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The differences between executive editors 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 executive editor and a copy editor. Additionally, an executive editor has an average salary of $110,541, which is higher than the $62,599 average annual salary of a copy editor.
The top three skills for an executive editor include editorial content, editorial calendar and digital content. The most important skills for a copy editor are proofreading, house style, and digital publishing.
| Executive Editor | Copy Editor | |
| Yearly salary | $110,541 | $62,599 |
| Hourly rate | $53.14 | $30.10 |
| Growth rate | -5% | -5% |
| Number of jobs | 75,810 | 4,866 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 81% | Bachelor's Degree, 83% |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
An executive editor supervises the editorial content of magazines, newspapers, or other publications. In the corporate setting, an executive editor often arranges a book's publishing. In a newspaper setting, an executive editor is the newsroom leader, and in larger newspapers, they coordinate all aspects of the publication's production. They must have the ability to manage subordinates and assistant editors and be experienced with Associated Press style.
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.
Executive editors and copy editors have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Executive Editor | Copy Editor | |
| Average salary | $110,541 | $62,599 |
| Salary range | Between $43,000 And $278,000 | Between $39,000 And $98,000 |
| Highest paying City | New York, NY | Washington, DC |
| Highest paying state | New York | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | American Media | PayPal |
| Best paying industry | Media | Finance |
There are a few differences between an executive editor and a copy editor in terms of educational background:
| Executive Editor | Copy Editor | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 81% | Bachelor's Degree, 83% |
| Most common major | Journalism | English |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | Northwestern University |
Here are the differences between executive editors' and copy editors' demographics:
| Executive Editor | Copy Editor | |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 50.1% Female, 49.9% | Male, 39.2% Female, 60.8% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 3.6% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 8.1% Asian, 7.3% 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% |