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The differences between content writers and assistant editors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 1-2 years to become a content writer, becoming an assistant editor takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a content writer has an average salary of $58,918, which is higher than the $52,284 average annual salary of an assistant editor.
The top three skills for a content writer include digital marketing, wordpress and web content. The most important skills for an assistant editor are editorial content, video footage, and web content.
| Content Writer | Assistant Editor | |
| Yearly salary | $58,918 | $52,284 |
| Hourly rate | $28.33 | $25.14 |
| Growth rate | 4% | -5% |
| Number of jobs | 19,621 | 8,716 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 77% | Bachelor's Degree, 81% |
| Average age | 42 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 4 |
The job of content writers is to create the best possible written or visual content ranging from blog posts to press releases. They produce the content for various types of websites, including social networks, news aggregators, and e-commerce sites. The job of content writers is not limited to writing, but also ensuring that the content connects or is relevant to the website pages. They are expected to set the tone of the website and revise the content upon customers' or clients' requests. They are also responsible for assisting in the creation of style guides.
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.
Content writers and assistant editors have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Content Writer | Assistant Editor | |
| Average salary | $58,918 | $52,284 |
| Salary range | Between $40,000 And $84,000 | Between $34,000 And $78,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Huntington, NY |
| Highest paying state | California | New York |
| Best paying company | Cisco | Apple |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Media |
There are a few differences between a content writer and an assistant editor in terms of educational background:
| Content Writer | Assistant Editor | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 77% | Bachelor's Degree, 81% |
| Most common major | English | English |
| Most common college | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | Northwestern University |
Here are the differences between content writers' and assistant editors' demographics:
| Content Writer | Assistant Editor | |
| Average age | 42 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 39.8% Female, 60.2% | Male, 45.9% Female, 54.1% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 6.0% Unknown, 5.6% Hispanic or Latino, 7.8% Asian, 5.0% White, 75.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% | 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% |
| LGBT Percentage | 16% | 12% |