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The differences between features 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 a features editor and a copy editor. Additionally, a copy editor has an average salary of $62,599, which is higher than the $59,420 average annual salary of a features editor.
The top three skills for a features editor include editorial content, layout design and SEO. The most important skills for a copy editor are proofreading, house style, and digital publishing.
| Features Editor | Copy Editor | |
| Yearly salary | $59,420 | $62,599 |
| Hourly rate | $28.57 | $30.10 |
| Growth rate | -5% | -5% |
| Number of jobs | 11,748 | 4,866 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 83% | Bachelor's Degree, 83% |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
A features editor's duty is to oversee and delegate the articles in the feature section of newspapers, magazines, and other digital publications to writers. Their job also includes pitching suitable articles from freelancers and making sure that the articles made for their publication are informative, on topic, and well-written. Also, the features editor must be detail-oriented and meticulous to ensure that every article is error-free and creative since they are the ones who supervise and decide whether the stories are ethical and factual enough before publishing.
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.
Features editors and copy editors have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Features Editor | Copy Editor | |
| Average salary | $59,420 | $62,599 |
| Salary range | Between $36,000 And $96,000 | Between $39,000 And $98,000 |
| Highest paying City | New York, NY | Washington, DC |
| Highest paying state | New York | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | Roku | PayPal |
| Best paying industry | Non Profits | Finance |
There are a few differences between a features editor and a copy editor in terms of educational background:
| Features Editor | Copy Editor | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 83% | Bachelor's Degree, 83% |
| Most common major | Journalism | English |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | Northwestern University |
Here are the differences between features editors' and copy editors' demographics:
| Features Editor | Copy Editor | |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 37.1% Female, 62.9% | Male, 39.2% Female, 60.8% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 3.5% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 7.8% Asian, 7.0% White, 76.8% 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% |