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The differences between assistant editors and editorial assistants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become an assistant editor, becoming an editorial assistant takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, an assistant editor has an average salary of $52,284, which is higher than the $43,141 average annual salary of an editorial assistant.
The top three skills for an assistant editor include editorial content, video footage and web content. The most important skills for an editorial assistant are fact check, fiction, and press releases.
| Assistant Editor | Editorial Assistant | |
| Yearly salary | $52,284 | $43,141 |
| Hourly rate | $25.14 | $20.74 |
| Growth rate | -5% | -8% |
| Number of jobs | 8,716 | 26,839 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 81% | Bachelor's Degree, 82% |
| Average age | 44 | 50 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 2 |
An assistant editor is an individual responsible for assisting an editor-in-chief or editor-at-large of a newspaper, magazine, radio program, or website. Assistant editors hold meetings with staff and freelance writers to discuss new, fresh and original content for projects on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis. They review assignments handed in by writers or reporters for sense, accuracy, readability, and content. Assistant editors must also utilize new media applications such as Twitter and Facebook to draw attention to an article or cause.
An editorial assistant is primarily responsible for performing support-related tasks for an editor or editing staff. Most of the duties will be clerical such as writing content for print and media, answering calls and correspondence, responding to inquiries, running errands, and following directives from the editor. There are also instances when an editorial assistant must perform fact-checking or proofreading tasks, arrange appointments and travel documents, process paperwork, greet visitors, and even attend meetings and other work-related events.
Assistant editors and editorial assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Assistant Editor | Editorial Assistant | |
| Average salary | $52,284 | $43,141 |
| Salary range | Between $34,000 And $78,000 | Between $35,000 And $53,000 |
| Highest paying City | Huntington, NY | Denver, CO |
| Highest paying state | New York | Colorado |
| Best paying company | Apple | Columbia University in the City of New York |
| Best paying industry | Media | Government |
There are a few differences between an assistant editor and an editorial assistant in terms of educational background:
| Assistant Editor | Editorial Assistant | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 81% | Bachelor's Degree, 82% |
| Most common major | English | English |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
Here are the differences between assistant editors' and editorial assistants' demographics:
| Assistant Editor | Editorial Assistant | |
| Average age | 44 | 50 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 45.9% Female, 54.1% | Male, 27.7% Female, 72.3% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 3.5% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 7.9% Asian, 7.0% White, 76.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% | Black or African American, 9.3% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 16.4% Asian, 3.8% White, 65.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% |
| LGBT Percentage | 12% | 6% |