Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between editor/directors and copy editors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both an editor/director and a copy editor. Additionally, a copy editor has an average salary of $62,599, which is higher than the $53,599 average annual salary of an editor/director.
The top three skills for an editor/director include music videos, video production and adobe premiere pro. The most important skills for a copy editor are proofreading, house style, and digital publishing.
| Editor/Director | Copy Editor | |
| Yearly salary | $53,599 | $62,599 |
| Hourly rate | $25.77 | $30.10 |
| Growth rate | -5% | -5% |
| Number of jobs | 9,107 | 4,866 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 74% | Bachelor's Degree, 83% |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
An editor/director is someone whose work involves video production, assessment of content that a company creates before publishing, and editing of digital media, such as music videos. The essential skills that an editor/director should possess to accomplish his/her or her responsibilities include possessing good judgment and writing skills and having a keen eye for details. The job's education requirements include possessing a college degree in communication, digital media, photography, or a related field.
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.
Editor/directors and copy editors have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Editor/Director | Copy Editor | |
| Average salary | $53,599 | $62,599 |
| Salary range | Between $31,000 And $90,000 | Between $39,000 And $98,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | Washington, DC |
| Highest paying state | - | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | - | PayPal |
| Best paying industry | - | Finance |
There are a few differences between an editor/director and a copy editor in terms of educational background:
| Editor/Director | Copy Editor | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 74% | Bachelor's Degree, 83% |
| Most common major | Photography | English |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | Northwestern University |
Here are the differences between editor/directors' and copy editors' demographics:
| Editor/Director | Copy Editor | |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 75.4% Female, 24.6% | Male, 39.2% Female, 60.8% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 3.6% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 8.1% Asian, 7.2% White, 76.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% | 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% |
| LGBT Percentage | 12% | 12% |