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Camera Operators, Television, Video, and Film · SOC 27-4031

Camera Operators, Television, Video, and Film Salary in the Santa Maria Metro Area

Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA metro area

Figures describe the Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA metropolitan statistical area as defined by BLS/OMB — the whole multi-county metro region, not Santa Maria city limits.

Median annual wage$71,390
Median hourly wage$34.32

Camera Operators, Television, Video, and Film in the Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA metro area earned a median of $71,390 per year ($34.32 per hour) as of the May 2025 BLS OEWS estimates. Pay ranged from $35,380 at the 10th percentile to $135,100 at the 90th. BLS estimates 50 people work in this occupation in the area.

Pay distribution

Half of Camera Operators, Television, Video, and Film in the Santa Maria metro area earn more than $71,390 per year, half earn less; the middle half earn between $53,790 and $92,710.

Wage percentiles (BLS OEWS)
Wage10th25thMedian75th90th
Annual$35,380$53,790$71,390$92,710$135,100
Hourly$17.01$25.86$34.32$44.57$64.95

A percentile is a cut point: 25% of workers in this occupation and area earn less than the 25th-percentile wage. The median is the 50th percentile — half earn less, half earn more.

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How this area compares

  • Santa Maria metro areathis metro area
    $71,390
  • Californiastate (CA)
    $106,900
  • United Statesnational
    $74,990

Bars span the 25th–75th percentile (the middle half of workers); the tick marks the median.

The median here is −33% vs California overall and −5% vs the U.S. median for this occupation.

Compare with other areas

Where this metro sits nationally

$36,230$60,027$83,823$107,620Spokane-Spokane Valley, WA — $36,230San Juan-Bayamon-Caguas, PR — $38,400Pittsburgh, PA — $38,630Harrisburg-Carlisle, PA — $40,030Urban Honolulu, HI — $44,230Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC — $45,820Oklahoma City, OK — $46,080Burlington-South Burlington, VT — $46,350Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR — $48,680Memphis, TN-MS-AR — $48,680Providence-Warwick, RI-MA — $48,770Omaha, NE-IA — $49,680Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN — $50,550Madison, WI — $50,680Albuquerque, NM — $50,860Bozeman, MT — $50,910Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD — $52,040Lexington-Fayette, KY — $52,580Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT — $52,720Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI — $52,920Knoxville, TN — $53,180Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ — $54,690Cleveland, OH — $54,990Richmond, VA — $55,120San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA — $56,580Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY — $56,710Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI — $57,690Portland-South Portland, ME — $57,840Boise City, ID — $58,140Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood, IN — $58,480Worcester, MA — $59,760Baton Rouge, LA — $60,320Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN — $60,800Kansas City, MO-KS — $61,150New Orleans-Metairie, LA — $61,500Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA — $61,820Las Vegas-Henderson-North Las Vegas, NV — $62,110Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL — $62,220Raleigh-Cary, NC — $62,720Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH — $62,810Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX — $62,870Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL — $63,230Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood, MI — $63,720Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN — $63,970Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC — $63,990Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX — $64,380San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX — $64,490Birmingham, AL — $64,730Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL — $65,130Huntsville, AL — $65,530Jacksonville, FL — $65,640Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD — $65,870Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury, CT — $67,560Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ — $71,080St. Louis, MO-IL — $71,360Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA — $71,390Columbus, OH — $72,540Salt Lake City-Murray, UT — $73,710Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX — $74,710Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO — $74,990Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA — $76,250Rochester, NY — $76,700Fresno, CA — $80,030Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI — $80,380Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV — $83,320Anchorage, AK — $83,620Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA — $84,870New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ — $93,410San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA — $98,500Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN — $102,370Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA — $107,620

Each dot is one metro area with a published median — hover any dot for the name and figure. Metros without published estimates are not drawn.

The Santa Maria metro area has the 16th-highest published median for this occupation among the 71 metro areas where BLS publishes it. Higher medians often track higher living costs — this is a pay comparison, not a ranking of where the job is “best”.

Other metro areas in California

Metro areas in the same state with published May 2025 medians for camera operators, television, video, and film, highest first. Areas without published estimates are not listed.

  • Santa Maria metro areathis page
    $71,390
  • Los Angeles metro area
    $107,620
  • San Francisco metro area
    $98,500
  • Sacramento metro area
    $84,870
  • Fresno metro area
    $80,030
  • San Diego metro area
    $56,580

Bars span the 25th–75th percentile (the middle half of workers); the tick marks the median.

Keep exploring

Other occupations in the same SOC group with published medians here, largest employment first:

Coaches and Scouts$46,710Public Relations Specialists$78,450Graphic Designers$78,500Producers and Directors$76,860Interior Designers$78,960Merchandise Displayers and Window Trimmers$44,720

Highest-paying metro areas for camera operators, television, video, and films · Highest-paying occupations in Santa Maria Metro

About this estimate

These figures are survey estimates from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program — modeled from employer reports collected over three years and benchmarked to May 2025. They describe what employers in this area currently pay across all industries, not what any individual worker will be offered.

Employment counts wage-and-salary jobs in the occupation (self-employed workers are excluded). Estimates carry sampling error; percentile wages are rounded by BLS. Some values are suppressed by BLS for confidentiality or quality — suppressed values appear here as “not published”, never as zero. Read the full methodology.

About this data. Estimates are from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program, May 2025 release, retrieved from bls.gov/oes/tables.htm on July 24, 2026. OEWS estimates describe metropolitan/nonmetropolitan areas and states — not city limits — and are not designed for year-over-year comparisons. See BLS methodology, our plain-English methodology, and sources. CitySalaryData is independent and not affiliated with BLS.