Photographic Process Workers and Processing Machine Operators pay in the U.S.
$46,050avg. a year
$22.14 an hour · 4,800 employed
Photographic Process Workers and Processing Machine Operators in the U.S. earn an average of $46,050 a year and a median of $40,610. Pay is highest in New York ($67,440) and lowest in Tennessee ($30,940).
$40,610Median pay
$22.14Average hourly
+17%Avg. pay since 2020
4,800Jobs in the U.S.
Top-paying states for photographic process workers and processing machine operators
Average pay by state. Swipe to see the top 10.
1400 jobs
New York
$67,440
$32.42 an hour
2740 jobs
California
$55,580
$26.72 an hour
380 jobs
Washington
$53,980
$25.95 an hour
4200 jobs
Maryland
$53,310
$25.63 an hour
550 jobs
Georgia
$49,570
$23.83 an hour
660 jobs
Wisconsin
$47,910
$23.04 an hour
7
Massachusetts
$46,450
$22.33 an hour
8110 jobs
Virginia
$45,940
$22.09 an hour
930 jobs
Delaware
$43,940
$21.12 an hour
10
Illinois
$43,480
$20.90 an hour
Why people trust JobPayFacts
Official government dataEvery number comes from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics wage survey of employers, not self-reported salaries.
Every state and city830 jobs across all 50 states, D.C. and 199 large metro areas.
Updated every yearNew figures each spring when BLS releases them. This site uses May 2025 data.
Photographic Process Workers and Processing Machine Operators pay, charted
Pay over time
United States, annual wage, May of each year
AverageMedian
Where the jobs are
Employment by state, May 2025
Average pay by state
May 2025 · tap a state
AKMEWIVTNHWAIDMTNDMNILMINYMAORNVWYSDIAINOHPANJCTRICAUTCONEMOKYWVVAMDDEAZNMKSARTNNCSCDCOKLAMSALGAHITXFL
Under $39k$39k–$42k$42k–$46k$46k+
Top-paying metro areas
Average pay, May 2025 (areas with 100+ jobs)
| Metro area | Avg. pay | Hourly |
|---|---|---|
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | $62,500 | $30.05 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $58,940 | $28.34 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | $56,850 | $27.33 |
| Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD | $51,870 | $24.94 |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD | $39,520 | $19.00 |
Related jobs
- Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers$53,450
- Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and Tenders$44,590
- Production Workers, All Other$44,380
- Computer Numerically Controlled Tool Operators$54,320
- Helpers--Production Workers$41,120
- Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$52,620
Average U.S. pay, May 2025
Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS
Photographic Process Workers and Processing Machine Operators pay in every state
States without a figure had too few jobs or too little survey data for BLS to publish.
| State | Avg. pay | Median | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $33,730 | $29,850 | 40 |
| Arizona | $38,360 | $36,650 | – |
| California | $55,580 | $47,320 | 740 |
| Connecticut | $39,930 | $37,460 | 80 |
| Delaware | $43,940 | $42,220 | 30 |
| Florida | $42,300 | $46,840 | 450 |
| Georgia | $49,570 | $34,790 | 50 |
| Illinois | $43,480 | $37,940 | – |
| Indiana | $41,710 | $37,670 | 240 |
| Iowa | $41,280 | $43,310 | 90 |
| Kentucky | $37,710 | $37,430 | 120 |
| Louisiana | $42,520 | $36,500 | 60 |
| Maryland | $53,310 | $45,600 | 200 |
| Massachusetts | $46,450 | $38,400 | – |
| Michigan | $41,960 | $38,610 | 150 |
| Missouri | $37,950 | $33,540 | 100 |
| New Jersey | $43,130 | $43,300 | 110 |
| New York | $67,440 | $57,760 | 400 |
| North Carolina | $41,580 | $35,580 | 320 |
| Ohio | $32,740 | $29,770 | 190 |
| Oregon | $41,800 | $39,940 | 40 |
| Pennsylvania | $38,940 | $37,340 | 160 |
| South Carolina | $31,410 | $30,010 | 50 |
| Tennessee | $30,940 | $29,050 | 110 |
| Texas | $41,300 | $35,950 | 160 |
| Utah | $39,900 | $39,510 | 60 |
| Virginia | $45,940 | $47,380 | 110 |
| Washington | $53,980 | $46,280 | 80 |
| Wisconsin | $47,910 | $46,480 | 60 |
Metro areas with the most jobs
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ
$62,500
390 jobsLos Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA
$56,850
280 jobsPhiladelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD
$39,520
140 jobsSan Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA
$58,940
130 jobsBaltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD
$51,870
120 jobsQuestions and answers
How much do photographic process workers and processing machine operators make?
The average is $46,050 a year across the U.S. Half earn more than $40,610 and half earn less (the median).
What is the hourly pay?
The average hourly wage is $22.14, and the median is $19.52 an hour.
Which state pays photographic process workers and processing machine operators the most?
New York, with an average of $67,440 a year. The best-paying metro area is New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ at $62,500.
What is the pay range?
The lowest-paid 10% earn under $30,090 a year, and the top 10% earn over $68,800.
Sources and notes. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 (trend: May 2020–May 2025), occupation code 51-9151. Wages are gross pay before taxes and don't include overtime premiums, tips, bonuses or benefits; self-employed workers aren't included. Year-to-year changes can partly reflect survey method changes, so treat the trend as a guide. How we use the data. JobPayFacts isn't affiliated with BLS.