Average Photo Research Manager Salary in Seattle, United States for 2026

In this article, we will look at the average Photo Research Manager salary for 2026 in Seattle and how that compares to other countries and professions. We'll also look at interesting salary data points like median salary, 25th and 75th percentile salaries, salary amounts based on experience, bonus ranges and more!

The data in this article has been compiled using official government salary data, salary surveys, and other sources such as job postings which contain salary information.

All salary information is in the local currency, which is the United States dollar. To keep things simple, we are using the USD currency code instead of the currency symbol $.

How Much Does a Photo Research Manager Make in Seattle?

A Photo Research Manager working in Seattle will typically earn around 107,700 USD per year, and this can range from the lowest average salary of about 58,600 USD to the highest average salary of 164,100 USD.

Average Annual Salary107,700 USD
Average Monthly Salary8,975 USD
Average Lowest Salary58,600 USD
Lowest Monthly Salary4,883 USD
Average Highest Salary164,100 USD
Highest Monthly Salary13,675 USD

These are average salaries for a Photo Research Manager in Seattle and include benefits such as housing and transport. It's also possible for a Photo Research Manager to earn more or less than the average salaries shown above.

Photo Research Manager salaries will vary a lot based on your experience, location, skills, and gender. Keep reading below to research more data on each of these areas.

Distribution of Photo Research Manager Salaries in Seattle

So we've looked at the average salaries a Photo Research Manager will earn in Seattle. The next interesting data point is the distribution of salaries.

Salary ranges

We already know that a Photo Research Manager can earn between 58,600 USD and 164,100 USD on average in Seattle. This is known as the range in statistics.

The difference between the maximum and minimum values is a good indicator of variability in salaries, and can be used by employers to figure out how much they can expect to pay, and for employees to know how much they can earn.

Median salary

The median salary for a Photo Research Manager in Seattle is 100,700 USD. This is the middle value in the distribution of salaries.

What this means is that approximately 50% of the population earn less than 100,700 USD, and 50% of the population earn more than 100,700 USD.

If you are earning more than the median salary, that's a good indicator that you are being paid well.

If you're not earning more than the median salary, your objective should be to increase your earnings to be at least as high as the median salary (which you can do by asking for a pay rise, looking for a better paying job, etc).

Percentiles

Percentiles are similar to the median salary, but instead of looking at the middle value, they look at the values in the top and bottom half of the distribution.

For the average Photo Research Manager salary in Seattle, 25% of the population are earning less than 69,400 USD while 75% of the population earn more than 69,400 USD.

75% of the population earn less than 125,400 USD, and 25% of the population earn more than 125,400 USD.

Like the median salary, the 25th and 75th percentile salaries can be used to determine which quartile you fall into so that you know whether you are being paid well enough compared to others in your profession and location.

The difference between a median and an average salary

The median and average salary are both indicators you can use to see if you are being paid fairly based on the overall population.

  • If your salary is higher than the average and the median salary, you are earning well compared to others.
  • If your salary is lower than the average and the median salary, it could indicate you are not being paid well enough.
  • If you are somewhere in between then it's tricky to determine if you are being paid well enough and you might need to research more closely.

Photo Research Manager Salary by Experience Level in Seattle

The most important factor in determining your salary after the specific profession is the number of years experience you have. It stands to reason that more years of experience will result in a higher wage.

We have researched the average Photo Research Manager salary based on years of experience to give you an idea of how the average changes once you've worked for a certain amount of time.

  • 0 - 2 Years Experience. A Photo Research Manager in Seattle that has less than two years of experience can expect to earn somewhere in the region of 67,000 USD.
  • 2 - 5 Years Experience. With two to five years of experience the average Photo Research Manager salary would increase to 80,700 USD.
  • 5 - 10 Years Experience. From five to ten years of experience as a Photo Research Manager, the average salary would be 114,600 USD.
  • 10 - 15 Years Experience. Once you have more than ten years of experience the average salary reaches around 130,400 USD.
  • 15 - 20 Years Experience. A Photo Research Manager with 15 to 20 years of experience can earn an average of 147,900 USD.
  • 20+ Years Experience. For a Photo Research Manager with more than 20 years, the expected average salary increases to 152,700 USD.

Average Salary by Experience Chart

0-2 Years-
67,000 USD
2-5 Years+23%
80,700 USD
5-10 Years+42%
114,600 USD
10-15 Years+17%
130,400 USD
15-20 Years+10%
147,900 USD
20+ Years+6%
152,700 USD

Photo Research Manager Salary by Education Level in Seattle

As well as experience in a job, your education plays a big role in how much you can earn. A lot of higher paying positions require a high level of education, but how much can a degree increase your salary?

In our research we have compared the salaries of employees in the same job and career level with different levels of education to see how much more you can earn at each education level.

The salary you can earn based on your education is very specific to both your location and the career path you choose.

In our research, we looked at the average salary for a Photo Research Manager in Seattle based on the education level of the employees in order to find out whether a better education level would increase your salary.

  • High School. A Photo Research Manager in Seattle with a high school education can earn an average salary of 80,700 USD.
  • Certificate or Diploma. A Photo Research Manager in Seattle with a certificate or diploma education can earn an average salary of 112,700 USD.
  • Bachelor's Degree. A Photo Research Manager in Seattle with a bachelor's degree education can earn an average salary of 158,900 USD.

Average Salary by Education Chart

High School-
80,700 USD
Certificate or Diploma+40%
112,700 USD
Bachelor's Degree+42%
158,900 USD

How Much is a Master's Degree or MBA Program?

The approximate cost of a master's degree or post-graduate program like an MBA in United States is around 39,500 to 118,000 USD and takes two years to complete.

As you can see above, there are financial benefits from reaching master's degree level, but don't expect to see much of a salary increase until you have completed the degree.

It's common for people to pursue an MBA or other post-graduate program in order to switch to a a job that pays more. On average, you can expect to earn around 10% more when switching to a new company.

Whether you decide to pursue a master's degree depends on many factors. If you are able to afford it, the numbers suggest that the return on investment is worth it and you could recover the costs in a few years from the salary increase you would receive.

Photo Research Manager Salary Compared by Gender

In the modern age, we know that there should never be a pay gap between men and women. Unfortunately, in many professions, there is still a significant difference between the salaries earned by men when compared to the salary of women in the same job.

In Seattle, a male photo research manager will earn an average of 107,700 USD, while a female photo research manager will earn around 103,600 USD.

This means that a male photo research manager earns approximately 4% more than a female photo research manager for performing the same job.

Average Salary by Gender Chart in Seattle

Male-
107,700 USD
Female-4%
103,600 USD

Photo Research Manager Average Pay Raise in Seattle

In many countries, an annual pay raise is often given to employees to reward their service with a salary increase.

From our research, we can see that the average pay raise for a Photo Research Manager in Seattle is around 12% every 19 months.

The national average pay raise across all professions and industries in United States is around 8% every 16 months.

In this case, we can see that the number of months between the average pay raise is higher than the typical 12 months.

To make the data more meaningful, we can calculate what the approximate annual pay raise would be using a simple formula:

Annual Increase = ( Increase Rate ÷ Months ) × 12

So for this example, it would be:

Annual Increase = ( 12 ÷ 19 ) × 12  = 8%

What this means is that a Photo Research Manager in Seattle can expect to receive an average pay raise of around 8% every 12 months.

Annual Pay Raise by Industry in Seattle for 2026

In the chart below, you can see the average annual pay raise percentages for each of the major industries in United States.

You will see that companies in bigger and more lucrative industries tend to have the higher annual pay raises.

Banking-
4%
Energy-
8%
Information Technology-
3%
Healthcare-
7%
Travel-
2%
Construction-
6%
Education-
1%

Photo Research Manager Bonus and Incentive Rates in Seattle

Another part of your overall compensation in a job is how much bonus you receive. Some job roles will be more likely to pay a bonus than others and also more likely to have higher bonus rates.

Generally speaking, jobs that are more involved with direct revenue generation will receive higher bonuses based on the performance towards revenue goals.

A Photo Research Manager is a moderate bonus based job, with 60% of employees reporting at least one bonus in the last 12 months.

40% reported that they had not received any bonuses in the previous 12 months.

For the employees that did receive a bonus in the previous 12 months, the reported bonuses ranged from 2% to 7%.

Received Bonus-
60%
No Bonus-
40%

What are the Types of Bonus?

There are a number of difference types of bonus you can receive in a job. Including:

  • Individual performance bonus - This is a bonus that is awarded to an individual employee for general performance in the job. It's the most common type of bonus.
  • Company performance bonus - This is a bonus that is awarded to a company employees to share profit with the staff.
  • Goal based bonus - This is a bonus that is awarded to an individual employee (or a team) for achieving specific goals, objectives, or milestones.
  • Holiday bonus - This type of bonus is usually paid around the holidays, often the end of the year, and is a token of appreciation for the hard work throughout the year.

Government vs Private Sector Salaries

Another commonly asked question is whether you get paid a higher salary working in the public (government) sector or the private sector.

Public sector employees in United States earn approximately 6% more than private sector employees in the same role.

Public Sector-
98,800 USD
Private Sector-6%
93,100 USD

Salaries for Jobs Similar to a Photo Research Manager

In the table below, we have salary information for jobs that are similar to a Photo Research Manager in Seattle.

Job TitleCategorySalary
Assistant PhotographerPhotography48,600 USD
Mini-Lab OperatorPhotography57,200 USD
Photo EditorPhotography63,000 USD
Photo RetoucherPhotography64,600 USD
PhotographerPhotography68,200 USD
Photography Production SupervisorPhotography92,100 USD
Studio ManagerPhotography109,700 USD

Salary Comparison by City

If you want to compare salaries with different cities in United States, you can use the links below to explore the data for each specific city we have researched.

CityAverage Salary
Atlanta94,200 USD
Austin114,900 USD
Baltimore102,700 USD
Boston108,200 USD
Bristol87,300 USD
Chicago123,800 USD
Cincinnati92,000 USD
Cleveland97,200 USD
Dallas118,900 USD
Denver109,000 USD
Detroit107,700 USD
Honolulu87,200 USD
Houston115,600 USD
Indianapolis112,700 USD
Iowa City81,000 USD
Jacksonville111,700 USD
Kansas City95,900 USD
Kent85,500 USD
Las Vegas101,400 USD
Long Beach96,800 USD
Los Angeles128,200 USD
Memphis100,700 USD
Miami94,300 USD
Minneapolis93,800 USD
New Orleans92,100 USD
New York118,900 USD
Oakland93,300 USD
Oklahoma City109,000 USD
Orlando88,400 USD
Philadelphia118,900 USD
Phoenix125,400 USD
Sacramento102,700 USD
San Antonio124,500 USD
San Diego117,100 USD
San Francisco109,000 USD
San Jose114,900 USD
Tampa95,500 USD
Vancouver88,600 USD
Washington D.C.109,700 USD

Salary Comparison by State

The table below includes links to the average salary for each state in United States.

StateAverage Salary
Alabama105,200 USD
Alaska87,900 USD
Arizona114,900 USD
Arkansas102,700 USD
California116,400 USD
Colorado103,600 USD
Connecticut107,700 USD
Delaware95,400 USD
District of Columbia94,300 USD
Florida114,600 USD
Georgia109,700 USD
Hawaii99,700 USD
Idaho99,600 USD
Illinois114,600 USD
Indiana107,300 USD
Iowa107,300 USD
Kansas105,200 USD
Kentucky105,200 USD
Louisiana103,600 USD
Maine92,300 USD
Maryland112,700 USD
Massachusetts108,200 USD
Michigan112,700 USD
Minnesota102,700 USD
Mississippi105,800 USD
Missouri108,200 USD
Montana95,000 USD
Nebraska94,800 USD
Nevada95,200 USD
New Hampshire97,900 USD
New Jersey114,600 USD
New Mexico98,000 USD
New York112,700 USD
North Carolina107,700 USD
North Dakota93,600 USD
Ohio114,900 USD
Oklahoma103,600 USD
Oregon98,900 USD
Pennsylvania118,900 USD
Rhode Island94,000 USD
South Carolina105,800 USD
South Dakota92,200 USD
Tennessee105,200 USD
Texas119,700 USD
Utah100,900 USD
Vermont92,300 USD
Virginia107,700 USD
Washington116,400 USD
West Virginia99,700 USD
Wisconsin107,700 USD
Wyoming87,900 USD

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