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Job outlook for copy editor/page designers in the United States
Copy editor/page designer job growth summary. After extensive research, interviews, and analysis, Zippia's data science team found that:
The projected copy editor/page designer job growth rate is -5% from 2018-2028.
About -5,500 new jobs for copy editor/page designers are projected over the next decade.
Copy editor/page designer salaries have increased 11% for copy editor/page designers in the last 5 years.
There are over 4,629 copy editor/page designers currently employed in the United States.
There are 48,669 active copy editor/page designer job openings in the US.
The average copy editor/page designer salary is $47,465.
Are copy editor/page designer jobs in demand?
Copy editor/page designer job and salary trends over time
Copy editor/page designer jobs over time
Copy editor/page designer job growth rate over time
| Year | # of jobs | % of population |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 4,629 | 0.00% |
| 2020 | 4,869 | 0.00% |
| 2019 | 5,004 | 0.00% |
| 2018 | 4,993 | 0.00% |
| 2017 | 5,052 | 0.00% |
Average copy editor/page designer salary over time
Copy editor/page designer salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | $47,465 | $22.82 | +3.3% |
| 2025 | $45,945 | $22.09 | +3.2% |
| 2024 | $44,530 | $21.41 | +1.2% |
| 2023 | $43,998 | $21.15 | +2.7% |
| 2022 | $42,830 | $20.59 | +2.1% |
Copy editor/page designer jobs by state
Most common states for copy editor/page designers
| Rank | State | Population | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | District of Columbia | 693,972 | 260 | 37% |
| 2 | Washington | 7,405,743 | 750 | 10% |
| 3 | Massachusetts | 6,859,819 | 655 | 10% |
| 4 | Oregon | 4,142,776 | 422 | 10% |
| 5 | Virginia | 8,470,020 | 757 | 9% |
| 6 | New York | 19,849,399 | 1,555 | 8% |
| 7 | California | 39,536,653 | 2,720 | 7% |
| 8 | Georgia | 10,429,379 | 706 | 7% |
| 9 | Minnesota | 5,576,606 | 367 | 7% |
| 10 | Utah | 3,101,833 | 212 | 7% |
| 11 | New Hampshire | 1,342,795 | 91 | 7% |
| 12 | Maryland | 6,052,177 | 365 | 6% |
| 13 | Colorado | 5,607,154 | 334 | 6% |
| 14 | Wisconsin | 5,795,483 | 327 | 6% |
| 15 | Rhode Island | 1,059,639 | 59 | 6% |
| 16 | Illinois | 12,802,023 | 698 | 5% |
| 17 | Pennsylvania | 12,805,537 | 611 | 5% |
| 18 | Michigan | 9,962,311 | 449 | 5% |
| 19 | Connecticut | 3,588,184 | 182 | 5% |
| 20 | Vermont | 623,657 | 30 | 5% |
Copy Editor/Page Designer job outlook: Expert opinions
Our panel of copy editor/page designer experts
California State University - Sacramento
Furman University
California University of Pennsylvania
Viola Ardeni
Assistant Professor & Italian Language Area HeadCalifornia State University - Sacramento
Romance Languages, Literatures, And Linguistics
What Copy Editor/Page Designer skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Viola Ardeni: The editing of texts produced by others, above all. Being good editors will be crucial. In addition, to the ability to summarize in short, easy bit very large and complex amounts of information, possibly coming from different linguistic sources. Diplomacy seems also increasingly useful, however you interpret it and wherever you stand politically. Because of the world's areas where Romance languages are mainly used, the political issues associated with those areas, and the lack of institutional support for studies in Romance languages, literatures, and linguistics in the United States, the ability of being diplomatic in navigating people, committees, donors, stakeholders, speakers, etc. is and will be important.
What will help Copy Editor/Page Designers increase their earning potential?
Viola Ardeni: Negotiate your job offer, even where your position is represented by a labor union (you may negotiate other perks and benefits). I would also recommend considering extremely carefully whether a higher degree in the field (master's or PhD) would enhance your options for a higher salary. The mental, emotional, and financial cost of graduate studies may not make it worth it, if the primary objective is earning more money.
Professor Margaret Oakes
Professor of EnglishFurman University
English Language And Literature
What general advice would you give to a Copy Editor/Page Designer?
Professor Margaret Oakes: Understand that you should be looking at a salary mid-career, not right now. And look at the possibility for promotion in your place of work - a small family business will not be able to or be interested in promoting you to a leadership position, so think about if you will need to move up or out.
What will help Copy Editor/Page Designers increase their earning potential?
Professor Margaret Oakes: Our graduates have such a variety of careers with an English major that this is hard to answer. But perhaps this is the answer - English majors have such widely applicable skills that they need to be alert to how they can be applied almost anywhere, and be prepared to sell their skills to a potential employer.
What general advice would you give to a Copy Editor/Page Designer?
Catherine Wilbur: The best way to maximize salary earnings is to complete the highest level of education in your chosen field. The average salary for someone with a bachelor's degree in English is around $59,124 per year, while someone with a master's degree in English can expect to earn around $69,732 per year.
What Copy Editor/Page Designer skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Catherine Wilbur: Even with the advancement of AI, among the most essential competencies are the ability to think critically and solve problems, to effectively both orally and in writing, to assess and analyze information, and to exercise curiosity and imagination. One recent study showed that college graduates spend, on average, 44% of their time writing, including letters, memos, short reports, instructional materials, and professional articles and essays. Additionally, even as people use generative AI to draft documents, they still need to be edited and proofread by a person to ensure that they are accurate and contain no biased information.
What will help Copy Editor/Page Designers increase their earning potential?
Catherine Wilbur: For advice, find something you're passionate about. Not all English majors want to be teachers, and that's ok. There are 100s of other career paths for English majors. Such as lawyers, copyeditors, speechwriters, journalists, politicians, business, etc. Explore the different jobs out there that you may be qualified for with an English degree.
What type of skills will young Copy Editor/Page Designers need?
Dr. Christina Fisanick: College graduates in 2021 and beyond, need all of the skills that English programs have to offer: critical thinking, effective communication, creativity, and flexibility. New hires need to be able to adapt to workplace changes quickly and with aplomb, which requires critical thinking and problem solving and the ability to communicate those solutions to a diverse audience clearly and effectively. Those skills are refined and practiced regularly in English programs.