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Associate editor vs senior editor

The differences between associate editors and senior 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 associate editor and a senior editor. Additionally, a senior editor has an average salary of $90,094, which is higher than the $55,999 average annual salary of an associate editor.

The top three skills for an associate editor include wordpress, web content and SEO. The most important skills for a senior editor are edit content, video content, and SEO.

Associate editor vs senior editor overview

Associate EditorSenior Editor
Yearly salary$55,999$90,094
Hourly rate$26.92$43.31
Growth rate-5%-5%
Number of jobs4,66412,150
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 81%Bachelor's Degree, 79%
Average age4444
Years of experience44

What does an associate editor do?

The primary role of an Associate Editor is to ensure that subordinates submit high-quality content. They review and edit copies, set deadlines, and supervise the production details of magazines, newspapers, books, or websites.

What does a senior editor do?

A Senior Editor determines the editorial content for a publication. They supervise the content creation process and manage junior editors.

Associate editor vs senior editor salary

Associate editors and senior editors have different pay scales, as shown below.

Associate EditorSenior Editor
Average salary$55,999$90,094
Salary rangeBetween $39,000 And $79,000Between $66,000 And $121,000
Highest paying CityStoughton, MASan Francisco, CA
Highest paying stateConnecticutConnecticut
Best paying companyEli Lilly and CompanyApple
Best paying industryMediaFinance

Differences between associate editor and senior editor education

There are a few differences between an associate editor and a senior editor in terms of educational background:

Associate EditorSenior Editor
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 81%Bachelor's Degree, 79%
Most common majorEnglishEnglish
Most common collegeNorthwestern UniversityNorthwestern University

Associate editor vs senior editor demographics

Here are the differences between associate editors' and senior editors' demographics:

Associate EditorSenior Editor
Average age4444
Gender ratioMale, 43.2% Female, 56.8%Male, 51.7% Female, 48.3%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 3.6% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 8.1% Asian, 7.2% White, 76.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%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%
LGBT Percentage12%12%

Differences between associate editor and senior editor duties and responsibilities

Associate editor example responsibilities.

  • Lead development and launch of typesetting service.
  • Project manage and write RFP submissions for private industry and federal request for proposals.
  • Manage proofreading process for RFP responses, collateral, and other documents to ensure consistency and high quality.
  • Assume full editorial responsibility when editor are unavailable, including managing social media accounts and assigning content to freelancers and photographers.
  • Share responsibility for site's twitter account.
  • Design and laid out client reports using InDesign and PowerPoint.
  • Show more

Senior editor example responsibilities.

  • Contract and manage editorial freelancers and full-service vendors for successful high school Spanish and Latin textbook and ancillary programs.
  • Post video to the Fox17 website and youtube.
  • Complete several robust DVD authoring projects for clients.
  • Redesign the look and the style of lifestyle magazine.
  • Double traffic on the Instagram page with newly implement marketing plan.
  • Content editing for automobile DVD user manuals (English, French and Spanish).
  • Show more

Associate editor vs senior editor skills

Common associate editor skills
  • WordPress, 9%
  • Web Content, 8%
  • SEO, 7%
  • Edit Content, 6%
  • Proofreading, 6%
  • Twitter, 3%
Common senior editor skills
  • Edit Content, 11%
  • Video Content, 7%
  • SEO, 7%
  • Digital Content, 6%
  • Project Management, 4%
  • Facebook, 3%

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