Best states for an editor

Q: What is the best state for editors?

The best state to be an editor is New York based on editor salaries and job opportunities.

Q: What is the highest paying state for editors?

The highest paying state for editors is Mississippi based on Zippia’s salary database.

Q: What is the worst state for editors?

The worst state for editors is Mississippi, due to a combination of low salaries and few job opportunities.

Quoted expert

Catherine Nesci

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Not all states present equal opportunity for employees, and when it comes to editor jobs, it's no different. We know how hard job search can be, and in order to make your life a little easier, we have the information you need in order to determine where you might want to start your job search. In fact, our research shows that New York is the best state for editors in America. The best city in America for editors with the highest pay is Washington, DC.

To do that, we looked at the most recent data we have available for the following criteria -- average annual wages, and availability of jobs for editors.We found that New York is the best state for editor jobs, whereas Mississippi is the worst.

10 best states for editors in 2026

1. New York
Total editor jobs: 1,004
Average annual salary: $67,529
Lowest 10 percent earn: $44,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $102,000
Location Quotient:
2.38
Editor jobs in New York
2. District of Columbia
Total editor jobs: 242
Average annual salary: $69,020
Lowest 10 percent earn: $44,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $106,000
Location Quotient:
4.38
Editor jobs in District of Columbia
3. Connecticut
Total editor jobs: 119
Average annual salary: $66,637
Lowest 10 percent earn: $43,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $101,000
Location Quotient:
1.09
Editor jobs in Connecticut
4. Virginia
Total editor jobs: 480
Average annual salary: $60,905
Lowest 10 percent earn: $39,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $94,000
Location Quotient:
1.55
Editor jobs in Virginia
5. Massachusetts
Total editor jobs: 378
Average annual salary: $62,495
Lowest 10 percent earn: $41,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $93,000
Location Quotient:
1.25
Editor jobs in Massachusetts
6. Washington
Total editor jobs: 262
Average annual salary: $60,799
Lowest 10 percent earn: $38,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $96,000
Location Quotient:
1.09
Editor jobs in Washington
7. North Dakota
Total editor jobs: 31
Average annual salary: $57,640
Lowest 10 percent earn: $38,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $86,000
Location Quotient:
1.01
Editor jobs in North Dakota
8. New Jersey
Total editor jobs: 245
Average annual salary: $64,552
Lowest 10 percent earn: $42,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $98,000
Location Quotient:
0.94
Editor jobs in New Jersey
9. New Hampshire
Total editor jobs: 46
Average annual salary: $64,752
Lowest 10 percent earn: $43,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $96,000
Location Quotient:
0.8
Editor jobs in New Hampshire
10. Vermont
Total editor jobs: 44
Average annual salary: $54,481
Lowest 10 percent earn: $36,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $80,000
Location Quotient:
1.74
Editor jobs in Vermont

Editor jobsNear Columbus, OH

How Zippia determines the best states to be an editor

You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.

Detailed list of the best states for an editor

Rank	State	Average salary	Lowest 10% earn	Population	Job count
1	New York	$67,529	$44,000	19,849,399	1,004
2	District of Columbia	$69,020	$44,000	693,972	242
3	Connecticut	$66,637	$43,000	3,588,184	119
4	Virginia	$60,905	$39,000	8,470,020	480
5	Massachusetts	$62,495	$41,000	6,859,819	378
6	Washington	$60,799	$38,000	7,405,743	262
7	North Dakota	$57,640	$38,000	755,393	31
8	New Jersey	$64,552	$42,000	9,005,644	245
9	New Hampshire	$64,752	$43,000	1,342,795	46
10	Vermont	$54,481	$36,000	623,657	44
11	Rhode Island	$51,451	$34,000	1,059,639	45
12	Maryland	$53,520	$34,000	6,052,177	381
13	West Virginia	$53,133	$34,000	1,815,857	38
14	Delaware	$51,111	$33,000	961,939	39
15	California	$52,056	$32,000	39,536,653	1,165
16	Wyoming	$46,364	$30,000	579,315	41
17	Idaho	$49,020	$31,000	1,716,943	55
18	Maine	$53,728	$36,000	1,335,907	28
19	Michigan	$50,171	$32,000	9,962,311	183
20	Oregon	$48,586	$30,000	4,142,776	219
21	Georgia	$52,117	$34,000	10,429,379	229
22	Pennsylvania	$49,825	$32,000	12,805,537	297
23	Illinois	$49,167	$32,000	12,802,023	366
24	Colorado	$50,222	$33,000	5,607,154	176
25	New Mexico	$46,971	$30,000	2,088,070	52
26	Minnesota	$48,735	$32,000	5,576,606	158
27	Kentucky	$48,889	$32,000	4,454,189	63
28	North Carolina	$45,494	$29,000	10,273,419	302
29	Nevada	$46,183	$29,000	2,998,039	56
30	Arkansas	$44,343	$29,000	3,004,279	65
31	Oklahoma	$45,479	$30,000	3,930,864	63
32	Wisconsin	$44,178	$28,000	5,795,483	138
33	Hawaii	$42,754	$28,000	1,427,538	31
34	Alaska	$38,422	$24,000	739,795	41
35	Ohio	$43,597	$28,000	11,658,609	181
36	Arizona	$44,585	$28,000	7,016,270	131
37	Tennessee	$41,469	$27,000	6,715,984	135
38	South Carolina	$43,479	$28,000	5,024,369	95
39	Utah	$36,374	$23,000	3,101,833	115
40	Texas	$40,119	$26,000	28,304,596	535
41	Montana	$36,740	$24,000	1,050,493	38
42	Alabama	$42,112	$27,000	4,874,747	79
43	Florida	$38,234	$24,000	20,984,400	412
44	South Dakota	$36,729	$24,000	869,666	25
45	Nebraska	$31,453	$20,000	1,920,076	76
46	Indiana	$39,391	$25,000	6,666,818	108
47	Missouri	$33,573	$22,000	6,113,532	155
48	Iowa	$35,569	$23,000	3,145,711	79
49	Kansas	$34,682	$23,000	2,913,123	67
50	Louisiana	$34,804	$22,000	4,684,333	48
51	Mississippi	$30,100	$19,000	2,984,100	36

Highest paying states for editors

Rank	State	Avg. Editor Salary
1	New York	$67,529
2	District of Columbia	$69,020
3	Connecticut	$66,637
4	Virginia	$60,905
5	Massachusetts	$62,495
6	Washington	$60,799
7	North Dakota	$57,640
8	New Jersey	$64,552
9	New Hampshire	$64,752
10	Vermont	$54,481
11	Rhode Island	$51,451
12	Maryland	$53,520
13	West Virginia	$53,133
14	Delaware	$51,111
15	California	$52,056
16	Wyoming	$46,364
17	Idaho	$49,020
18	Maine	$53,728
19	Michigan	$50,171
20	Oregon	$48,586
21	Georgia	$52,117
22	Pennsylvania	$49,825
23	Illinois	$49,167
24	Colorado	$50,222
25	New Mexico	$46,971
26	Minnesota	$48,735
27	Kentucky	$48,889
28	North Carolina	$45,494
29	Nevada	$46,183
30	Arkansas	$44,343
31	Oklahoma	$45,479
32	Wisconsin	$44,178
33	Hawaii	$42,754
34	Alaska	$38,422
35	Ohio	$43,597
36	Arizona	$44,585
37	Tennessee	$41,469
38	South Carolina	$43,479
39	Utah	$36,374
40	Texas	$40,119
41	Montana	$36,740
42	Alabama	$42,112
43	Florida	$38,234
44	South Dakota	$36,729
45	Nebraska	$31,453
46	Indiana	$39,391
47	Missouri	$33,573
48	Iowa	$35,569
49	Kansas	$34,682
50	Louisiana	$34,804
51	Mississippi	$30,100

Expert opinions on the best states for editors

Are there any particularly good places in the United States for editors to find work opportunities?
Catherine Nesci
Professor of French & Comparative Literature; Affiliate in Feminist Studies, University of California
The French, Italian, and Portuguese opportunities are diminishing and will continue doing so, despite the importance of French in a continent like Africa. Yet, Spanish will continue being more prominent, but online teaching will decrease job prospects.

Editor best states FAQs

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Best states for Editors

Updated January 8, 2025

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Total editor jobs:	1,004
Average annual salary:	$67,529
Lowest 10 percent earn:	$44,000
Highest 10 percent earn:	$102,000
Location Quotient:	2.38

Best states for an editor

10 best states for editors in 2026

1. New York

2. District of Columbia

3. Connecticut

4. Virginia

5. Massachusetts

6. Washington

7. North Dakota

8. New Jersey

9. New Hampshire

10. Vermont