Photographers pay range in Austin
New workers and the lowest-paid 10% earn about $18,450 a year or less, while the top 10% make $64,480 or more. The middle half of photographers in Austin earn between $26,120 and $51,430.
- $18K10th
- $26K25th
- $39KMedian
- $51K75th
- $64K90th
median average · bar = middle 50% of workers
| Pay level | Per year | Per month | Per hour* |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average | $41,590 | $3,466 | $20.00 |
| Median | $38,970 | $3,248 | $18.74 |
| Entry level (25th percentile) | $26,120 | $2,177 | $12.56 |
| Experienced (75th percentile) | $51,430 | $4,286 | $24.73 |
*Hourly figures assume 2,080 paid hours a year.
Photographers salary after taxes in Austin
On the average salary of $41,590, a single filer in Austin takes home about $35,598 a year, or $2,966 a month and $1,369 every two weeks. Taxes take 14% of gross pay.
Single filer, standard deduction: federal income tax (2026 brackets), Social Security, Medicare and no state income tax.
Is Austin a good place for photographers? Pay vs. cost of living
Prices in the Austin area are 2% below the U.S. average (BEA price parity 98.1), so the average $41,590 buys what about $42,410 would buy in a typical U.S. metro. This job pays 0.7 times the median wage of all jobs in Austin ($56,950). A typical home costs $428,524, or 10.3 years of this average salary before tax.
Photographers salary in other Texas cities
Austin ranks 7th of 12 Texas metro areas for this job; Waco pays the most ($46,990).
- Waco$46,990
- Dallas$45,480
- Houston$44,940
- Corpus Christi$43,530
- Lubbock$43,210
- San Antonio$42,330
- Austin$41,590
- Beaumont$40,980
- El Paso$40,400
- Tyler$38,410
Highest-paying cities for photographers
San Francisco, CA pays this job the most of the metro areas we cover ($83,790).
- San Francisco, CA$83,790
- San Jose, CA$75,490
- Los Angeles, CA$73,520
- Santa Rosa, CA$72,250
- Santa Maria, CA$72,200
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Photographers salary in Austin: questions
How much do photographers make an hour in Austin?
$19.99 an hour on average, and $18.74 at the median (BLS, May 2025).
What is the entry-level photographers salary in Austin?
The lowest-paid 10% earn about $18,450 a year and the 25th percentile is $26,120, a fair guide to starting pay.
What is the photographers take-home pay in Austin?
About $35,598 a year ($2,966 a month) for a single filer on the average salary of $41,590. Texas has no state income tax.
Do photographers earn more in Austin than elsewhere?
The average here is 27% less than the U.S. metro average for this job ($56,592).
Sources and how to read this page
- Wages: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 estimates for metropolitan areas. SOC code 27-4021; area Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX (12420). Relative standard error of the mean wage: 4.3%.
- Cost of living: Bureau of Economic Analysis regional price parities (RPP), 2024; 100 = U.S. average.
- Home value: Zillow Home Value Index. Typical-wage figure: OEWS all occupations, same metro.
- Take-home pay: Single filer, standard deduction: federal income tax (2026 brackets), Social Security, Medicare and no state income tax.
- Job concentration: location quotient 1.26, this job is 1.3 times as concentrated as in the U.S. overall.
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