HeadshotDB · Search data, Oct 2018 – Sep 2026
When people need a headshot, and what happened to AI headshots
US searches for “ai headshot generator” peaked in Jul 2023 at 74,000 a month. In Jan–Sep 2026 they ran -45% versus the same months of 2025, while “professional headshot” moved -16%. Searches for “free ai headshot generator” fell -72%.
The AI headshot boom and bust
AI headshot generators went from no measurable search volume in 2021 to a Jul 2023 peak, and have been sliding since. Underneath, ordinary demand for a professional headshot is +23% over five years (Jan–Sep 2021 vs 2026). Meanwhile “chatgpt headshot” searches are +27% year over year. More people now make headshots in general-purpose AI tools than in dedicated generators.
Table view (yearly averages)
| Year | “professional headshot” | “ai headshot generator” | “free ai headshot generator” |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | “professional headshot” ·32,308 | “ai headshot generator” ·17 | “free ai headshot generator” ·1 |
| 2022 | “professional headshot” ·35,892 | “ai headshot generator” ·368 | “free ai headshot generator” ·13 |
| 2023 | “professional headshot” ·41,517 | “ai headshot generator” ·32,242 | “free ai headshot generator” ·8,802 |
| 2024 | “professional headshot” ·45,133 | “ai headshot generator” ·33,450 | “free ai headshot generator” ·16,908 |
| 2025 | “professional headshot” ·46,800 | “ai headshot generator” ·29,750 | “free ai headshot generator” ·13,975 |
| 2026 (Jan–Sep) | “professional headshot” ·40,900 | “ai headshot generator” ·18,067 | “free ai headshot generator” ·4,600 |
The Headshot Calendar: when each group goes looking
Each row is one group’s search pattern through the year. 100 is that group’s average month, and darker cells mean more searching. The number marks each row’s peak month. Averages cover 2023–2026.
| Group (query) | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pageant contestants“pageant headshots” | 151 | 151 | 137 | 106 | 96 | 92 | 82 | 72 | 87 | 82 | 78 | 64 |
| Actors“actor headshots” | 132 | 108 | 120 | 103 | 98 | 93 | 93 | 97 | 93 | 86 | 91 | 86 |
| Real estate agents“real estate headshots” | 127 | 111 | 119 | 107 | 109 | 89 | 97 | 91 | 91 | 95 | 91 | 74 |
| Corporate teams“corporate headshots” | 115 | 109 | 109 | 109 | 99 | 86 | 94 | 106 | 104 | 93 | 87 | 88 |
| Nurses“nurse headshots” | 101 | 106 | 136 | 117 | 101 | 82 | 90 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 87 | 82 |
| Dancers“dancer headshots” | 120 | 97 | 125 | 120 | 114 | 108 | 97 | 108 | 92 | 82 | 69 | 68 |
| Therapists“therapist headshots” | 106 | 100 | 117 | 111 | 111 | 95 | 105 | 111 | 101 | 80 | 87 | 75 |
| Graduates“graduation headshots” | 56 | 76 | 154 | 253 | 253 | 80 | 45 | 42 | 40 | 56 | 84 | 60 |
| Lawyers“lawyer headshots” | 90 | 85 | 110 | 90 | 93 | 78 | 139 | 133 | 133 | 94 | 80 | 75 |
| High school seniors“senior pictures” | 70 | 57 | 77 | 94 | 90 | 86 | 145 | 167 | 137 | 139 | 82 | 55 |
| Teachers“teacher headshots” | 99 | 96 | 115 | 103 | 91 | 96 | 126 | 140 | 102 | 88 | 71 | 73 |
| Residency applicants (ERAS)“eras photo” | 30 | 42 | 56 | 44 | 53 | 94 | 154 | 224 | 441 | 28 | 18 | 18 |
| School picture day“picture day” | 44 | 64 | 95 | 77 | 44 | 22 | 24 | 131 | 326 | 233 | 96 | 43 |
| LinkedIn users“linkedin headshot” | 103 | 108 | 108 | 114 | 93 | 79 | 92 | 97 | 132 | 106 | 94 | 76 |
- September is the busiest month for residency applicants and school picture day.
- April–May is graduation season, at 2.5× the average month.
- July–September is the peak for lawyers, teachers and high school seniors.
- January leads for actors, pageant contestants and real estate agents.
- December is the quietest month for almost everyone.
Applying for residency? See the ERAS photo requirements.
Which professions are searching more (and less) than in 2021
Change in average monthly searches, Jan–Sep 2021 vs Jan–Sep 2026. Same months in both years, so seasonality cancels out.
Table view
| Group | Query | 2021 | 2026 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Query ·“linkedin headshot” | 2021 ·2,622 | 2026 ·4,444 | Change ·+69% | |
| Therapists | Query ·“therapist headshots” | 2021 ·294 | 2026 ·460 | Change ·+56% |
| Professional headshot (all) | Query ·“professional headshot” | 2021 ·33,256 | 2026 ·40,900 | Change ·+23% |
| Nurses | Query ·“nurse headshots” | 2021 ·227 | 2026 ·256 | Change ·+13% |
| Executives | Query ·“executive headshots” | 2021 ·509 | 2026 ·560 | Change ·+10% |
| Dancers | Query ·“dancer headshots” | 2021 ·1,100 | 2026 ·1,200 | Change ·+9% |
| Pageant | Query ·“pageant headshots” | 2021 ·1,076 | 2026 ·1,013 | Change ·-6% |
| Teachers | Query ·“teacher headshots” | 2021 ·218 | 2026 ·204 | Change ·-6% |
| Authors | Query ·“author headshots” | 2021 ·517 | 2026 ·449 | Change ·-13% |
| Doctors | Query ·“doctor headshots” | 2021 ·472 | 2026 ·369 | Change ·-22% |
| Actors | Query ·“actor headshots” | 2021 ·12,400 | 2026 ·9,344 | Change ·-25% |
| Models | Query ·“model headshots” | 2021 ·4,622 | 2026 ·3,467 | Change ·-25% |
| Corporate | Query ·“corporate headshots” | 2021 ·4,311 | 2026 ·3,156 | Change ·-27% |
| Lawyers | Query ·“lawyer headshots” | 2021 ·653 | 2026 ·330 | Change ·-49% |
| Senior pictures | Query ·“senior pictures” | 2021 ·31,478 | 2026 ·14,167 | Change ·-55% |
| Real estate | Query ·“real estate headshots” | 2021 ·4,067 | 2026 ·1,600 | Change ·-61% |
| Realtors | Query ·“realtor headshots” | 2021 ·1,911 | 2026 ·623 | Change ·-67% |
Real estate fell the hardest (realtor headshot searches -67%). The biggest gains are LinkedIn and therapists, two groups that need a headshot for an online profile rather than for print.
About this data
US Google search volumes from Google Ads, via DataForSEO, monthly from October 2018 to Sep 2026, retrieved 2026-10-18. Google reports rounded buckets, so read these as trends rather than exact counts. Each group is measured by a single query that isolates it. Free to reuse under CC BY 4.0. See the methodology and download the data.