Editors: Career Overview
Plan, coordinate, revise, or edit written material. May review proposals and drafts for possible publication.
Featured schools near , edit
What Do Editors Take On?
Typical responsibilities of editors include:
- Read copy or proof to detect and correct errors in spelling, punctuation, and syntax.
- Verify facts, dates, and statistics, using standard reference sources.
- Read, evaluate and edit manuscripts or other materials submitted for publication, and confer with authors regarding changes in content, style or organization, or publication.
- Develop story or content ideas, considering reader or audience appeal.
- Prepare, rewrite and edit copy to improve readability, or supervise others who do this work.
- Oversee publication production, including artwork, layout, computer typesetting, and printing, ensuring adherence to deadlines and budget requirements.
- Write text, such as stories, articles, editorials, or newsletters.
- Supervise and coordinate work of reporters and other editors.
What Editors Need to Know
Successful editors combine a mix of skills and domain knowledge.
Top Skills
The abilities most important for this role, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:
Top Knowledge Areas
Other Editors Job Titles
People in this occupation may also be known by titles such as:
- Acquisitions Editor
- Acute Editor
- Advertising Editor
- Art Editor
- Assignment Editor
- Book Editor
- Business Editor
- Censor
Employment and Demand
The U.S. employs around 11,402 editors working in the United States today. Employment is projected to grow by +3.2% over the projection horizon.
How Much Do Editors Make?
| Statistic | Value |
|---|---|
| Annual median | $100,346 |
| Hourly median | $48.24 |
| 10th percentile | $57,646 |
| 25th percentile | $78,996 |
| 75th percentile | $121,695 |
| 90th percentile | $143,045 |
Compensation varies based on experience, location, and industry.
Editors Salary by State
| State | Annual median salary |
|---|---|
| New York | $98,620 |
| Delaware | $91,700 |
| California | $90,570 |
| Washington | $85,250 |
| Connecticut | $81,910 |
| District of Columbia | $81,580 |
| Virginia | $79,080 |
| Massachusetts | $78,720 |
| West Virginia | $76,760 |
| Colorado | $75,660 |
| Oregon | $72,780 |
| Maryland | $72,500 |
| Illinois | $68,050 |
| Georgia | $66,880 |
| New Hampshire | $65,920 |
| Rhode Island | $64,740 |
| Florida | $64,380 |
| North Carolina | $64,340 |
| Pennsylvania | $63,790 |
| Nevada | $62,910 |
| Vermont | $62,710 |
| Michigan | $62,140 |
| Arizona | $61,530 |
| Ohio | $61,330 |
| New Mexico | $61,250 |
| Utah | $59,860 |
| Wisconsin | $58,940 |
| Missouri | $58,740 |
| Iowa | $58,570 |
| South Carolina | $58,210 |
| Hawaii | $58,000 |
| Kentucky | $57,410 |
| South Dakota | $57,260 |
| North Dakota | $56,660 |
| Alaska | $55,370 |
| Kansas | $54,480 |
| Minnesota | $53,900 |
| Indiana | $51,550 |
| Tennessee | $51,060 |
| Mississippi | $49,510 |
| Louisiana | $48,880 |
| Maine | $47,750 |
| Idaho | $46,880 |
| Oklahoma | $45,560 |
| Montana | $45,470 |
| Alabama | $44,990 |
| Arkansas | $44,690 |
| Wyoming | $43,280 |
| Nebraska | $40,100 |
| Puerto Rico | $37,410 |
| Texas | $28,860 |
Top-Paying U.S. Regions
Pay for editors shift depending on where you work. The following regions pay the most:
| Region | Median annual wage | Share of U.S. jobs | Location quotient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Far Western US | $88,151 | 19.9% | 1.27 |
| Middle Atlantic | $82,992 | 30.0% | 3.06 |
| New England | $75,795 | 5.8% | 1.28 |
| Rocky Mountains | $65,738 | 3.1% | 0.82 |
| Southeast | $64,952 | 15.6% | 0.73 |
| Great Lakes | $62,660 | 9.8% | 0.74 |
| Plains States | $54,981 | 4.8% | 0.76 |
| Other U.S. Territories | $37,410 | 0.4% | 0.73 |
Top Metro Areas
| Metro area | State | Median annual wage | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | CA | $99,720 | 2,350 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | NY | $99,220 | 17,280 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | CA | $96,270 | 480 |
| Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA | CA | $94,750 | 140 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | CA | $90,570 | 8,690 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | WA | $87,330 | 2,110 |
| Salem, OR | OR | $86,870 | 50 |
| Kennewick-Richland, WA | WA | $86,310 | 30 |
Which Industries Hire Editors
Most editors work in these industries:
| Industry | Employment | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| Information | 57,660 | $77,620 |
| Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 17,160 | $67,610 |
| Other Services (except Public Administration) | 5,330 | $75,930 |
| Educational Services | 5,160 | $68,530 |
| Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services | 3,410 | $73,800 |
| Finance and Insurance | 1,390 | $58,740 |
| Management of Companies and Enterprises | 1,130 | $95,440 |
| Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation | 1,050 | $71,430 |
Editors work in the following industries:
Tech Stack
- Document management software: Adobe Acrobat (hot technology)
- Video creation and editing software: Adobe After Effects (hot technology)
- Graphics or photo imaging software: Adobe Creative Cloud software (hot technology)
- Graphics or photo imaging software: Adobe Illustrator (hot technology)
- Desktop publishing software: Adobe InDesign (hot technology)
- Graphics or photo imaging software: Adobe Photoshop (hot technology)
- Operating system software: Apple macOS (hot technology)
- Web platform development software: Cascading style sheets CSS (hot technology)
- Enterprise application integration software: Extensible markup language XML (hot technology)
- Web page creation and editing software: Facebook (hot technology)
- Data mining software: Google Analytics (hot technology)
- Word processing software: Google Docs (hot technology)
The Day-to-Day Environment
Daily working conditions for editors tends to involve the following characteristics:
- Indoors, Environmentally Controlled
- Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams
- Work With or Contribute to a Work Group or Team
- Time Pressure
Education and Training
Most editors positions require a bachelor’s degree as the typical entry-level education. This career aligns with Considerable Preparation Needed (Job Zone 4), signaling the level of preparation typically expected.
Other Careers to Consider
Similar Occupations
- Management Analysts (Supplemental)
- Web and Digital Interface Designers (Supplemental)
- Web Administrators (Supplemental)
- Document Management Specialists (Supplemental)
- Library Science Teachers, Postsecondary (Supplemental)
- Librarians and Media Collections Specialists (Supplemental)
- Library Technicians (Supplemental)
- Art Directors (Primary-Long)
Top Programs to Study For This Career
Future editors commonly pursue programs in:
English Language and Literature/Letters
8 programs across 2 majors
Communication, Journalism, and Related Programs
7 programs across 5 majors
- Communication & Media Studies
- Journalism
- Other Communication & Journalism
- Publishing
- Public Relations & Advertising
Business, Management, Marketing, and Related Support Services
3 programs across 1 majors
Sources
This profile draws on the following authoritative sources:
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) for employment and wage data by state and industry.
- BLS Employment Projections for total employment and growth forecasts.
- O*NET (Occupational Information Network) for skills, knowledge, tasks, work activities, work context, technology, and education-zone data.
SOC code: 27-3041.00 (Editors).
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