Photographers Salary

It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $37K, rent takes 65.7% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,735/month. The 30% guideline puts the comfortable ceiling at roughly $800/month in rent — so roommates or a 1-bedroom would ease the math significantly.

The 10th-percentile wage — what new photographers typically earn — is $27K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $1,590/month. At HUD’s $1,735/month FMR, rent would take 109% of that take-home — above the 30% guideline, so a 1-bedroom or shared housing is likely necessary starting out.

Local pay runs 17% below the national median — $37K here vs. $45K nationally.

Las Vegas-Henderson-North Las Vegas pays $37K median vs. the U.S. average of $45K — that’s -17%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 100.22), the purchasing-power equivalent is $37K — below the national median.

The median is $36,880 a year, that works out to about $18 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $26,500, and experienced photographers can clear $55,760. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.

On that salary, you'd take home roughly $2,639/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,735/month, which eats 65.7% of your paycheck. That's above the 30% rule of thumb, housing will be a stretch at the median salary, though you can manage with roommates or a smaller place.

Las Vegas-Henderson-North Las Vegas has a Regional Price Parity of 100.22 (100 is the national average). Prices are above average here, so your dollar buys less than the same salary would in a cheaper metro. After cost-of-living adjustment, the median photographers salary is worth about $36,799 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.