$5,000
Median established-pro full-day package benchmark across all 72 markets.
Pricing report
Wedding photography pricing across 72 US markets
Directional full-day wedding package benchmarks — low, established-pro, and high-demand — for 72 US markets and 11 regions. Free to cite with attribution.
What the numbers show
2.3x
Gap between the most and least expensive market — New York City ($9,500) versus Tulsa, OK ($4,200).
3.2x
Average spread between low-end and high-end pricing inside a single market.
The within-market spread is the more useful figure for most photographers. Pricing varies more between photographers in the same city than it does between cities — which means positioning and packaging move your rate more than your zip code does.
By market
Full-day package ranges by city
Sorted by established-pro benchmark. Expansion rows include official metro context and are labeled as modeled; legacy rows remain directional reference ranges.
| Market | Low | Established | High | 2025 metro pop. | BEA RPP | Basis |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York City | $5,000 | $9,500 | $17,000 | — | — | Legacy directional |
| San Francisco | $4,800 | $8,800 | $16,000 | — | — | Legacy directional |
| Los Angeles | $4,500 | $8,500 | $15,000 | — | — | Legacy directional |
| Boston | $4,200 | $7,800 | $13,500 | — | — | Legacy directional |
| Washington DC | $3,800 | $7,200 | $12,500 | — | — | Legacy directional |
| Key West | $4,000 | $7,000 | $13,500 | — | — | Legacy directional |
| Miami | $3,500 | $6,400 | $11,500 | — | — | Legacy directional |
| San Diego | $3,500 | $6,400 | $11,500 | — | — | Legacy directional |
| Seattle | $3,500 | $6,400 | $11,000 | — | — | Legacy directional |
| San Jose, CA | $3,400 | $6,200 | $10,800 | 1,984,473 | 112.9 | Model 2026.08 |
| Riverside, CA | $3,400 | $6,100 | $10,700 | 4,769,007 | 107.9 | Model 2026.08 |
| Chicago | $3,200 | $6,000 | $10,500 | — | — | Legacy directional |
| Philadelphia | $3,200 | $6,000 | $10,500 | — | — | Legacy directional |
| Sacramento, CA | $3,300 | $6,000 | $10,400 | 2,477,274 | 108.9 | Model 2026.08 |
| Scottsdale | $3,000 | $5,800 | $10,000 | — | — | Legacy directional |
| Honolulu, HI | $3,200 | $5,800 | $10,200 | 988,703 | 110.2 | Model 2026.08 |
| Naples | $3,200 | $5,600 | $9,800 | — | — | Legacy directional |
| Charleston | $3,000 | $5,500 | $9,800 | — | — | Legacy directional |
| New Orleans | $3,000 | $5,500 | $9,500 | — | — | Legacy directional |
| Nashville | $3,000 | $5,500 | $9,500 | — | — | Legacy directional |
| Portland | $3,000 | $5,500 | $9,500 | — | — | Legacy directional |
| Fresno, CA | $2,900 | $5,300 | $9,300 | 1,203,383 | 104.0 | Model 2026.08 |
| Austin | $2,800 | $5,200 | $9,000 | — | — | Legacy directional |
| Las Vegas | $2,800 | $5,200 | $9,500 | — | — | Legacy directional |
| Orlando | $2,700 | $5,200 | $9,200 | — | — | Legacy directional |
| Tampa | $2,600 | $5,200 | $9,400 | — | — | Legacy directional |
| Detroit, MI | $2,900 | $5,200 | $9,200 | 4,390,913 | 98.0 | Model 2026.08 |
| Providence, RI | $2,800 | $5,200 | $9,000 | 1,708,161 | 100.9 | Model 2026.08 |
| Hartford, CT | $2,900 | $5,200 | $9,100 | 1,171,426 | 102.6 | Model 2026.08 |
| Atlanta | $2,800 | $5,000 | $8,800 | — | — | Legacy directional |
| Baltimore | $2,700 | $5,000 | $9,000 | — | — | Legacy directional |
| Cape Coral | $3,000 | $5,000 | $9,200 | — | — | Legacy directional |
| Dallas | $2,800 | $5,000 | $8,800 | — | — | Legacy directional |
| Denver | $2,800 | $5,000 | $8,800 | — | — | Legacy directional |
| Sarasota | $2,700 | $5,000 | $9,000 | — | — | Legacy directional |
| Jacksonville, FL | $2,800 | $5,000 | $8,800 | 1,785,500 | 99.2 | Model 2026.08 |
| St. Louis, MO | $2,700 | $4,900 | $8,600 | 2,814,421 | 96.3 | Model 2026.08 |
| Virginia Beach, VA | $2,700 | $4,900 | $8,600 | 1,797,213 | 97.4 | Model 2026.08 |
| Raleigh, NC | $2,700 | $4,900 | $8,600 | 1,595,720 | 98.0 | Model 2026.08 |
| Houston | $2,600 | $4,800 | $8,200 | — | — | Legacy directional |
| Columbus, OH | $2,600 | $4,800 | $8,300 | 2,242,028 | 94.5 | Model 2026.08 |
| Indianapolis, IN | $2,600 | $4,800 | $8,300 | 2,205,695 | 94.6 | Model 2026.08 |
| Richmond, VA | $2,700 | $4,800 | $8,500 | 1,389,338 | 98.0 | Model 2026.08 |
| Colorado Springs, CO | $2,600 | $4,800 | $8,400 | 781,796 | 97.4 | Model 2026.08 |
| Fort Myers | $2,500 | $4,700 | $8,500 | — | — | Legacy directional |
| San Antonio, TX | $2,600 | $4,700 | $8,200 | 2,813,140 | 93.7 | Model 2026.08 |
| Pittsburgh, PA | $2,600 | $4,700 | $8,300 | 2,421,992 | 94.4 | Model 2026.08 |
| Kansas City, MO | $2,600 | $4,700 | $8,100 | 2,270,682 | 93.3 | Model 2026.08 |
| Milwaukee, WI | $2,600 | $4,700 | $8,300 | 1,575,010 | 95.5 | Model 2026.08 |
| Salt Lake City, UT | $2,600 | $4,700 | $8,300 | 1,308,377 | 96.4 | Model 2026.08 |
| Charlotte | $2,600 | $4,600 | $8,000 | — | — | Legacy directional |
| Savannah | $2,600 | $4,600 | $8,000 | — | — | Legacy directional |
| St Petersburg | $2,500 | $4,600 | $8,200 | — | — | Legacy directional |
| Grand Rapids, MI | $2,500 | $4,600 | $8,100 | 1,183,645 | 95.2 | Model 2026.08 |
| Huntsville, AL | $2,500 | $4,600 | $8,000 | 556,444 | 94.4 | Model 2026.08 |
| Tucson, AZ | $2,500 | $4,600 | $8,000 | 1,074,685 | 94.3 | Model 2026.08 |
| Buffalo, NY | $2,500 | $4,600 | $8,000 | 1,155,653 | 94.4 | Model 2026.08 |
| North Charleston | $2,500 | $4,500 | $8,500 | — | — | Legacy directional |
| Louisville, KY | $2,500 | $4,500 | $7,900 | 1,402,509 | 94.0 | Model 2026.08 |
| Boise, ID | $2,500 | $4,500 | $7,800 | 864,243 | 93.4 | Model 2026.08 |
| Minneapolis | $2,400 | $4,400 | $7,800 | — | — | Legacy directional |
| Phoenix | $2,400 | $4,400 | $7,800 | — | — | Legacy directional |
| Oklahoma City, OK | $2,400 | $4,400 | $7,700 | 1,512,813 | 91.0 | Model 2026.08 |
| Greenville, SC | $2,400 | $4,400 | $7,800 | 1,014,101 | 92.8 | Model 2026.08 |
| Knoxville, TN | $2,400 | $4,400 | $7,800 | 968,137 | 92.8 | Model 2026.08 |
| Omaha, NE | $2,400 | $4,400 | $7,700 | 1,009,836 | 92.5 | Model 2026.08 |
| Birmingham, AL | $2,400 | $4,400 | $7,700 | 1,197,766 | 92.6 | Model 2026.08 |
| Memphis, TN | $2,400 | $4,400 | $7,700 | 1,341,412 | 92.4 | Model 2026.08 |
| Albuquerque, NM | $2,400 | $4,400 | $7,800 | 925,279 | 93.0 | Model 2026.08 |
| Cincinnati | $2,300 | $4,300 | $7,600 | — | — | Legacy directional |
| Cleveland | $2,300 | $4,200 | $7,200 | — | — | Legacy directional |
| Tulsa, OK | $2,300 | $4,200 | $7,300 | 1,069,273 | 89.5 | Model 2026.08 |
By region
Regional benchmarks
| Region | Low | Established | High |
|---|---|---|---|
| International | $6,500 | $11,000 | $20,000 |
| Northeast | $3,800 | $7,000 | $13,000 |
| West Coast | $3,800 | $6,800 | $12,000 |
| Mid-Atlantic | $3,200 | $6,000 | $10,500 |
| Pacific NW | $3,200 | $5,600 | $9,800 |
| Florida | $3,000 | $5,200 | $9,000 |
| Southeast | $2,800 | $4,800 | $8,500 |
| Texas | $2,600 | $4,800 | $8,500 |
| Mountain West | $2,600 | $4,600 | $8,200 |
| Midwest | $2,200 | $4,200 | $7,200 |
| Southwest | $2,400 | $4,200 | $7,400 |
Methodology
How these numbers were compiled
Two cohorts are shown. The 37 legacy markets are directional ranges compiled from published industry and marketplace guidance — including The Knot and WeddingWire — plus community input. They do not have a publishable local sample size, so they are labeled “Legacy directional” rather than presented as surveyed averages.
The 35 expansion markets use model 2026.08. Markets were selected from the largest missing, non-overlapping metros in U.S. Census Vintage 2025. The established-pro band starts from a $5,000 full-day package anchor, multiplies it by (2023 BEA Regional Price Parity / 100)1.6, then applies a metro-size factor of 1.08 at 4 million residents, 1.04 at 2 million, 1.02 at 1.5 million, or 1.00 below that. The low, established-pro, and high-demand bands are 55%, 100%, and 175% of that unrounded adjusted result; each band is then rounded to $100. Each expansion page shows the exact population, one-year growth, RPP input, model version, and update date.
National survey context. The Knot's 2026 Real Weddings Study reports $3,000 in average national photographer spend and lower, median, and upper cost quartiles of $1,500, $2,800, and $4,700. ShootRate's established-pro band is a photographer-side planning target, not another calculation of that consumer average.
What the figures cover. Full-day wedding coverage as a package. They exclude elopement and micro-wedding pricing, hourly-only bookings, and highly variable add-ons such as albums, second shooters, and travel. Low represents newer/value positioning; established is the model's working-pro anchor; high represents luxury and high-demand positioning.
How to use the data. No row has a margin of error because this is not a statistically weighted local survey. Treat every range as an orientation tool alongside your own cost floor, published local comparison set, booking rate, package scope, and positioning.
Corrections welcome. If you work in one of these markets and these ranges do not match what you see, tell us at our contact page and we will review it. We would rather be accurate than confident.
Citation
Free to cite
You are welcome to reference these figures in articles, courses, forum posts, or client education materials. No permission needed — a link back is all we ask.
ShootRate, “Wedding Photography Pricing Report: 72 US Markets.” https://www.shootrate.app/wedding-photography-pricing-report
Writing something that needs a specific market broken out? Ask us and we will pull it for you.
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Wedding pricing report
Full-day package ranges across 72 US markets and 11 regions. Free to cite.
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