Editors Salary: $75,260 Median Pay (2026 stats)
Executive Summary
About 95,480 editors work nationally, and $75,260 is the BLS national median annual wage. Employment in the series shown fell about 7% from the first to the last year; projections imply about 1.0% annual growth.
Editors: what the data shows
Common questions about editors careers, answered from BLS OEWS and O*NET in this repository.
What is a editors?
Editors is tracked by the Bureau of Labor Statistics under SOC 27-3041.
U.S. employment in our OEWS extract is about 95,480 workers.
What does a editors do?
O*NET work activities rated highest for this occupation include Working with Computers, Getting Information, Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates, Thinking Creatively, Communicating with People Outside the Organization, Making Decisions and Solving Problems, and related tasks. See Work Activities for the full list.
How much does a editors make?
BLS national median annual wage: $75,260 (May 2024 in our extract).
Mean annual wage in our occupational extract: $106,703 — 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 | $49,798 |
| 25th percentile | $64,507 |
| Median (50th) | $93,031 |
| 75th percentile | $133,523 |
| 90th percentile | $172,062 |
What skills do you need?
O*NET ratings for this occupation emphasize skills such as Reading Comprehension, Writing, Active Listening, Critical Thinking, Speaking, Time Management, and knowledge areas including English Language, Communications and Media, Administration and Management, Administrative. See Education & Skills for detail.
Is editors in demand?
Historical employment trend in our series implies about 1.0% annual growth (compound rate in the extract).
Five-year projected employment change: 5.1%.
Ten-year projected employment change: 10.5%.
Current U.S. headcount: 95,480.
We report federal series only—compare wages, growth, and openings against your target market.
Where do editorss work?
Top industries by employment share in our OEWS industry extract:
| Industry | Employment | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Cross-industry | 95,480 | 18.8% |
| Cross-industry, Private Ownership only | 92,990 | 18.3% |
| Information | 57,660 | 11.4% |
| Publishing Industries | 37,290 | 7.4% |
| Newspaper, Periodical, Book, and Directory Publishers | 35,720 | 7.0% |
| Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 17,160 | 3.4% |
See Industry for charts.
What degrees lead to this career?
Common majors for Editors 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Public Relations Specialists | 280,590 | $69,780 |
| Writers and Authors | 47,800 | $72,270 |
| Technical Writers | 55,530 | $91,670 |
| News Analysts, Reporters, and Journalists | 41,550 | $60,280 |
| Broadcast Announcers and Radio Disc Jockeys | 23,880 | $45,680 |
| Film and Video Editors | 28,860 | $70,980 |
Employment
Employment and salary information for the Editors workforce.
Employment Over Time
95,480 U.S. workforce (OEWS)
California employment for Editors grew from 48,820 in 2009 to 57,240 in 2025 (17.2%).
Historical employment for Editors from the California OEWS series, 2009–2025. The U.S. workforce figure is national and is not the endpoint of this line.
Yearly Wage Ranking
$75,260 Median pay (BLS national)
Editors earn $75,260 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 Editors.
Salary distribution for Editors.
Employment Growth Projections
1.0% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR)
60,158 Projected Employment (5 years)
Projected growth: 5.1%
63,224 Projected Employment (10 years)
Projected growth: 10.5%
This occupation is projected to grow at 1.0% annually, indicating strong future demand.
Historical employment trends and future projections for Editors.
Industry
Information on the industries that employ Editors and on wages for those in the field.
Occupations by Industries
This graphic shows the share of Editors employed by various industries.
Industry distribution for Editors.
Wage Trends by Industry
-0.7% Average Annual Wage Growth Rate
Historical wage growth trends by industry for Editors.
Geographic Distribution
Employment and wage information by geographic location for Editors.
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: 17,410 employees, $114,590 avg wage
- CA: 14,920 employees, $103,880 avg wage
- TX: 8,190 employees, $47,600 avg wage
- FL: 4,000 employees, $77,390 avg wage
- IL: 3,680 employees, $75,120 avg wage
- DC: 3,580 employees, $107,440 avg wage
- PA: 3,500 employees, $74,370 avg wage
- MA: 3,200 employees, $87,300 avg wage
- VA: 3,150 employees, $85,890 avg wage
- WA: 2,800 employees, $91,180 avg wage
Top 10 states by employment for Editors.
Top Metropolitan Areas
Top Metropolitan Areas:
- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ: 17,280 employees, $117,790 avg wage
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA: 8,690 employees, $111,800 avg wage
- Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV: 6,000 employees, $100,160 avg wage
- Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN: 2,820 employees, $77,150 avg wage
- Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH: 2,560 employees, $90,540 avg wage
- San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA: 2,350 employees, $106,810 avg wage
- Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA: 2,110 employees, $94,250 avg wage
- Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD: 1,910 employees, $84,390 avg wage
- Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA: 1,410 employees, $78,300 avg wage
- Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI: 1,390 employees, $64,650 avg wage
Top 10 metropolitan statistical areas by employment for Editors.
Diversity
Demographic information on Editors in the US.
Gender and Age
The U.S. workforce for Editors is about 95,480 people in our OEWS extract.
Gender and age distribution for Editors.
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 Editors.
Education & Skills
Data on higher education choices and required skills for Editors.
Majors
The most common majors achieved by Editors in 2023 were Business Administration, Communications, Journalism.
Common majors for Editors.
Education Levels
The main educational levels achieved by Editors workers.
Education level distribution for Editors.
Skills
Editors need many skills, but most especially Reading Comprehension, Writing, Active Listening, Critical Thinking, Speaking.
Required skills for Editors.
Knowledge & Abilities
Knowledge areas and abilities required for Editors.
Knowledge Areas
The most important knowledge areas for Editors include English Language, Communications and Media, Administration and Management, Administrative, Education and Training.
Knowledge areas required for Editors.
Abilities
Key abilities needed for Editors include Written Comprehension, Written Expression, Oral Expression, Oral Comprehension, Fluency of Ideas.
Required abilities for Editors.
Work Activities
Common work activities performed by Editors.
Daily Activities
Editors spend their time on activities such as Working with Computers, Getting Information, Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates, Thinking Creatively, Communicating with People Outside the Organization.
Most important work activities for Editors.
About
Editors
Editors earn $75,260 as the BLS national median annual wage.
SOC Code
27-3041 - Editors
Insights and Analysis
High earnings profile: Editors reports an average salary of $106,703, placing it among stronger-paying occupations.
Labor market presence: The current workforce is approximately 95,480 workers, indicating sustained demand.
Forward outlook: Projected annual growth is 1.0%, which should inform long-term career planning.
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.