Editors Salary in the United States
The median annual wage for editors in the U.S. is $77,920 ($37.46 per hour), according to the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program, May 2025 estimates.
- Median annual wage
- $77,920
- Mean annual wage
- $90,060
- Median hourly wage
- $37.46
- Employment
- 91,690
91,690 employed
Wage percentiles
| Percentile | Annual wage | Hourly wage |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $41,250 | $19.83 |
| 25th percentile | $57,300 | $27.55 |
| Median (50th) | $77,920 | $37.46 |
| 75th percentile | $106,100 | $51.01 |
| 90th percentile | $153,700 | $73.90 |
Highest-paying states for editors
| State | Median annual wage | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| New York | $101,480 | 16,800 |
| California | $98,030 | 14,830 |
| Connecticut | $85,950 | 1,050 |
| District of Columbia | $83,920 | 3,310 |
| Massachusetts | $83,170 | 3,100 |
| New Jersey | $81,680 | 2,120 |
| Virginia | $80,590 | 2,720 |
| Rhode Island | $77,960 | 340 |
| Colorado | $77,870 | 1,830 |
| Washington | $77,850 | 1,860 |
Lowest-paying states
- Texas: $45,950 median annual wage
- Nebraska: $46,320 median annual wage
- Wyoming: $46,710 median annual wage
- Maine: $50,180 median annual wage
- Arkansas: $50,180 median annual wage
About this occupation
Plan, coordinate, revise, or edit written material. May review proposals and drafts for possible publication.
Typical tasks
- Read copy or proof to detect and correct errors in spelling, punctuation, and syntax.
- Verify facts, dates, and statistics, using standard reference sources.
- Interview and hire writers and reporters or negotiate contracts, royalties, and payments for authors or freelancers.
- Read, evaluate and edit manuscripts or other materials submitted for publication, and confer with authors regarding changes in content, style or organization, or publication.
- Arrange for copyright permissions.
- Supervise and coordinate work of reporters and other editors.
Education of the current workforce — typical entry: Bachelor's degree
| Education level | Share of workers |
|---|---|
| Less than high school diploma | 0.3% |
| High school diploma or equivalent | 3.0% |
| Some college, no degree | 6.7% |
| Associate's degree | 3.4% |
| Bachelor's degree | 58.0% |
| Master's degree | 21.8% |
| Doctoral or professional degree | 6.8% |
Occupation profile data from CareerOneStop, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor.
Related occupations
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- Actors—
About this data
- Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics — data period May 2025, retrieved August 13, 2026.
- Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics — data period May 2025, retrieved August 13, 2026.
- CareerOneStop Occupation Profiles — data period 2026-08, retrieved August 14, 2026.
Figures are shown exactly as published by the source or derived by the documented formulas on our methodology page. Where a source suppresses an estimate, we show “—” rather than a substitute value.