As of July 01, 2026, the average annual salary for Photojournalist in California is $56,359, equivalent to $27 per hour, $1,084 weekly, or $4,697 monthly. These figures, sourced from Salary.com’s real-time job posting scans, highlight competitive earning potential for Photojournalist in cities like San Jose, Santa Clara, and San Francisco.

Annually Salaries for Photojournalist in California vary widely, spanning from $49,284 to $70,142. Most professionals fall between the 25th percentile ($52,655) and 75th percentile ($63,574), while top earners (90th percentile) make $70,142 per year. This $10,919 pay gap underscores opportunities for salary growth through certifications, specialized skills like Customer Service or Early Childhood Education, or targeting high-paying regions like District of Columbia or California.

Location and experience significantly influence earnings. For example, California Photojournalist often earn 10.3% higher than national averages due to demand from Fortune 17 companies. However, California currently ranks 2 nationwide for Photojournalist job salary. Professionals are advised to focus on high-growth sectors like to offset market challenges.

Based on HR-reported data: a national average with a geographic differential
Photojournalist Salaries by Percentile
Percentile Salary Location Last Updated
10th Percentile Photojournalist Salary $49,284 CA July 01, 2026
25th Percentile Photojournalist Salary $52,655 CA July 01, 2026
50th Percentile Photojournalist Salary $56,359 CA July 01, 2026
75th Percentile Photojournalist Salary $63,574 CA July 01, 2026
90th Percentile Photojournalist Salary $70,142 CA July 01, 2026
25% $52,655 10% $49,284 90% $70,142 75% $63,574 $56,359 50%(Median) Didn’t find job title? Click
Change Search Criteria
Check out Photojournalist jobs in California
Search More Photojournalist Jobs in California

What is a Photojournalist ?

Photojournalism is a particular form of journalism (the collecting, editing, and presenting of news material for publication or broadcast) that employs images in order to tell a news story. It is now usually understood to refer only to still images, but in some cases the term also refers to video used in broadcast journalism. Photojournalism is distinguished from other close branches of photography (e.g., documentary photography, social documentary photography, street photography or celebrity photography) by complying with a rigid ethical framework which demands that the work be both honest a...

Source: Wikipedia (as of 04/25/2019). Read more from Wikipedia

See user submitted job responsibilities for Photojournalist.

Select a city to view specific salary and bonus information for Photojournalist

Loading results...
Location Avg. Salary Date Updated
Location Coachella, CA Avg. Salary $55,406 Date Updated July 01, 2026
Location Acampo, CA Avg. Salary $58,904 Date Updated July 01, 2026
Location Acton, CA Avg. Salary $59,058 Date Updated July 01, 2026
Location Adelanto, CA Avg. Salary $57,194 Date Updated July 01, 2026
Location Adin, CA Avg. Salary $55,880 Date Updated July 01, 2026
Location Agoura Hills, CA Avg. Salary $58,908 Date Updated July 01, 2026
Location Aguanga, CA Avg. Salary $56,726 Date Updated July 01, 2026
Location Ahwahnee, CA Avg. Salary $55,548 Date Updated July 01, 2026
Location Alameda, CA Avg. Salary $67,091 Date Updated July 01, 2026
Location Alamo, CA Avg. Salary $65,242 Date Updated July 01, 2026
Job Openings for Photojournalist in California

Career Path for this job

  1. This Job:

    Photojournalist

    0 - 2 years experience
    Bachelor's Degree

  2. Up a level:

    Photographer II

    2 - 4 years experience
    Bachelor's Degree

Jobs with a similar salary range to Photojournalist : Junior Photographer, Freelance Wedding Photographer, Product Photographer