News Analysts, Reporters, and Journalists Salary: $60,280 Median Pay (2026 stats)
Executive Summary
About 41,550 news analysts, reporters, and journalists work nationally, and $60,280 is the BLS national median annual wage. Employment in the series shown fell about 8% from the first to the last year.
News Analysts, Reporters, and Journalists: what the data shows
Common questions about news analysts, reporters, and journalists careers, answered from BLS OEWS and O*NET in this repository.
What is a news analysts, reporters, and journalists?
News Analysts, Reporters, and Journalists is tracked by the Bureau of Labor Statistics under SOC 27-3023.
U.S. employment in our OEWS extract is about 41,550 workers.
What does a news analysts, reporters, and journalists do?
O*NET work activities rated highest for this occupation include Getting Information, Communicating with People Outside the Organization, Interpreting the Meaning of Information for Others, Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events, Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships, Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates, and related tasks. See Work Activities for the full list.
How much does a news analysts, reporters, and journalists make?
BLS national median annual wage: $60,280 (May 2024 in our extract).
Mean annual wage in our occupational extract: $122,666 — higher than the median, which often reflects top earners in the distribution.
Wage percentiles below are from the California OEWS extract (not national unless noted).
| Wage percentile | Annual wage |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $44,169 |
| 25th percentile | $58,713 |
| Median (50th) | $87,135 |
| 75th percentile | $132,639 |
| 90th percentile | $199,046 |
What skills do you need?
O*NET ratings for this occupation emphasize skills such as Writing, Active Listening, Speaking, Reading Comprehension, Critical Thinking, Social Perceptiveness, and knowledge areas including English Language, Communications and Media, Law and Government, Computers and Electronics. See Education & Skills for detail.
Is news analysts, reporters, and journalists in demand?
Current U.S. headcount: 41,550.
We report federal series only—compare wages, growth, and openings against your target market.
What degrees lead to this career?
Common majors for News Analysts, Reporters, and Journalists in O*NET:
See Related degrees.
What careers are related?
Other occupations linked through shared degree pathways in our mapping:
| Occupation | U.S. employment | Median wage |
|---|---|---|
| Editors | 95,480 | $75,260 |
| Writers and Authors | 47,800 | $72,270 |
| Broadcast Announcers and Radio Disc Jockeys | 23,880 | $45,680 |
| Film and Video Editors | 28,860 | $70,980 |
| Public Relations Specialists | 280,590 | $69,780 |
| Technical Writers | 55,530 | $91,670 |
Employment
Employment and salary information for the News Analysts, Reporters, and Journalists workforce.
Employment Over Time
41,550 U.S. workforce (OEWS)
No year-by-year employment series for News Analysts, Reporters, and Journalists in our current extract.
Historical employment series not available in current extract.
Yearly Wage Ranking
$60,280 Median pay (BLS national)
News Analysts, Reporters, and Journalists earn $60,280 as the BLS national median annual wage.
Wage ranking compared to other occupations.
Wage Distribution
This chart shows the distribution of average salaries by income buckets for News Analysts, Reporters, and Journalists.
Salary distribution for News Analysts, Reporters, and Journalists.
Employment Growth Projections
Employment growth projection data is not available for this occupation.
Historical employment trends and future projections for News Analysts, Reporters, and Journalists.
Industry
Information on the industries that employ News Analysts, Reporters, and Journalists and on wages for those in the field.
Occupations by Industries
This graphic shows the share of News Analysts, Reporters, and Journalists employed by various industries.
Industry distribution for News Analysts, Reporters, and Journalists.
Wage Trends by Industry
Wage trend data by industry is not available for this occupation.
Historical wage growth trends by industry for News Analysts, Reporters, and Journalists.
Geographic Distribution
Employment and wage information by geographic location for News Analysts, Reporters, and Journalists.
State employment and wages are from the U.S. BLS OEWS May 2024 state extract. Metropolitan areas use the national MSA file when available.
Top States by Employment
Top States by Employment:
- NY: 5,220 employees, $293,430 avg wage
- CA: 4,530 employees, $119,420 avg wage
- FL: 3,180 employees, $66,190 avg wage
- TX: 2,460 employees, $71,380 avg wage
- DC: 2,060 employees, $171,300 avg wage
- IL: 1,410 employees, $84,460 avg wage
- VA: 1,380 employees, $74,500 avg wage
- GA: 1,370 employees, $89,690 avg wage
- OH: 1,310 employees, $49,920 avg wage
- PA: 1,240 employees, N/A avg wage
Top 10 states by employment for News Analysts, Reporters, and Journalists.
Top Metropolitan Areas
Top Metropolitan Areas:
- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ: 5,060 employees, $300,200 avg wage
- Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV: 2,850 employees, $147,520 avg wage
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA: 1,930 employees, $131,450 avg wage
- Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL: 1,280 employees, $74,190 avg wage
- San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA: 1,180 employees, $131,310 avg wage
- Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN: 980 employees, $93,590 avg wage
- Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA: 960 employees, $98,710 avg wage
- Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH: 880 employees, $82,890 avg wage
- Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA: 650 employees, $82,360 avg wage
- Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX: 630 employees, $75,770 avg wage
Top 10 metropolitan statistical areas by employment for News Analysts, Reporters, and Journalists.
Diversity
Demographic information on News Analysts, Reporters, and Journalists in the US.
Gender and Age
The U.S. workforce for News Analysts, Reporters, and Journalists is about 41,550 people in our OEWS extract.
Gender and age distribution for News Analysts, Reporters, and Journalists.
Races
Racial and ethnic shares when present in the career dataset. If the chart area shows a notice instead, occupational race/ethnicity fields are not yet populated for this extract.
Race and ethnicity distribution for News Analysts, Reporters, and Journalists.
Education & Skills
Data on higher education choices and required skills for News Analysts, Reporters, and Journalists.
Majors
The most common majors achieved by News Analysts, Reporters, and Journalists in 2023 were Business Administration, Journalism, Communications.
Common majors for News Analysts, Reporters, and Journalists.
Education Levels
The main educational levels achieved by News Analysts, Reporters, and Journalists workers.
Education level distribution for News Analysts, Reporters, and Journalists.
Skills
News Analysts, Reporters, and Journalists need many skills, but most especially Writing, Active Listening, Speaking, Reading Comprehension, Critical Thinking.
Required skills for News Analysts, Reporters, and Journalists.
Knowledge & Abilities
Knowledge areas and abilities required for News Analysts, Reporters, and Journalists.
Knowledge Areas
The most important knowledge areas for News Analysts, Reporters, and Journalists include English Language, Communications and Media, Law and Government, Computers and Electronics, Telecommunications.
Knowledge areas required for News Analysts, Reporters, and Journalists.
Abilities
Key abilities needed for News Analysts, Reporters, and Journalists include Speech Clarity, Oral Expression, Oral Comprehension, Written Comprehension, Written Expression.
Required abilities for News Analysts, Reporters, and Journalists.
Work Activities
Common work activities performed by News Analysts, Reporters, and Journalists.
Daily Activities
News Analysts, Reporters, and Journalists spend their time on activities such as Getting Information, Communicating with People Outside the Organization, Interpreting the Meaning of Information for Others, Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events, Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships.
Most important work activities for News Analysts, Reporters, and Journalists.
About
News Analysts, Reporters, and Journalists
News Analysts, Reporters, and Journalists earn $60,280 as the BLS national median annual wage.
SOC Code
27-3023 - News Analysts, Reporters, and Journalists
Insights and Analysis
High earnings profile: News Analysts, Reporters, and Journalists reports an average salary of $122,666, placing it among stronger-paying occupations.
Labor market presence: The current workforce is approximately 41,550 workers, indicating sustained demand.
Data Sources
This page uses data from the following sources:
- College Scorecard - U.S. Department of Education
- Institutional characteristics, costs, completion rates, and earnings data
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: collegescorecard.ed.gov
- Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)
- Employment and wage data by occupation
- Latest data: May 2024
- Source: bls.gov/oes
- O*NET Online - U.S. Department of Labor
- Occupational skills, knowledge, abilities, and work activities
- Database version: 28.0 (August 2023)
- Source: onetcenter.org
- IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) - National Center for Education Statistics
- Institutional data, completions, enrollment, and financial aid
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: nces.ed.gov/ipeds
- Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS)
- Demographic and workforce data
- Latest data: 2023 ACS 5-Year Estimates
- Source: census.gov/acs
Data Processing: All data has been processed, cleaned, and aggregated for presentation. Where specific data points are unavailable, estimates are based on available data and clearly marked.
Last Updated: Data reflects the most recent available information as of January 2025.
Methodology
Data for this profile is sourced from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS), and O*NET Online.
All wage figures represent annual averages and may vary by location, industry, and experience level.