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Camera Operators, Television, Video, and Film: apprenticeship hours and pay
O*NET-SOC 27-4031.00
Approved apprenticeship titles
One apprenticeship title on the Department of Labor's approved list fall under Camera Operators, Television, Video, and Film, trained competency-based, hybrid, time-based. The shortest approved term is 6,000 hours, for CAMERA OPERATOR (competency-based).
| Title | RAPIDS code | Approach and term |
|---|---|---|
| CAMERA OPERATOR | 0955 | Competency-Based: 6,000 hours Hybrid: 6,000 to 7,500 hours Time-Based: 6,000 hours |
Time-based programs count hours on the job; competency-based programs move on when the apprentice shows the skills; hybrid programs use both, within a range of hours (29 CFR 29.5(b)(2)). Each registered program sets its own term inside what the approved title allows.
What camera operators, television, video, and film earn, by state
California has the highest state median for camera operators, television, video, and film ($106,900) and Maine the lowest ($37,590), across the 47 states with a published figure.
| State | Median pay | Hourly | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| California | $106,900 | $51.39 | 4,700 |
| Illinois | $100,170 | $48.16 | 1,060 |
| District of Columbia | $98,300 | $47.26 | 240 |
| New York | $93,410 | $44.91 | 2,930 |
| Georgia | $85,050 | $40.89 | 570 |
| Alaska | $83,620 | $40.20 | 50 |
| Colorado | $74,990 | $36.05 | 300 |
| Utah | $73,450 | $35.31 | 240 |
| Arizona | $68,250 | $32.81 | 520 |
| Maryland | $65,870 | $31.67 | 290 |
| Connecticut | $65,630 | $31.55 | 170 |
| Ohio | $64,860 | $31.18 | 520 |
| Texas | $63,110 | $30.34 | 1,100 |
| North Carolina | $62,720 | $30.15 | 380 |
| Florida | $62,220 | $29.91 | 970 |
| Nevada | $62,110 | $29.86 | 320 |
| Alabama | $61,800 | $29.71 | 220 |
| Massachusetts | $61,320 | $29.48 | 370 |
| Kansas | $60,690 | $29.18 | 110 |
| Washington | $60,250 | $28.97 | 440 |
| Louisiana | $58,440 | $28.10 | 270 |
| Virginia | $58,440 | $28.10 | 420 |
| Idaho | $58,140 | $27.95 | 120 |
| South Carolina | $57,940 | $27.86 | 40 |
| Iowa | $57,220 | $27.51 | 90 |
| Tennessee | $57,030 | $27.42 | 460 |
| Indiana | $56,810 | $27.31 | 200 |
| Michigan | $55,290 | $26.58 | 380 |
| Kentucky | $53,790 | $25.86 | 170 |
| North Dakota | $53,650 | $25.79 | 40 |
| Wisconsin | $52,810 | $25.39 | 300 |
| Pennsylvania | $51,760 | $24.88 | 670 |
| Minnesota | $51,420 | $24.72 | 300 |
| Montana | $50,910 | $24.48 | 110 |
| Mississippi | $49,920 | $24.00 | 60 |
| Rhode Island | $49,790 | $23.94 | 50 |
| New Mexico | $49,050 | $23.58 | 290 |
| Arkansas | $48,680 | $23.40 | 60 |
| Oklahoma | $48,620 | $23.38 | 220 |
| Vermont | $46,350 | $22.29 | 130 |
| Nebraska | $46,180 | $22.20 | 100 |
| New Hampshire | $45,880 | $22.06 | Not published |
| Hawaii | $44,230 | $21.27 | 90 |
| South Dakota | $44,160 | $21.23 | 50 |
| West Virginia | $43,390 | $20.86 | 60 |
| Puerto Rico | $38,380 | $18.45 | 150 |
| Maine | $37,590 | $18.07 | 70 |
Finding a program
The public sponsor file names the organizations that run registered apprenticeships but not the occupations each one trains, so this guide names no sponsor. Search apprenticeship.gov's Apprenticeship Finder for this title, or ask your American Job Center which local programs train it.
Apprenticeship sponsors by state (25,633) · All approved occupations
Sources: apprenticeship.gov approved occupations list (Last-Modified October 8, 2026); BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (all industries; blanks are figures BLS does not publish).