Photographer - Federal Salaries of 2021

Pay Rates for "Photographer"

How much does a Photographer in the federal government get paid? $92,890.95* *Based on the 2021 average.

191 EMPLOYEES

$12.45M TOTAL SALARY

GS MOST COMMON PAYSCALE

Photographer was the 334th most popular job in the U.S. Government in 2021, with 191 employed. The most common payscale was the general schedule payscale.

In 2021, the Federal Bureau of Investigation hired the most employees titled Photography, with an average salary of $111,139.

Government Photography jobs are classified under the General Schedule (GS) payscale. Remember that the starting and maximum yearly pay listed above reflect base pay only - your actual salary will be higher based on the Locality Pay Adjustment for the area in which you work.

Job Description

This occupation includes positions that involve supervising or performing work in operating still, television (video), or motion picture cameras, and in processing photographic film and negatives. The work requires, in addition to a knowledge of the equipment, techniques, and processes of photography, either (1) working knowledge of the subject matter to be photographed, and/or (2) artistic ability in selecting, arranging, and lighting subjects or in processing work.

Agencies that have hired a Photographer

Agency	Employees Hired	Average Salary
Federal Bureau of Investigation	78	$111,139.45
Veterans Health Administration	36	$75,278.89
Smithsonian Institution (Exchange Sep Boards of Trust)	14	$94,277.64
Federal Emergency Management Agency	10	$87,242.40
National Gallery of Art	8	$105,354.50
U.S. Secret Service	8	$117,542.63
National Institutes of Health	7	$98,713.57
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Administration	3	$103,672.00
Office Secretary Health and Human Services	3	$73,793.33
National Park Service	3	$77,001.00
Customs and Border Protection	2	$104,641.00
Langley Research Center	2	$85,444.00
Environmental Protection Agency	2	$115,231.50
Bureau of Reclamation	2	$57,907.00
Office of the Chief Human Capital Office	2	$94,466.50
Goddard Space Flight Center	1	$113,362.00
Federal Aviation Administration	1	$70,579.00
Departmental Offices	1	$95,081.00
Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, & Explosives	1	$0.00
Office of Public Affairs	1	$113,862.00
Government Printing Office	1	$95,920.00
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention	1	$72,653.00
Department of Homeland Security Headquarters	1	$103,690.00
U.S. Coast Guard	1	$74,897.00
Immigration and Customs Enforcement	1	$107,146.00
Office of Communications (Department of Agriculture)	1	$99,827.00

Photographer Pay Distribution

The average pay for a Photographer is $92,890.95. The highest paid Photographer made $169,062 in 2021.

Common Photographer Payscales

Payscale	Number of Photography Employees
GS - General Schedule	179
IM - Employees Holding Incident Management Positions And Appointed And Compensated Under Section 306(b)(1)	10
PG - Printing Office Grades	1
FV - Federal Aviation Administration Core Compensation Plan	1

Category:	N/A
Occupation Family:	1000 INFORMATION AND ARTS GROUP

Search for Photography Jobs

Average Photography Pay Trend from 2004 to 2021

In 2004, the average pay for a Photographer was $58,059. Since then, the average pay has increased to $92,891 in 2021.

Data Sources

The information provided on these pages is sourced from the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Enterprise Human Resources Integration (EHRI) dataset. Postal Service data is managed exclusively by the USPS . All information is displayed unmodified and as provided by the source agency.

Federal employee salaries are public information under open government laws (5 U.S.C. § 552). FederalPay provides this data in the interest of government transparency — employee data may not be used for commercial soliciting or vending of any kind. Learn more about the FederalPay Employees Dataset here.

The series code of this occupation is 1060.