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The differences between editorial directors and 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 editorial director and an editor. Additionally, an editorial director has an average salary of $99,934, which is higher than the $52,107 average annual salary of an editor.
The top three skills for an editorial director include editorial content, web content and editorial strategy. The most important skills for an editor are web content, video content, and SEO.
| Editorial Director | Editor | |
| Yearly salary | $99,934 | $52,107 |
| Hourly rate | $48.05 | $25.05 |
| Growth rate | -5% | -5% |
| Number of jobs | 11,143 | 15,115 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 80% | Bachelor's Degree, 77% |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
An Editorial Director will plan, coordinate, and edit all written content for a publication or a website. As the Editorial Director, they are responsible for planning the company's vision for the publication, including its short- and long-term goals. They are also responsible for supervising other editors and developing the guidelines on the types of manuscripts they should seek. Other duties that Editorial Directors perform include planning the publication's contents, allocating work to editors-in-chief and editorial managers, and coordinating other departments' work as needed.
An editor is the one responsible for polishing and refining a story, article, and any material for publication in newspapers, magazines, books, or websites. Editors have the power to either accept or reject a material as they need to ensure that every manuscript which will be offered for publishing is at the best version as it can be. There are several types of editors, from copy editors, books to managing editors, but they have few skills in common, like strong writing skills, good judgment, and leadership abilities to help guide the whole editorial team. Most of them work in the office, but it is quite becoming more regular for them to work remotely.
Editorial directors and editors have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Editorial Director | Editor | |
| Average salary | $99,934 | $52,107 |
| Salary range | Between $68,000 And $144,000 | Between $34,000 And $78,000 |
| Highest paying City | New Haven, CT | Washington, DC |
| Highest paying state | Connecticut | New York |
| Best paying company | McKinsey & Company Inc | Microsoft |
| Best paying industry | Professional | Technology |
There are a few differences between an editorial director and an editor in terms of educational background:
| Editorial Director | Editor | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 80% | Bachelor's Degree, 77% |
| Most common major | English | English |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | Northwestern University |
Here are the differences between editorial directors' and editors' demographics:
| Editorial Director | Editor | |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 48.3% Female, 51.7% | Male, 46.4% Female, 53.6% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 3.6% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 8.1% Asian, 7.2% White, 76.3% 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% |