Arts, Design & Media
Camera Operators, TV & Film
SOC 27-4031
Run the camera that decides what an audience actually sees.
The job
Median pay
$75k
$51k to $107k typical range
Outlook, 2025 to 2035
Growing
+1.3% projected
Openings a year
3k
BLS projection
Typical education
High school
Our model
AI displacement risk
Moderate
How much of this job AI may do instead of the person
Works with AI
6/100
AI alongside the person rather than instead of them
AI exposure
18th pct
More exposed than 18% of occupations · modeled estimate · 70th pct in Microsoft's data
Future-proof
47/100
Key skills
- Active Listening
- Reading Comprehension
- Speaking
- Critical Thinking
- Monitoring
- Writing
Pay and jobs by state
BLS OEWS May 2025, 51 states. Sorted by jobs; per 1,000 is jobs per thousand workers in the state; vs national compares that rate with the country's. A tilde marks a figure estimated from the parent occupation group where BLS publishes none.
| State | Jobs | Per 1,000 | vs national | Median pay |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| California | 4,700 | 0.3 | 1.9× | $107k |
| New York | 2,930 | 0.3 | 2.2× | $93k |
| Texas | 1,100 | 0.1 | 0.6× | $63k |
| Illinois | 1,060 | 0.2 | 1.3× | $100k |
| Florida | 970 | 0.1 | 0.7× | $62k |
| New Jersey | 750 | 0.2 | 1.3× | $89k~ |
| Pennsylvania | 670 | 0.1 | 0.8× | $52k |
| Georgia | 570 | 0.1 | 0.8× | $85k |
| Arizona | 520 | 0.2 | 1.2× | $68k |
| Ohio | 520 | 0.1 | 0.7× | $65k |
All 51 states
| State | Jobs | Per 1,000 | vs national | Median pay |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tennessee | 460 | 0.1 | 1.0× | $57k |
| Washington | 440 | 0.1 | 0.9× | $60k |
| Virginia | 420 | 0.1 | 0.7× | $58k |
| Michigan | 380 | 0.1 | 0.6× | $55k |
| North Carolina | 380 | 0.1 | 0.6× | $63k |
| Massachusetts | 370 | 0.1 | 0.7× | $61k |
| Nevada | 320 | 0.2 | 1.5× | $62k |
| Colorado | 300 | 0.1 | 0.8× | $75k |
| Minnesota | 300 | 0.1 | 0.7× | $51k |
| Wisconsin | 300 | 0.1 | 0.7× | $53k |
| Maryland | 290 | 0.1 | 0.8× | $66k |
| New Mexico | 290 | 0.3 | 2.4× | $49k |
| Oregon | 280 | 0.1 | 1.0× | $77k~ |
| Louisiana | 270 | 0.1 | 1.0× | $58k |
| Washington DC | 240 | 0.3 | 2.5× | $98k |
| Utah | 240 | 0.1 | 1.0× | $73k |
| Alabama | 220 | 0.1 | 0.8× | $62k |
| Oklahoma | 220 | 0.1 | 0.9× | $49k |
| Indiana | 200 | 0.1 | 0.5× | $57k |
| Connecticut | 170 | 0.1 | 0.7× | $66k |
| Kentucky | 170 | 0.1 | 0.6× | $54k |
| Missouri | 170 | 0.1 | 0.4× | $61k~ |
| Vermont | 130 | 0.4 | 3.1× | $46k |
| Idaho | 120 | 0.1 | 1.0× | $58k |
| Kansas | 110 | 0.1 | 0.6× | $61k |
| Montana | 110 | 0.2 | 1.6× | $51k |
| Nebraska | 100 | 0.1 | 0.7× | $46k |
| Hawaii | 90 | 0.1 | 1.0× | $44k |
| Iowa | 90 | 0.1 | 0.4× | $57k |
| New Hampshire | 73 | 0.1 | 0.8× | $46k~ |
| Maine | 70 | 0.1 | 0.8× | $38k |
| Arkansas | 60 | 0.0 | 0.3× | $49k |
| Mississippi | 60 | 0.1 | 0.4× | $50k |
| West Virginia | 60 | 0.1 | 0.6× | $43k |
| Alaska | 50 | 0.2 | 1.1× | $84k |
| Rhode Island | 50 | 0.1 | 0.7× | $50k |
| South Dakota | 50 | 0.1 | 0.8× | $44k |
| Delaware | 42 | 0.1 | 0.6× | $72k~ |
| North Dakota | 40 | 0.1 | 0.7× | $54k |
| South Carolina | 40 | 0.0 | 0.1× | $58k |
| Wyoming | 25 | 0.1 | 0.6× | $60k~ |
Top metro areas
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA3,540 jobs · $108k median
- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ3,000 jobs · $93k median
- Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN740 jobs · $102k median
- Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV500 jobs · $83k median
- Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA360 jobs · $76k median
- Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ350 jobs · $71k median
- Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL330 jobs · $62k median
- Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA320 jobs · $62k median
Explore the rankings
Explore Camera Operators, TV & Film interactively →Pay and outlook from BLS (OEWS 2025, Employment Projections 2025-2035). Skills and work activities from O*NET 30.3. AI exposure and future-proof scores are modeled estimates. How these numbers are made.