Research, produce, and direct documentary films and long-form video content. Median salary in Brownsville: $49K/year. Data from BLS, O*NET, and H-1B disclosures.
Figures represent annual base salary in Brownsville, Texas. Reviewed by SalaryOptics Editorial · How we calculate this →
Analysis derived from the salary, COL, tax, and labor-market figures above — specific to this role and city.
Documentary Filmmakers in Brownsville earn approximately 25% lower than the US national median for this role — a $16,000 discount on annual base salary. Brownsville's lower wage level partially reflects the area's cost-of-living index of 75 (US avg = 100).
Texas has no state income tax, which is worth roughly $4,557 per year at this salary level compared to a California Documentary Filmmaker on the same gross pay. A Brownsville Documentary Filmmaker would need to earn $54,024 in California to net the same take-home.
Average 1-bedroom rent in Brownsville ($850/mo) consumes approximately 30% of an after-tax median Documentary Filmmaker salary. Financial planners typically recommend keeping housing under 30% of take-home — a salary at the 75th percentile ($79K) brings that ratio into a more comfortable range here.
Based on BLS 2022–2032 Employment Projections and WEF Future of Jobs Report 2026. At current growth rates, median salary reaches $49K by 2030.
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The median Documentary Filmmaker salary in Brownsville, TX is $49,000 per year as of Q1 2026. This figure represents the midpoint of all reported compensation for this role in the Brownsville–TX metropolitan area, based on data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment Statistics, H-1B visa disclosures from the Department of Labor, and O*NET occupational data.
Entry-level Documentary Filmmakers in Brownsville with 0–2 years of experience typically earn between $32,000 and $49,000 annually. Mid-career professionals with 3–7 years command $49,000 to $79,000, while senior-level practitioners with 8+ years of experience regularly earn $79,000 to $131,000 or more.
Brownsville has a cost of living index of 75 compared to the US national average of 100. This means your salary goes approximately 25% further in Brownsville than the national average. Crucially, Texas has no state income tax — giving Brownsville-based Documentary Filmmakers an immediate 5–7% take-home pay advantage over workers in states like California (9.3%) or New York (6.85%).
Bachelor's in Film or Journalism; production portfolio. 40% of these roles offer some remote flexibility.