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The differences between copy editors and editorial assistants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become a copy editor, becoming an editorial assistant takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, a copy editor has an average salary of $62,599, which is higher than the $43,141 average annual salary of an editorial assistant.
The top three skills for a copy editor include proofreading, house style and digital publishing. The most important skills for an editorial assistant are fact check, fiction, and press releases.
| Copy Editor | Editorial Assistant | |
| Yearly salary | $62,599 | $43,141 |
| Hourly rate | $30.10 | $20.74 |
| Growth rate | -5% | -8% |
| Number of jobs | 4,866 | 26,839 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 83% | Bachelor's Degree, 82% |
| Average age | 44 | 50 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 2 |
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 editorial assistant is primarily responsible for performing support-related tasks for an editor or editing staff. Most of the duties will be clerical such as writing content for print and media, answering calls and correspondence, responding to inquiries, running errands, and following directives from the editor. There are also instances when an editorial assistant must perform fact-checking or proofreading tasks, arrange appointments and travel documents, process paperwork, greet visitors, and even attend meetings and other work-related events.
Copy editors and editorial assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Copy Editor | Editorial Assistant | |
| Average salary | $62,599 | $43,141 |
| Salary range | Between $39,000 And $98,000 | Between $35,000 And $53,000 |
| Highest paying City | Washington, DC | Denver, CO |
| Highest paying state | New Jersey | Colorado |
| Best paying company | PayPal | Columbia University in the City of New York |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Government |
There are a few differences between a copy editor and an editorial assistant in terms of educational background:
| Copy Editor | Editorial Assistant | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 83% | Bachelor's Degree, 82% |
| Most common major | English | English |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
Here are the differences between copy editors' and editorial assistants' demographics:
| Copy Editor | Editorial Assistant | |
| Average age | 44 | 50 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 39.2% Female, 60.8% | Male, 27.7% Female, 72.3% |
| 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, 9.3% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 16.4% Asian, 3.8% White, 65.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% |
| LGBT Percentage | 12% | 6% |