Editors salary
| Measure | Annual | Hourly |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $41,250 | $19.83 |
| Median (50th percentile) | $77,920 | $37.46 |
| Mean (average) | $90,060 | $43.30 |
| 90th percentile | $153,700 | $73.90 |
These wages describe everyone employed in the occupation, from new entrants to experienced workers. They are not starting salaries and not earnings of graduates from any particular program. Verified data
Editors pay by state and metro area
Table: median wage and employment for all 52 states and territories
| State | Median | 10th pct | 90th pct | Employment | Location quotient |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $63,330 | $35,600 | $103,890 | 530 | 0.43 |
| Alaska | $63,630 | $43,030 | $106,250 | 60 | 0.33 |
| Arizona | $63,090 | $42,360 | $109,090 | 820 | 0.43 |
| Arkansas | $50,180 | $28,840 | $76,950 | 260 | 0.34 |
| California | $98,030 | $52,510 | $173,590 | 14,830 | 1.38 |
| Colorado | $77,870 | $44,570 | $115,940 | 1,830 | 1.08 |
| Connecticut | $85,950 | $47,020 | $145,340 | 1,050 | 1.05 |
| Delaware | $75,020 | $41,770 | $106,420 | 170 | 0.61 |
| District of Columbia | $83,920 | $64,440 | $170,460 | 3,310 | 7.99 |
| Florida | $73,950 | $43,230 | $121,380 | 3,790 | 0.65 |
| Georgia | $76,650 | $46,080 | $124,000 | 1,920 | 0.67 |
| Hawaii | $55,070 | $32,930 | $107,200 | 100 | 0.27 |
| Idaho | Data unavailable | 230 | 0.46 | ||
| Illinois | $76,060 | $46,410 | $107,850 | 4,560 | 1.27 |
| Indiana | $56,440 | $30,860 | $99,380 | 830 | 0.44 |
| Iowa | $57,200 | $38,050 | $108,820 | 900 | 0.98 |
| Kansas | $61,920 | $35,690 | $107,140 | 500 | 0.59 |
| Kentucky | $59,430 | $39,040 | $149,990 | 490 | 0.41 |
| Louisiana | $58,860 | $36,680 | $97,740 | 330 | 0.29 |
| Maine | $50,180 | $33,170 | $121,320 | 300 | 0.79 |
| Maryland | $75,550 | $46,740 | $124,990 | 1,850 | 1.13 |
| Massachusetts | $83,170 | $47,320 | $136,360 | 3,100 | 1.44 |
| Michigan | $63,090 | $33,230 | $99,980 | 1,690 | 0.65 |
| Minnesota | $62,650 | $43,370 | $102,270 | 1,970 | 1.13 |
| Mississippi | $54,380 | $28,440 | $83,200 | 290 | 0.43 |
| Missouri | $61,620 | $36,060 | $104,680 | 880 | 0.51 |
| Montana | $61,750 | $32,190 | $122,940 | 200 | 0.67 |
| Nebraska | $46,320 | $32,280 | $72,740 | 360 | 0.59 |
| Nevada | $72,510 | $42,520 | $104,370 | ||
| New Hampshire | $66,510 | $47,870 | $113,570 | 250 | 0.62 |
| New Jersey | $81,680 | $53,150 | $138,610 | 2,120 | 0.84 |
| New Mexico | $64,250 | $38,390 | $116,640 | 230 | 0.46 |
| New York | $101,480 | $57,910 | $179,370 | 16,800 | 2.94 |
| North Carolina | $73,740 | $44,050 | $103,990 | 1,870 | 0.64 |
| North Dakota | $60,520 | $30,660 | $92,930 | 200 | 0.79 |
| Ohio | $72,160 | $37,440 | $124,730 | 1,800 | 0.55 |
| Oklahoma | $50,780 | $31,550 | $85,730 | 500 | 0.5 |
| Oregon | $71,540 | $44,660 | $111,390 | 1,110 | 0.96 |
| Pennsylvania | $63,460 | $37,240 | $114,560 | 3,240 | 0.91 |
| Puerto Rico | $39,640 | $28,370 | $77,640 | 300 | 0.55 |
| Rhode Island | $77,960 | $50,900 | $102,890 | 340 | 1.14 |
| South Carolina | $62,000 | $39,380 | $119,660 | 500 | 0.36 |
| South Dakota | $56,730 | $47,770 | $79,180 | 140 | 0.53 |
| Tennessee | $59,550 | $37,600 | $105,010 | 1,390 | 0.72 |
| Texas | $45,950 | $29,040 | $105,440 | 6,460 | 0.78 |
| Utah | $65,040 | $40,470 | $119,680 | 590 | 0.57 |
| Vermont | $66,860 | $48,320 | $143,630 | 240 | 1.34 |
| Virginia | $80,590 | $45,760 | $144,810 | 2,720 | 1.12 |
| Washington | $77,850 | $50,320 | $128,630 | 1,860 | 0.89 |
| West Virginia | $56,630 | $28,180 | $100,910 | 260 | 0.64 |
| Wisconsin | $64,270 | $39,470 | $102,530 | 1,510 | 0.87 |
| Wyoming | $46,710 | $29,590 | $82,920 | 110 | 0.65 |
A location quotient above 1 means the occupation is more concentrated in that state than in the nation overall.
Metro areas with the most jobs
Highest paying metro areas
Job outlook for editors
- Average annual openings, 2025 to 2035: 7,900. Openings include new jobs plus replacement needs when workers retire or leave the occupation. Official projection
- Share of workers who are self-employed (2025): 9%.
- Read the official BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook profile.
These are official BLS projections. ConnectPrep does not alter them or present its own forecasts as official statistics.
Education and training for editors
- Typical entry education
- Bachelor's degree
- Related work experience
- Less than 5 years
- On-the-job training
- None
- O*NET Job Zone
- Job Zone Four: Considerable Preparation Needed
Highest education of people working in this occupation
O*NET describes this preparation level as: Most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.
Degrees and programs that lead to this career
Programs officially mapped to this occupation in the NCES and BLS CIP to SOC crosswalk. A mapping means the program commonly prepares students for the occupation, not that every graduate works in it. Official crosswalk
- Communication, General CIP 09.0100
- Mass Communication/Media Studies CIP 09.0102
- Journalism CIP 09.0401
- Broadcast Journalism CIP 09.0402
- Technical and Scientific Communication CIP 09.0908
- Publishing CIP 09.1001
- Communication, Journalism, and Related Programs, Other CIP 09.9999
- Writing, General CIP 23.1301
- Creative Writing CIP 23.1302
- Professional, Technical, Business, and Scientific Writing CIP 23.1303
- Rhetoric and Composition CIP 23.1304
- Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies, Other CIP 23.1399
- General Literature CIP 23.1401
- Children's and Adolescent Literature CIP 23.1405
- Literature, Other CIP 23.1499
- Business/Corporate Communications, General CIP 52.0501
- Grantsmanship CIP 52.0502
- Business/Corporate Communications, Other CIP 52.0599
Skills, knowledge, and daily work
Most important skills
Most important knowledge areas
Typical tasks
- Verify facts, dates, and statistics, using standard reference sources.
- Write text, such as headlines, stories, articles, editorials, or newsletters.
- Read copy or proof to detect and correct errors in spelling, punctuation, and syntax.
- Prepare, rewrite and edit copy to improve readability, or supervise others who do this work.
- Develop story or content ideas, considering reader or audience appeal.
- Allocate print space for story text, photos, and illustrations according to space parameters and copy significance, using knowledge of layout principles.
- Confer with management and editorial staff members regarding placement and emphasis of developing news stories.
- Oversee publication production, including artwork, layout, computer typesetting, and printing, ensuring adherence to deadlines and budget requirements.
Technology skills
- Adobe Photoshop (in demand)
- Hypertext markup language HTML (in demand)
- Microsoft Excel (in demand)
- Microsoft Office software (in demand)
- Microsoft Outlook (in demand)
- Microsoft PowerPoint (in demand)
- Microsoft Word (in demand)
- Content management systems CMS (in demand)
- Adobe Acrobat (hot technology)
- Adobe After Effects (hot technology)
- Adobe Creative Cloud software (hot technology)
- Adobe Illustrator (hot technology)
- Adobe InDesign (hot technology)
- Apple macOS (hot technology)
- Cascading style sheets CSS (hot technology)
- Extensible markup language XML (hot technology)
Transferable skills for career changers: Time Management, Complex Problem Solving, Judgment and Decision Making, Social Perceptiveness, Negotiation, Management of Personnel Resources.
Common job titles: Acquisitions Editor, Assignment Editor, Business Editor, Features Editor, Legal Editor, Newspaper Copy Editor, Opinions Page Editor, Publishing Editor, Science Editor, Sports Editor.
Is it worth it? Model the cost of getting there
Use the ROI calculator to compare the cost of the education this career usually requires against staying on your current path. It starts from the official wage distribution above, and you can change every assumption.
Frequently asked questions
How much do editors make?
The national median annual wage for editors was $77,920 in May 2025, according to the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program. The lowest paid 10 percent earned less than $41,250 and the highest paid 10 percent earned more than $153,700. These figures cover all workers in the occupation, not only new entrants.
What education do editors need?
BLS lists bachelor's degree as the typical education needed to enter this occupation, with less than 5 years of related work experience and none on-the-job training typically needed to become competent.
Is editors a growing career?
BLS projects employment of editors to change -1.1% from 2025 to 2035, compared with +3.5% for all occupations. About 7,900 openings are projected each year on average, including openings from workers who retire or change occupations.
Which states pay editors the most?
By median annual wage in May 2025, the highest paying states were New York ($101,480), California ($98,030), Connecticut ($85,950). Pay differences partly reflect differences in living costs.