As of July 01, 2026, the average annual salary for Photojournalist in Illinois is $52,082, equivalent to $25 per hour, $1,002 weekly, or $4,340 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 Illinois vary widely, spanning from $45,544 to $64,820. Most professionals fall between the 25th percentile ($48,660) and 75th percentile ($58,749), while top earners (90th percentile) make $64,820 per year. This $10,089 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, Illinois Photojournalist often earn 1.9% higher than national averages due to demand from Fortune 17 companies. However, Illinois currently ranks 14 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 $45,544 IL July 01, 2026
25th Percentile Photojournalist Salary $48,660 IL July 01, 2026
50th Percentile Photojournalist Salary $52,082 IL July 01, 2026
75th Percentile Photojournalist Salary $58,749 IL July 01, 2026
90th Percentile Photojournalist Salary $64,820 IL July 01, 2026
25% $48,660 10% $45,544 90% $64,820 75% $58,749 $52,082 50%(Median) Didn’t find job title? Click
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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

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Location Avg. Salary Date Updated
Location Cicero, IL Avg. Salary $56,708 Date Updated July 01, 2026
Location Mount Prospect, IL Avg. Salary $55,931 Date Updated July 01, 2026
Location Abingdon, IL Avg. Salary $51,683 Date Updated July 01, 2026
Location Adair, IL Avg. Salary $51,558 Date Updated July 01, 2026
Location Addieville, IL Avg. Salary $52,331 Date Updated July 01, 2026
Location Addison, IL Avg. Salary $56,026 Date Updated July 01, 2026
Location Akin, IL Avg. Salary $51,522 Date Updated July 01, 2026
Location Albany, IL Avg. Salary $51,627 Date Updated July 01, 2026
Location Albers, IL Avg. Salary $52,401 Date Updated July 01, 2026
Location Albion, IL Avg. Salary $51,301 Date Updated July 01, 2026
Job Openings for Photojournalist in Illinois

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

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