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The differences between copy editors and content editors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a copy editor and a content editor. Additionally, a copy editor has an average salary of $62,599, which is higher than the $61,694 average annual salary of a content editor.
The top three skills for a copy editor include proofreading, house style and digital publishing. The most important skills for a content editor are digital content, web content, and digital marketing.
| Copy Editor | Content Editor | |
| Yearly salary | $62,599 | $61,694 |
| Hourly rate | $30.10 | $29.66 |
| Growth rate | -5% | -5% |
| Number of jobs | 4,866 | 18,586 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 83% | Bachelor's Degree, 79% |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
The primary job of copy editors is to check for misspellings, incorrect punctuation, and consistency in typography, words, and style. They also act as fact-checkers, proofreaders, and project managers, overseeing the workflow and communicating with other departments. A copy editor's other duties and responsibilities include checking content for readability and compliance with editorial policies, rewriting text to improve readability and clarity, and arranging page layouts of articles, photos, and advertisements. Formal training is not required for this role, but copy editors generally have a firm grasp and love for the English language's proper usage.
A content editor is an individual who is responsible for proof-reading articles written by content writers and write blog posts to promote the products and services of an organization. Content editors are responsible for producing monthly newsletters and optimize written pieces to increase user engagement. They need to interact with the consumers with the purpose of sourcing feedback on the content's impact actively. Content editors must also conduct business research on current trends to give the company an edge over the competition.
Copy editors and content editors have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Copy Editor | Content Editor | |
| Average salary | $62,599 | $61,694 |
| Salary range | Between $39,000 And $98,000 | Between $41,000 And $91,000 |
| Highest paying City | Washington, DC | New York, NY |
| Highest paying state | New Jersey | New York |
| Best paying company | PayPal | Apple |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Technology |
There are a few differences between a copy editor and a content editor in terms of educational background:
| Copy Editor | Content Editor | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 83% | Bachelor's Degree, 79% |
| Most common major | English | English |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | Northwestern University |
Here are the differences between copy editors' and content editors' demographics:
| Copy Editor | Content Editor | |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 39.2% Female, 60.8% | Male, 43.5% Female, 56.5% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 3.6% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 8.2% Asian, 7.3% White, 76.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% | Black or African American, 3.5% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 8.0% Asian, 7.1% White, 76.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% |
| LGBT Percentage | 12% | 12% |