Money · 1 of 5
What camera operators make
Median
$74,990
Bottom tenth
$38,520
Top tenth
$135,180
The national median is $74,990 a year, about $36 an hour. The bottom tenth earn $38,520 or less and the top tenth $135,180 or more (2025 federal wage survey). Read those carefully: most camera work is booked by the day, not salaried, so a year of full-time work is the exception. Your real income is the day rate multiplied by how many days you actually get booked.