Editors: Pay by State and the Programs That Lead There

Q: Which state pays editors the most?

New York, at a median of $101,480. After adjusting for prices, New York is highest, at $94,032 in US-average prices.

Q: What education do editors need?

The Bureau of Labor Statistics lists bachelor's degree as the typical education to start, plus less than 5 years of related work experience. The federal crosswalk from fields of study to jobs links 4 programs here to editors: Communications (Bachelor's), Journalism (Bachelor's), Writing and Rhetoric (Bachelor's), and Communications (Associate's).

91,690 jobs in the US
Typical education to start: bachelor's degree
Occupation code 27-3041

BLS wages May 2025 · BLS projections 2025 to 2035 · BEA price parities 2024

The short answer

Editors earn a median of $77,920 a year in the US, across all experience levels. Pay is highest in New York ($101,480) and lowest in Puerto Rico ($39,640). After adjusting for prices, New York is highest ($94,032) and Texas lowest ($47,343). Jobs are projected to shrink 1% from 2025 to 2035, with about 7,900 openings a year across the US.

Median pay$77,920US, all experience levels

Bottom 10% earn under$41,250US

Top 10% earn over$153,700US

Projected job decline1%2025 to 2035, about 7,900 openings a year

Pay for editors by state

Median pay across all experience levels. "After prices" divides it by the state's price level (US average = 100), so states can be compared by what the pay buys.

#	State	Median pay	After prices	Jobs	Bottom 10%	Top 10%
1	New York	$101,480	$94,032	16,800	$57,910	$179,370
2	California	$98,030	$88,539	14,830	$52,510	$173,590
3	Connecticut	$85,950	$82,955	1,050	$47,020	$145,340
4	District of Columbia	$83,920	$76,360	3,310	$64,440	$170,460
5	Massachusetts	$83,170	$78,643	3,100	$47,320	$136,360
6	New Jersey	$81,680	$75,070	2,120	$53,150	$138,610
7	Virginia	$80,590	$79,710	2,720	$45,760	$144,810
8	Rhode Island	$77,960	$76,222	340	$50,900	$102,890
9	Colorado	$77,870	$75,564	1,830	$44,570	$115,940
10	Washington	$77,850	$72,748	1,860	$50,320	$128,630
11	Georgia	$76,650	$79,601	1,920	$46,080	$124,000
12	Illinois	$76,060	$76,092	4,560	$46,410	$107,850
13	Maryland	$75,550	$71,980	1,850	$46,740	$124,990
14	Delaware	$75,020	$75,164	170	$41,770	$106,420
15	Florida	$73,950	$71,509	3,790	$43,230	$121,380
16	North Carolina	$73,740	$78,176	1,870	$44,050	$103,990
17	Nevada	$72,510	$72,525	Not reported	$42,520	$104,370
18	Ohio	$72,160	$77,780	1,800	$37,440	$124,730
19	Oregon	$71,540	$69,214	1,110	$44,660	$111,390
20	Vermont	$66,860	$68,254	240	$48,320	$143,630
21	New Hampshire	$66,510	$63,851	250	$47,870	$113,570
22	Utah	$65,040	$65,787	590	$40,470	$119,680
23	Wisconsin	$64,270	$68,303	1,510	$39,470	$102,530
24	New Mexico	$64,250	$69,676	230	$38,390	$116,640
25	Alaska	$63,630	$62,164	60	$43,030	$106,250
26	Pennsylvania	$63,460	$65,039	3,240	$37,240	$114,560
27	Alabama	$63,330	$71,299	530	$35,600	$103,890
28	Arizona	$63,090	$62,666	820	$42,360	$109,090
28	Michigan	$63,090	$65,571	1,690	$33,230	$99,980
30	Minnesota	$62,650	$63,526	1,970	$43,370	$102,270
31	South Carolina	$62,000	$66,134	500	$39,380	$119,660
32	Kansas	$61,920	$68,748	500	$35,690	$107,140
33	Montana	$61,750	$65,244	200	$32,190	$122,940
34	Missouri	$61,620	$67,851	880	$36,060	$104,680
35	North Dakota	$60,520	$68,031	200	$30,660	$92,930
36	Tennessee	$59,550	$64,820	1,390	$37,600	$105,010
37	Kentucky	$59,430	$65,917	490	$39,040	$149,990
38	Louisiana	$58,860	$66,729	330	$36,680	$97,740
39	Iowa	$57,200	$65,176	900	$38,050	$108,820
40	South Dakota	$56,730	$64,039	140	$47,770	$79,180
41	West Virginia	$56,630	$63,276	260	$28,180	$100,910
42	Indiana	$56,440	$60,474	830	$30,860	$99,380
43	Hawaii	$55,070	$50,086	100	$32,930	$107,200
44	Mississippi	$54,380	$62,540	290	$28,440	$83,200
45	Oklahoma	$50,780	$57,808	500	$31,550	$85,730
46	Arkansas	$50,180	$57,720	260	$28,840	$76,950
46	Maine	$50,180	$51,705	300	$33,170	$121,320
48	Wyoming	$46,710	$50,393	110	$29,590	$82,920
49	Nebraska	$46,320	$51,408	360	$32,280	$72,740
50	Texas	$45,950	$47,343	6,460	$29,040	$105,440
51	Puerto Rico	$39,640	Not available	300	$28,370	$77,640

State names link to the state's college page. Puerto Rico has no BEA price level, so its pay is not adjusted. BLS publishes no median pay for editors in Idaho.

Programs that lead to this job

The federal crosswalk from fields of study to jobs links these programs to editors. Figures are medians across each program type's US programs. Program names link to the national ranking.

Program	Programs	Year 1 pay	Debt
Communications (Bachelor's)	577	$34,574	$25,000
Journalism (Bachelor's)	170	$34,515	$24,500
Writing and Rhetoric (Bachelor's)	110	$28,430	$25,000
Communications (Associate's)	12	$26,780	$11,889

Program figures are first-year pay for new graduates. The job's median pay covers every experience level.

Common questions

Editors earn a median of $77,920 a year in the US, across all experience levels (May 2025). The bottom 10% earn less than $41,250, and the top 10% more than $153,700.

About this data

Pay is from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics for May 2025. It covers all experience levels and all industries, and leaves out self-employed workers.
Projections are the Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections for 2025 to 2035, for the whole US.
Price levels are the Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional Price Parities for 2024.
Program figures are College Scorecard medians across programs, and only include students who received federal financial aid.

Sources

Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025
Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2025 to 2035
Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, 2024
NCES, CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk
U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, field of study files, June 2026 release

Editors: Pay by State and the Programs That Lead There

Pay for editors by state

Programs that lead to this job

Common questions

How much do editors make?

Which state pays editors the most?

What education do editors need?

Are jobs for editors growing?

About this data

Sources