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The differences between beat reporters and journalists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a beat reporter and a journalist. Additionally, a beat reporter has an average salary of $65,737, which is higher than the $60,828 average annual salary of a journalist.
The top three skills for a beat reporter include feature stories, twitter and hard news stories. The most important skills for a journalist are news stories, multimedia, and story development.
| Beat Reporter | Journalist | |
| Yearly salary | $65,737 | $60,828 |
| Hourly rate | $31.60 | $29.24 |
| Growth rate | -10% | -10% |
| Number of jobs | 2,133 | 11,488 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 86% | Bachelor's Degree, 74% |
| Average age | 40 | 40 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
Beat reporters and journalists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Beat Reporter | Journalist | |
| Average salary | $65,737 | $60,828 |
| Salary range | Between $36,000 And $117,000 | Between $38,000 And $95,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | New York, NY |
| Highest paying state | - | New York |
| Best paying company | - | Bloomberg |
| Best paying industry | - | Finance |
There are a few differences between a beat reporter and a journalist in terms of educational background:
| Beat Reporter | Journalist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 86% | Bachelor's Degree, 74% |
| Most common major | Journalism | Journalism |
| Most common college | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
Here are the differences between beat reporters' and journalists' demographics:
| Beat Reporter | Journalist | |
| Average age | 40 | 40 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 59.3% Female, 40.7% | Male, 46.6% Female, 53.4% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 6.4% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 12.6% Asian, 9.7% White, 66.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% | Black or African American, 6.4% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 12.6% Asian, 9.6% White, 66.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% |
| LGBT Percentage | 10% | 10% |