St. Louis?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new camera operators, television, video, and films typically earn — is $36K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $2,176/month. At HUD’s $1,218/month FMR, rent would take 56% of that take-home — above the 30% guideline, so a 1-bedroom or shared housing is likely necessary starting out.
Is camera operators, television, video, and film a high-paying job in St. Louis?
Pay here is roughly in line with the national average — $71K locally vs. $75K nationally, a 5% difference.
How does St. Louis compare to the national average for camera operators, television, video, and films?
St. Louis pays $71K median vs. the U.S. average of $75K — that’s -5%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 95.09), the purchasing-power equivalent is $75K — still ahead of the national median.
How much do camera operators, television, video, and films make in St. Louis, MO-IL?
The median is $71,360 a year, that works out to about $34 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $36,270, and experienced camera operators, television, video, and films can clear $157,080. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $71K enough to live in St. Louis?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $4,665/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,218/month, which eats 26.1% of your paycheck. That's under the 30% guideline most financial planners use, so the numbers work.
How far does a camera operators, television, video, and film salary go in St. Louis?
St. Louis has a Regional Price Parity of 95.09 (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 $75,045 in national-average purchasing power.
Where do camera operators, television, video, and films get paid the most?
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.