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The differences between copy editors and editors, freelance 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 an editor, freelance. Additionally, an editor, freelance has an average salary of $67,947, which is higher than the $62,599 average annual salary of a copy editor.
The top three skills for a copy editor include proofreading, house style and digital publishing. The most important skills for an editor, freelance are music videos, web content, and fiction.
| Copy Editor | Editor, Freelance | |
| Yearly salary | $62,599 | $67,947 |
| Hourly rate | $30.10 | $32.67 |
| Growth rate | -5% | -5% |
| Number of jobs | 4,866 | 8,608 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 83% | Bachelor's Degree, 76% |
| 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.
An Editor, Freelance is responsible for reading content and correcting for errors in spelling, grammar, and punctuation. They work with writers to help their ideas and stories succeed.
Copy editors and editors, freelance have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Copy Editor | Editor, Freelance | |
| Average salary | $62,599 | $67,947 |
| Salary range | Between $39,000 And $98,000 | Between $45,000 And $102,000 |
| Highest paying City | Washington, DC | - |
| Highest paying state | New Jersey | - |
| Best paying company | PayPal | - |
| Best paying industry | Finance | - |
There are a few differences between a copy editor and an editor, freelance in terms of educational background:
| Copy Editor | Editor, Freelance | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 83% | Bachelor's Degree, 76% |
| Most common major | English | English |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | Northwestern University |
Here are the differences between copy editors' and editors, freelance' demographics:
| Copy Editor | Editor, Freelance | |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 39.2% Female, 60.8% | Male, 41.3% Female, 58.7% |
| 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, 7.9% Asian, 7.1% White, 76.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% |
| LGBT Percentage | 12% | 12% |