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Best states for a copy editor
Quoted expert
Catherine Nesci
- Rank 1 - 10
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- 41 - 51
Job opportunities vary from state to state, and arts, entertainment, sports, and media careers are no different. Because we know how difficult it can be to know which states are the best when it comes to copy editor jobs, we decided to crunch some numbers to bring you the best states for copy editors.We wanted to look at the best states for copy editors -- where there are plenty of copy editor jobs to go around and copy editors get paid what they deserve during every phase of their career.
To that end, we dove into our dataset of job and salary numbers to figure out which states have the best opportunities for copy editors. District of Columbia is the best state for copy editors, where the median salary is $90,484.District of Columbia is the best state, and Long Branch is the city with the highest pay for copy editors.
10 best states for copy editors in 2026
1. District of Columbia
Total copy editor jobs: 222 Average annual salary: $90,484 Lowest 10 percent earn: $57,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $143,000 Location Quotient: 5.18
2. New Jersey
Total copy editor jobs: 197 Average annual salary: $88,094 Lowest 10 percent earn: $55,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $138,000 Location Quotient: 0.97
3. Connecticut
Total copy editor jobs: 84 Average annual salary: $83,186 Lowest 10 percent earn: $53,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $130,000 Location Quotient: 0.99
4. Massachusetts
Total copy editor jobs: 332 Average annual salary: $78,312 Lowest 10 percent earn: $50,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $121,000 Location Quotient: 1.41
5. New York
Total copy editor jobs: 800 Average annual salary: $72,174 Lowest 10 percent earn: $45,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $113,000 Location Quotient: 2.44
6. Virginia
Total copy editor jobs: 366 Average annual salary: $69,778 Lowest 10 percent earn: $44,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $110,000 Location Quotient: 1.52
7. New Hampshire
Total copy editor jobs: 30 Average annual salary: $78,929 Lowest 10 percent earn: $51,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $121,000 Location Quotient: 0.67
8. Pennsylvania
Total copy editor jobs: 217 Average annual salary: $70,429 Lowest 10 percent earn: $44,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $111,000 Location Quotient: 0.73
9. Vermont
Total copy editor jobs: 24 Average annual salary: $64,718 Lowest 10 percent earn: $41,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $99,000 Location Quotient: 1.22
10. West Virginia
Total copy editor jobs: 25 Average annual salary: $68,130 Lowest 10 percent earn: $43,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $107,000 Location Quotient: 0.64
Copy editor jobsNear Columbus, OH
How Zippia determines the best states to be a copy editor
You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.
Detailed list of the best states for a copy editor
| Rank | State | Average salary | Lowest 10% earn | Population | Job count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | District of Columbia | $90,484 | $57,000 | 693,972 | 222 |
| 2 | New Jersey | $88,094 | $55,000 | 9,005,644 | 197 |
| 3 | Connecticut | $83,186 | $53,000 | 3,588,184 | 84 |
| 4 | Massachusetts | $78,312 | $50,000 | 6,859,819 | 332 |
| 5 | New York | $72,174 | $45,000 | 19,849,399 | 800 |
| 6 | Virginia | $69,778 | $44,000 | 8,470,020 | 366 |
| 7 | New Hampshire | $78,929 | $51,000 | 1,342,795 | 30 |
| 8 | Pennsylvania | $70,429 | $44,000 | 12,805,537 | 217 |
| 9 | Vermont | $64,718 | $41,000 | 623,657 | 24 |
| 10 | West Virginia | $68,130 | $43,000 | 1,815,857 | 25 |
| 11 | California | $65,881 | $42,000 | 39,536,653 | 1,002 |
| 12 | North Dakota | $62,002 | $42,000 | 755,393 | 18 |
| 13 | Michigan | $63,260 | $40,000 | 9,962,311 | 134 |
| 14 | Washington | $62,795 | $40,000 | 7,405,743 | 208 |
| 15 | Rhode Island | $63,925 | $40,000 | 1,059,639 | 22 |
| 16 | North Carolina | $59,309 | $37,000 | 10,273,419 | 235 |
| 17 | Delaware | $64,744 | $41,000 | 961,939 | 21 |
| 18 | Illinois | $58,521 | $37,000 | 12,802,023 | 295 |
| 19 | Wyoming | $53,651 | $37,000 | 579,315 | 28 |
| 20 | Maine | $64,042 | $41,000 | 1,335,907 | 13 |
| 21 | New Mexico | $57,852 | $37,000 | 2,088,070 | 38 |
| 22 | Kentucky | $61,800 | $39,000 | 4,454,189 | 45 |
| 23 | Georgia | $58,616 | $37,000 | 10,429,379 | 173 |
| 24 | Hawaii | $59,071 | $49,000 | 1,427,538 | 21 |
| 25 | Maryland | $54,374 | $34,000 | 6,052,177 | 320 |
| 26 | Nevada | $57,619 | $36,000 | 2,998,039 | 35 |
| 27 | Colorado | $57,195 | $39,000 | 5,607,154 | 137 |
| 28 | Tennessee | $56,768 | $37,000 | 6,715,984 | 77 |
| 29 | Idaho | $55,829 | $36,000 | 1,716,943 | 35 |
| 30 | Oklahoma | $56,599 | $37,000 | 3,930,864 | 41 |
| 31 | Florida | $54,086 | $34,000 | 20,984,400 | 331 |
| 32 | Arkansas | $55,057 | $36,000 | 3,004,279 | 39 |
| 33 | Ohio | $54,909 | $34,000 | 11,658,609 | 132 |
| 34 | South Carolina | $56,075 | $35,000 | 5,024,369 | 58 |
| 35 | Wisconsin | $52,951 | $34,000 | 5,795,483 | 105 |
| 36 | Arizona | $54,429 | $35,000 | 7,016,270 | 100 |
| 37 | Oregon | $44,028 | $28,000 | 4,142,776 | 191 |
| 38 | Minnesota | $50,969 | $33,000 | 5,576,606 | 127 |
| 39 | Texas | $48,077 | $31,000 | 28,304,596 | 398 |
| 40 | Alabama | $52,718 | $34,000 | 4,874,747 | 52 |
| 41 | Utah | $41,284 | $27,000 | 3,101,833 | 88 |
| 42 | Indiana | $49,472 | $31,000 | 6,666,818 | 91 |
| 43 | Missouri | $41,019 | $27,000 | 6,113,532 | 130 |
| 44 | Alaska | $34,908 | $23,000 | 739,795 | 31 |
| 45 | Kansas | $42,497 | $28,000 | 2,913,123 | 47 |
| 46 | Iowa | $42,398 | $28,000 | 3,145,711 | 52 |
| 47 | Nebraska | $37,133 | $25,000 | 1,920,076 | 52 |
| 48 | Montana | $39,948 | $27,000 | 1,050,493 | 22 |
| 49 | Louisiana | $43,952 | $28,000 | 4,684,333 | 30 |
| 50 | South Dakota | $42,034 | $28,000 | 869,666 | 11 |
| 51 | Mississippi | $37,889 | $24,000 | 2,984,100 | 16 |
Highest paying states for copy editors
| Rank | State | Avg. Copy Editor Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | District of Columbia | $90,484 |
| 2 | New Jersey | $88,094 |
| 3 | Connecticut | $83,186 |
| 4 | Massachusetts | $78,312 |
| 5 | New York | $72,174 |
| 6 | Virginia | $69,778 |
| 7 | New Hampshire | $78,929 |
| 8 | Pennsylvania | $70,429 |
| 9 | Vermont | $64,718 |
| 10 | West Virginia | $68,130 |
| 11 | California | $65,881 |
| 12 | North Dakota | $62,002 |
| 13 | Michigan | $63,260 |
| 14 | Washington | $62,795 |
| 15 | Rhode Island | $63,925 |
| 16 | North Carolina | $59,309 |
| 17 | Delaware | $64,744 |
| 18 | Illinois | $58,521 |
| 19 | Wyoming | $53,651 |
| 20 | Maine | $64,042 |
| 21 | New Mexico | $57,852 |
| 22 | Kentucky | $61,800 |
| 23 | Georgia | $58,616 |
| 24 | Hawaii | $59,071 |
| 25 | Maryland | $54,374 |
| 26 | Nevada | $57,619 |
| 27 | Colorado | $57,195 |
| 28 | Tennessee | $56,768 |
| 29 | Idaho | $55,829 |
| 30 | Oklahoma | $56,599 |
| 31 | Florida | $54,086 |
| 32 | Arkansas | $55,057 |
| 33 | Ohio | $54,909 |
| 34 | South Carolina | $56,075 |
| 35 | Wisconsin | $52,951 |
| 36 | Arizona | $54,429 |
| 37 | Oregon | $44,028 |
| 38 | Minnesota | $50,969 |
| 39 | Texas | $48,077 |
| 40 | Alabama | $52,718 |
| 41 | Utah | $41,284 |
| 42 | Indiana | $49,472 |
| 43 | Missouri | $41,019 |
| 44 | Alaska | $34,908 |
| 45 | Kansas | $42,497 |
| 46 | Iowa | $42,398 |
| 47 | Nebraska | $37,133 |
| 48 | Montana | $39,948 |
| 49 | Louisiana | $43,952 |
| 50 | South Dakota | $42,034 |
| 51 | Mississippi | $37,889 |
Expert opinions on the best states for copy editors
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for copy editors to find work opportunities?
Catherine Nesci
Professor of French & Comparative Literature; Affiliate in Feminist Studies, University of California
The French, Italian, and Portuguese opportunities are diminishing and will continue doing so, despite the importance of French in a continent like Africa. Yet, Spanish will continue being more prominent, but online teaching will decrease job prospects.
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Updated January 8, 2025