Average journalism major salary

Updated September 14, 2023

$53,479

$28,00010%

$53,479Median

$100,00090%

What is the average journalism major salary in the US?

Journalism major graduates in the US make on average $53,479 annually or $25.71 hourly.Those in the bottom 10 percent make under $28,000 a year, and the top 10 percent make over $100,000.professional companies and technology companies have the most job opportunities for journalism major graduates.New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, California, and Washington have the highest paying jobs for journalism major graduates.

Best paying cities

$63,991

$63,838

$63,201

Average journalism salary by company

Journalism major graduates can expect good job security. However, some industries pay higher than others.professional companies and technology companies tend to have the highest concentration of employment for journalism major graduates.Companies like Meta or Google will get you the highest pay packages.Also, companies like Apple and Yahoo pay journalism major graduates very well.

Average salary by company

Rank	Company	Zippia score	Average journalism salary
1	1.Meta	4.8	$106,136
2	2.Google	4.8	$101,172
3	3.Apple	4.8	$96,144
4	4.Yahoo	4.8	$92,589
5	5.Bloomberg	4.8	$85,071
6	6.The New York Times Company	4.8	$78,657
7	7.F5	4.6	$78,144
8	8.Thomson Reuters	4.6	$77,389
9	9.ESPN	4.6	$76,185
10	10.The Washington Post	4.6	$74,654
11	11.Chicago Tribune	4.5	$74,140
12	12.Rocket Software	4.5	$72,697
13	13.CBS Sports Network	4.8	$72,532
14	14.Pwc	4.8	$72,285
15	15.Amazon	4.7	$71,924
16	16.Fox News	4.1	$69,487
17	17.Chicago Sun-Times	4.0	$69,066
18	18.McGraw Hill	4.7	$67,142
19	19.NBCUniversal	4.8	$65,610
20	20.Clear Channel Airport	4.5	$65,399

Average journalism major salary by city

The national average salary for a journalism major graduate in the United States is $53,479 per year or $25.71 per hour.The top city when it comes to salaries for journalism majors is Washington, DC at $63,991 per year.The average entry-level salary in Washington, DC is $33,000.journalism major graduates in San Francisco, CA, New York, NY, Washington, NJ, Hartford, CT, Des Moines, WA, and Boston, MA make the most money.New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, California, and Washington are the highest paying states.On the other hand, Alabama, Kansas, Florida, Louisiana, and Nebraska report the lowest wages for journalism major graduates.

Average salary by location

Rank	City	Average journalism salary	Salary range
1	Washington, DC	$63,991	$34k $92k
2	San Francisco, CA	$63,838	$34k $92k
3	New York, NY	$63,201	$34k $92k
4	Washington, NJ	$61,551	$34k $92k
5	Hartford, CT	$60,792	$34k $92k
6	Des Moines, WA	$59,497	$34k $92k
7	Boston, MA	$58,342	$34k $92k
8	Arlington, VA	$57,090	$34k $92k
9	Baltimore, MD	$54,757	$34k $92k
10	Philadelphia, PA	$53,232	$34k $92k
11	Las Vegas, NV	$53,009	$34k $92k
12	Portland, ME	$52,846	$34k $92k
13	Detroit, MI	$52,377	$34k $92k
14	Portland, OR	$52,281	$34k $92k
15	Chicago, IL	$51,904	$34k $92k
16	Saint Paul, MN	$51,199	$34k $92k
17	Cleveland, OH	$50,846	$34k $92k
18	Raleigh, NC	$49,699	$34k $92k
19	Richmond, KY	$49,463	$34k $92k
20	Phoenix, AZ	$49,168	$34k $92k

Average journalism major salary by state

The darker areas on the map show where journalism majors earn the highest salaries across all 50 states.

Average salary

Journalism major average salary by state

State	Average journalism major salary	Average hourly rate
New York	$62,965	$30.27
New Jersey	$61,912	$29.77
Connecticut	$61,245	$29.44
California	$59,318	$28.52
Washington	$59,117	$28.42
Massachusetts	$58,515	$28.13
New Hampshire	$57,246	$27.52
Virginia	$55,790	$26.82
Rhode Island	$55,237	$26.56
Vermont	$54,648	$26.27
Delaware	$54,636	$26.27
Maryland	$54,581	$26.24
Nevada	$53,477	$25.71
Pennsylvania	$53,025	$25.49
North Dakota	$52,578	$25.28
Oregon	$52,568	$25.27
Maine	$52,319	$25.15
Michigan	$52,235	$25.11
Illinois	$51,601	$24.81
Minnesota	$51,063	$24.55
West Virginia	$50,420	$24.24
Ohio	$49,529	$23.81
Idaho	$49,316	$23.71
Kentucky	$49,232	$23.67
Arizona	$49,107	$23.61
North Carolina	$48,769	$23.45
Colorado	$48,494	$23.31
New Mexico	$48,386	$23.26
Wisconsin	$48,060	$23.11
Alaska	$47,505	$22.84
Georgia	$47,491	$22.83
Wyoming	$46,656	$22.43
Tennessee	$46,613	$22.41
Hawaii	$46,023	$22.13
Arkansas	$45,635	$21.94
Texas	$45,633	$21.94
Oklahoma	$45,491	$21.87
Indiana	$45,001	$21.64
Utah	$44,697	$21.49
Montana	$44,148	$21.23
Iowa	$44,096	$21.20
South Dakota	$43,760	$21.04
Missouri	$43,519	$20.92
South Carolina	$43,092	$20.72
Alabama	$43,030	$20.69
Kansas	$42,890	$20.62
Florida	$42,286	$20.33
Louisiana	$42,068	$20.23
Nebraska	$41,871	$20.13
Mississippi	$39,617	$19.05

Highest paying jobs for journalism majors

Rank	Job title	Average salary	Open jobs
1	Enterprise Account Executive	$127,396	122,101
2	Senior Producer	$112,392	10,191
3	Attorney	$109,476	10,991
4	Deputy Editor	$96,893	13,475
5	Sports Reporter	$96,118	4,296
6	Communications Consultant	$91,455	29,942
7	User Experience Designer	$91,159	52,582
8	Senior Editor	$90,094	12,150
9	Managing Editor	$89,060	16,781
10	Digital Producer	$82,842	24,881
11	Senior Writer	$80,144	15,995
12	Senior Communications Specialist	$78,947	18,973
13	Senior Copywriter	$76,237	11,349
14	News Photographer	$76,013	7,850
15	Business Analyst	$74,430	170,514
16	Data Analyst	$74,342	167,520
17	Medical Sales Representative	$74,079	206,149
18	Food Editor	$73,042	52,714
19	Analyst	$73,007	253,138
20	Producer	$72,201	10,610

Average journalism major salary by industry

Wages for journalism major graduates can differ based on the industry they work in.By looking at our data, we can see that technology companies, transportation companies, and media companies pay journalism major graduates well.technology companies pay journalism major graduates an average salary of $73,447, transportation companies pay $63,933, and media companies come in at $46,039.At $33,390, the average salary for journalism majors in the retail industry is lower than other industries.

Average salary by industry

Rank	Industry	Average journalism major salary	Range
1	Technology	$73,447	$27k $95k
2	Transportation	$63,933	$27k $95k
3	Media	$46,039	$27k $95k
4	Telecommunication	$44,347	$27k $95k
5	Professional	$42,532	$27k $95k
6	Manufacturing	$40,415	$27k $95k
7	Finance	$39,126	$27k $95k
8	Government	$34,537	$27k $95k
9	Health Care	$34,046	$27k $95k
10	Retail	$33,390	$27k $95k

Salary history for journalism major graduates

This data shows the national average salary between 2011-2020 among Journalism major graduates.

Salaries for related majors

Rank	Major	Average salary	Range
1	Advertising	$62,238	$30k $88k
2	Speech Communication And Rhetoric	$61,295	$30k $88k
3	Publishing	$55,507	$30k $88k
4	Journalism And Mass Communications	$53,372	$30k $88k
5	Public Relations	$50,648	$30k $88k
6	Digital Media	$48,393	$30k $88k
7	Communication	$45,257	$30k $88k