Quoted Expert
Sara Wigal M.A.
Average editor salary
$52,107
$25.05 hourly rate
Entry-level editor salary
$34,000 yearly salary
Updated June 25, 2024
How much does an editor make?
The average editor salary in the United States is $52,107. Editor salaries typically range between $34,000 and $78,000 yearly. The average hourly rate for editors is $25.05 per hour.
Editor salary is impacted by location, education, and experience. Editors earn the highest average salary in New York.
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Where can an Editor earn more?
Compare salary by location
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Compare salary by company
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Microsoft$109,349
Lincoln Memorial University$77,091
Editor salary estimates from across the web
Based on the latest salary information compiled by Zippia, Indeed, Glassdoor, Comparably, Payscale and CareerExplorer, the average salary for an editor typically falls between $52,107 and $69,135.
Average editor salary by state
The highest-paying states for editors are New York, Connecticut, and New Hampshire. The lowest average editor salary states are Iowa, Louisiana, and Kansas.
- State View
- County View
Average Salary:
Highest paying states for editors
| Rank | State | Avg. Salary | Hourly Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New York | $67,529 | $32.47 |
| 2 | District of Columbia | $69,020 | $33.18 |
| 3 | Connecticut | $66,637 | $32.04 |
| 4 | Virginia | $60,905 | $29.28 |
| 5 | Massachusetts | $62,495 | $30.05 |
| 6 | Washington | $60,799 | $29.23 |
| 7 | North Dakota | $57,640 | $27.71 |
| 8 | New Jersey | $64,552 | $31.03 |
| 9 | New Hampshire | $64,752 | $31.13 |
| 10 | Vermont | $54,481 | $26.19 |
| 11 | Rhode Island | $51,451 | $24.74 |
| 12 | Maryland | $53,520 | $25.73 |
| 13 | West Virginia | $53,133 | $25.54 |
| 14 | Delaware | $51,111 | $24.57 |
| 15 | California | $52,056 | $25.03 |
| 16 | Wyoming | $46,364 | $22.29 |
| 17 | Idaho | $49,020 | $23.57 |
| 18 | Maine | $53,728 | $25.83 |
| 19 | Michigan | $50,171 | $24.12 |
| 20 | Oregon | $48,586 | $23.36 |
| 21 | Georgia | $52,117 | $25.06 |
| 22 | Pennsylvania | $49,825 | $23.95 |
| 23 | Illinois | $49,167 | $23.64 |
| 24 | Colorado | $50,222 | $24.15 |
| 25 | New Mexico | $46,971 | $22.58 |
| 26 | Minnesota | $48,735 | $23.43 |
| 27 | Kentucky | $48,889 | $23.50 |
| 28 | North Carolina | $45,494 | $21.87 |
| 29 | Nevada | $46,183 | $22.20 |
| 30 | Arkansas | $44,343 | $21.32 |
| 31 | Oklahoma | $45,479 | $21.86 |
| 32 | Wisconsin | $44,178 | $21.24 |
| 33 | Hawaii | $42,754 | $20.55 |
| 34 | Alaska | $38,422 | $18.47 |
| 35 | Ohio | $43,597 | $20.96 |
| 36 | Arizona | $44,585 | $21.44 |
| 37 | Tennessee | $41,469 | $19.94 |
| 38 | South Carolina | $43,479 | $20.90 |
| 39 | Utah | $36,374 | $17.49 |
| 40 | Texas | $40,119 | $19.29 |
| 41 | Montana | $36,740 | $17.66 |
| 42 | Alabama | $42,112 | $20.25 |
| 43 | Florida | $38,234 | $18.38 |
| 44 | South Dakota | $36,729 | $17.66 |
| 45 | Nebraska | $31,453 | $15.12 |
| 46 | Indiana | $39,391 | $18.94 |
| 47 | Missouri | $33,573 | $16.14 |
| 48 | Iowa | $35,569 | $17.10 |
| 49 | Kansas | $34,682 | $16.67 |
| 50 | Louisiana | $34,804 | $16.73 |
| 51 | Mississippi | $30,100 | $14.47 |
Top editor jobs near you
Highest paying cities for editors
The highest-paying cities for editors are Washington, DC, New York, NY, and Worcester, MA.
| Rank | City | Avg. Salary | Hourly Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Washington, DC | $69,031 | $33.19 |
| 2 | New York, NY | $67,606 | $32.50 |
| 3 | Worcester, MA | $62,629 | $30.11 |
| 4 | McLean, VA | $62,453 | $30.03 |
| 5 | Seattle, WA | $61,394 | $29.52 |
| 6 | San Francisco, CA | $56,934 | $27.37 |
| 7 | Baltimore, MD | $53,688 | $25.81 |
| 8 | Duluth, GA | $52,261 | $25.13 |
| 9 | Boulder, CO | $50,377 | $24.22 |
| 10 | Philadelphia, PA | $49,960 | $24.02 |
| 11 | Chicago, IL | $49,549 | $23.82 |
| 12 | Minneapolis, MN | $48,757 | $23.44 |
| 13 | Urban Honolulu, HI | $42,753 | $20.55 |
| 14 | Austin, TX | $40,275 | $19.36 |
| 15 | Miami, FL | $38,343 | $18.43 |
| 16 | Salt Lake City, UT | $36,342 | $17.47 |
Editors are the most in-demand in these five cities:
Editor salary details
An editor's salary ranges from $34,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $78,000 at the 90th percentile.
What is an editor's salary?
| Percentile | Annual Salary | Monthly Salary | Hourly Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $78,000 | $6,500 | $38 |
| 75th Percentile | $64,000 | $5,333 | $31 |
| Average | $52,107 | $4,342 | $25 |
| 25th Percentile | $42,000 | $3,500 | $20 |
| 10th Percentile | $34,000 | $2,833 | $16 |
Highest paying editor jobs
The highest paying types of editors are senior editor, managing editor, and writer.
| Job Title | Annual Salary | Monthly Salary | Hourly Rate | Job Openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Freelance Videographer/Editor | $48,481 | $4,040 | $23.31 | 5,409 |
| Technical Writer And Editor | $65,088 | $5,424 | $31.29 | 78,617 |
| Freelance Video Editor | $54,795 | $4,566 | $26.34 | 5,910 |
| Photographer, Editor | $51,131 | $4,261 | $24.58 | 11,039 |
| Social Media Editor | $53,943 | $4,495 | $25.93 | 37,769 |
| Writer | $66,143 | $5,512 | $31.80 | 13,931 |
Top companies hiring editors now:
Which companies pay editors the most?
Editor salaries at Microsoft and Apple are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average editor salary at companies like Google and Moody's are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average Salary | Hourly Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Microsoft | $109,349 | $52.57 |
| 2 | Apple | $108,035 | $51.94 |
| 3 | $104,645 | $50.31 | |
| 4 | Moody's | $99,748 | $47.96 |
| 5 | Goldman Sachs | $99,191 | $47.69 |
| 6 | Partners Group LTD | $94,727 | $45.54 |
| 7 | Amazon | $90,802 | $43.65 |
| 8 | Bloomberg | $89,301 | $42.93 |
| 9 | Altice USA | $89,210 | $42.89 |
| 10 | The New York Times Company | $87,740 | $42.18 |
| 11 | Yahoo | $84,806 | $40.77 |
| 12 | Square | $84,074 | $40.42 |
| 13 | Law360 | $82,751 | $39.78 |
| 14 | The Washington Post | $81,523 | $39.19 |
| 15 | Tripadvisor | $80,591 | $38.75 |
| 16 | The Economist Newspaper Group | $80,350 | $38.63 |
| 17 | John Wiley & Sons | $78,996 | $37.98 |
| 18 | Thomson Reuters | $78,579 | $37.78 |
| 19 | MDRC | $78,299 | $37.64 |
| 20 | Lincoln Memorial University | $77,091 | $37.06 |
Wage gap by gender, race and education
$52,000$51,800$51,600$51,400$51,200$51,000
MaleFemale
Editor salary by industry
The average editor salary varies across industries:
- The average editor salary in the technology industry is $62,170, the highest of any industry.
- The average editor salary in the finance industry is $59,193.
- Editors in the transportation industry earn an average salary of $45,514, the lowest of any industry.
Highest paying industries for editors
| Rank | Industry | Average Salary | Hourly Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Technology | $62,170 | $29.89 |
| 2 | Non Profits | $59,193 | $28.46 |
| 3 | Media | $53,538 | $25.74 |
| 4 | Professional | $52,342 | $25.16 |
| 5 | Education | $51,197 | $24.61 |
| 6 | Transportation | $45,514 | $21.88 |
High Paying Editor Jobs
Editor salary trends
The average editor salary has risen by $9,057 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average editor earned $43,050 annually, but today, they earn $52,107 a year. That works out to a 11% change in pay for editors over the last decade.
Compare editor salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Average editor salary over time
Compare editor salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
Editor salary by year
| Year | Avg. Salary | Hourly Rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $52,100 | $25.05 | +3.2% |
| 2023 | $50,400 | $24.25 | +3.1% |
| 2022 | $48,900 | $23.50 | +1.2% |
| 2021 | $48,300 | $23.22 | +2.7% |
| 2020 | $47,000 | $22.61 | +2.1% |
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Recently added editor salaries
| Company | Job | Location | Date Added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Altice USA Inc. | Real Time Editor | New York, NY | 07/02/2023 | $47,040 |
| Sourcelab Search | Editor | Downe, NJ | 07/02/2023 | $80,000 |
| ICF | Editor-508 Compliance | Reston, VA | 07/01/2023 | $51,333 |
| Fanatics | Editor | New York, NY | 07/01/2023 | $52,000 |
| The Nielsen Company | Studio System Editor | Queensbury, NY | 07/01/2023 | $32,349 |
| TMZ.com | Editor | Los Angeles, CA | 06/30/2023 | $97,880 |
| Glossier | Editor | Seattle, WA | 06/30/2023 | $39,006 |
| The Edward W Scripps Trust | Editor II, Koaa-Tv | Colorado Springs, CO | 06/29/2023 | $31,827 |
| Zoho | Marketing Editor | McAllen, TX | 06/29/2023 | $50,000 |
| Alpha Consulting Corp | Promotional Review Editor | Lawrence, NJ | 06/29/2023 | $41,740 |
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Editor salary FAQs
What state pays Editors the most?
How do I know if I'm being paid fairly as an Editor?
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Updated June 25, 2024
