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The differences between columnists and staff writers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a columnist and a staff writer. Additionally, a columnist has an average salary of $50,696, which is higher than the $44,844 average annual salary of a staff writer.
The top three skills for a columnist include student newspaper, opinion pieces and twitter. The most important skills for a staff writer are feature stories, news stories, and event coverage.
| Columnist | Staff Writer | |
| Yearly salary | $50,696 | $44,844 |
| Hourly rate | $24.37 | $21.56 |
| Growth rate | -10% | 6% |
| Number of jobs | 1,783 | 80,547 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 77% | Bachelor's Degree, 82% |
| Average age | 40 | 46 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
Columnists and staff writers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Columnist | Staff Writer | |
| Average salary | $50,696 | $44,844 |
| Salary range | Between $34,000 And $75,000 | Between $29,000 And $68,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | Washington, DC |
| Highest paying state | - | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | - | The New York Times Company |
| Best paying industry | - | Non Profits |
There are a few differences between a columnist and a staff writer in terms of educational background:
| Columnist | Staff Writer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 77% | Bachelor's Degree, 82% |
| Most common major | Journalism | Journalism |
| Most common college | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
Here are the differences between columnists' and staff writers' demographics:
| Columnist | Staff Writer | |
| Average age | 40 | 46 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 53.2% Female, 46.8% | Male, 49.2% Female, 50.8% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 6.4% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 12.7% Asian, 9.7% White, 66.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% | Black or African American, 6.7% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 7.9% Asian, 8.8% White, 71.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 10% | 11% |