Art editor vs copy editor

The differences between art editors and copy editors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both an art editor and a copy editor. Additionally, a copy editor has an average salary of $62,599, which is higher than the $49,871 average annual salary of an art editor.

The top three skills for an art editor include adobe indesign, adobe photoshop and literature. The most important skills for a copy editor are proofreading, house style, and digital publishing.

Art editor vs copy editor overview

	Art Editor	Copy Editor
Yearly salary	$49,871	$62,599
Hourly rate	$23.98	$30.10
Growth rate	-5%	-5%
Number of jobs	7,148	4,866
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 81%	Bachelor's Degree, 83%
Average age	44	44
Years of experience	4	4

Art editor vs copy editor salary

Art editors and copy editors have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Art Editor	Copy Editor
Average salary	$49,871	$62,599
Salary range	Between $35,000 And $69,000	Between $39,000 And $98,000
Highest paying City	-	Washington, DC
Highest paying state	-	New Jersey
Best paying company	-	PayPal
Best paying industry	-	Finance

Differences between art editor and copy editor education

There are a few differences between an art editor and a copy editor in terms of educational background:

	Art Editor	Copy Editor
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 81%	Bachelor's Degree, 83%
Most common major	English	English
Most common college	Northwestern University	Northwestern University

Art editor vs copy editor demographics

Here are the differences between art editors' and copy editors' demographics:

	Art Editor	Copy Editor
Average age	44	44
Gender ratio	Male, 35.2% Female, 64.8%	Male, 39.2% Female, 60.8%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 3.6% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 8.1% Asian, 7.2% White, 76.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%	Black or African American, 3.6% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 8.2% Asian, 7.3% White, 76.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%
LGBT Percentage	12%	12%

Differences between art editor and copy editor duties and responsibilities

Art editor example responsibilities.

Assign, edit, and proofread arts and culture sections; manage four arts writers.
Work cooperatively with the managing editor and the editor-in-chief.
Manage freelance talent and editorial calendar to produce multiple weekly editions on deadline.
Have final say in what artwork gets publish in the literature and art magazine.
Read fiction submissions and work with staff to coordinate the best choices for the journal.
Edit, rewrite and proofread all articles for any stories having to do with the arts section.

Copy editor example responsibilities.

Manage copy editing and proofreading responsibilities of weekly business newspaper and special supplements.
Collaborate with managing editor and editor-in-chief to develop and post news coverage and multimedia projects.
Supervise editorial services and manage workload for multiple complex projects offering professional development training for educators via online and classroom delivery.
Compile NHL, NBA, NFL, golf and college roundups, and laid out the scoreboard page.
Call upon to produce special pages for NHL and NBA previews.
Serve as lead copy editor for NASCAR, college football, college basketball and NFL sections.

Art editor vs copy editor skills

Common art editor skills

Adobe Indesign, 11%
Adobe Photoshop, 11%
Literature, 10%
Graphic Design, 6%
Student Newspaper, 6%
Web Graphics, 6%

Common copy editor skills

Proofreading, 12%
House Style, 8%
Digital Publishing, 6%
Fact Check, 6%
SEO, 5%
Web Content, 5%

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Art Editor
Art Editor vs Copy Editor

Updated January 8, 2025

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