News anchor demographics and statistics in the US
News anchor demographics research summary. Zippia estimates news anchor demographics and statistics in the United States by using a database of 30 million profiles. Our news anchor estimates are verified against BLS, Census, and current job openings data for accuracy. Zippia's data science team found the following key facts about news anchors after extensive research and analysis:
- There are over 7,485 news anchors currently employed in the United States.
- 51.3% of all news anchors are women, while 48.7% are men.
- The average news anchor age is 40 years old.
- The most common ethnicity of news anchors is White (66.7%), followed by Hispanic or Latino (12.6%), Asian (9.7%) and Black or African American (6.4%).
- In 2022, women earned 99% of what men earned.
- 10% of all news anchors are LGBT.
- News anchors are 71% more likely to work at private companies in comparison to public companies.
On this page
News anchor demographics by:
News anchor gender statistics
51.3% of news anchors are women and 48.7% of news anchors are men.
- Female, 51.3%
- Male, 48.7%
News anchor gender ratio
| Gender | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Female | 51.3% |
| Male | 48.7% |
News anchor gender pay gap
Women earn 99¢ for every $1 earned by men
Male income
$41,931
Female income
$41,420
News anchor gender ratio over time
This data breaks down the percentage of men and women in news anchor positions over time. Currently, 51.3% of news anchors are female.
News anchor gender ratio by year
| Year | Male | Female |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 50.39% | 49.61% |
| 2011 | 49.95% | 50.05% |
| 2012 | 49.92% | 50.08% |
| 2013 | 52.96% | 47.04% |
| 2014 | 55.50% | 44.50% |
| 2015 | 49.55% | 50.45% |
| 2016 | 51.52% | 48.48% |
| 2017 | 48.29% | 51.71% |
| 2018 | 52.93% | 47.07% |
| 2019 | 49.38% | 50.62% |
| 2020 | 53.39% | 46.61% |
| 2021 | 48.74% | 51.26% |
News anchor related jobs gender ratio
We compared news anchors with similar job titles to see how gender ratios vary. As you can see, public address announcer and track announcer have the biggest gender ratio gaps.
| Job title | Male | Female |
|---|---|---|
| Paraprofessional Interpreter | 12% | 88% |
| Deaf Interpreter | 15% | 85% |
| Fashion Journalist | 15% | 85% |
| News Anchor | 49% | 51% |
| Sports Announcer | 91% | 9% |
| Track Announcer | 92% | 8% |
| Public Address Announcer | 93% | 7% |
Male
Female
100%
75%
50%
25%
0%
0%
25%
50%
75%
100%
News anchor demographics by race
The most common ethnicity among news anchors is White, which makes up 66.7% of all news anchors. Comparatively, 12.6% of news anchors are Hispanic or Latino and 9.7% of news anchors are Asian.
- White, 66.7%
- Hispanic or Latino, 12.6%
- Asian, 9.7%
- Black or African American, 6.4%
- Unknown, 4.4%
- American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
News anchor race
| News anchor race | Percentages |
|---|---|
| White | 66.7% |
| Hispanic or Latino | 12.6% |
| Asian | 9.7% |
| Black or African American | 6.4% |
| Unknown | 4.4% |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 0.2% |
News anchor race and ethnicity over time
See how news anchor racial and ethnic diversity trended since 2010 according to the United States Census Bureau data.
News anchor race and ethnicity by year
| Year | White | Black or African American | Asian | Hispanic or Latino |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 73.82% | 7.28% | 6.17% | 10.61% |
| 2011 | 76.23% | 5.44% | 5.88% | 9.46% |
| 2012 | 73.80% | 7.20% | 6.81% | 10.03% |
| 2013 | 72.82% | 6.98% | 6.43% | 11.81% |
| 2014 | 72.25% | 6.42% | 6.77% | 11.46% |
| 2015 | 71.09% | 7.95% | 5.92% | 11.87% |
| 2016 | 74.11% | 4.69% | 6.65% | 10.21% |
| 2017 | 71.82% | 5.94% | 6.64% | 12.59% |
| 2018 | 69.83% | 7.47% | 6.92% | 13.61% |
| 2019 | 70.74% | 5.37% | 8.55% | 12.03% |
| 2020 | 71.38% | 6.48% | 7.36% | 11.67% |
| 2021 | 66.73% | 6.36% | 9.66% | 12.58% |
News anchor wage gap by race
According to our data, hispanic or latino news anchors have the highest average salary compared to other ethnicities. Black or african american news anchors have the lowest average salary at $39,989.
| Ethnicity | Salary |
|---|---|
| Unknown | $41,637 |
| White | $41,730 |
| Black or African American | $39,989 |
| Asian | $42,877 |
| Hispanic or Latino | $43,508 |
Average news anchor age
See how the average age of news anchors varies based on ethnicity and gender.
Male
Female
News anchor age by race and gender
| Race | Male age | Female age |
|---|---|---|
| Unknown | 50 | 36 |
| White | 39 | 38 |
| Black or African American | 29 | 27.5 |
| Asian | 38 | 33 |
| Hispanic or Latino | 38 | 36 |
News anchor age breakdown
The average age of news anchors is 40+ years years old, representing 44% of the news anchor population.
News anchor age breakdown
| News Anchor Years | Percentages |
|---|---|
| 40+ years | 44% |
| 30-40 years | 32% |
| 20-30 years | 24% |
News anchor educational attainment
The most common degree for news anchors is bachelor's degree, with 82% of news anchors earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are associate degree degree at 8% and associate degree degree at 6%.
- Bachelor's, 82%
- Associate, 8%
- Master's, 6%
- High School Diploma, 2%
- Other Degrees, 2%
News anchors by degree level
| News anchor degree | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Bachelor's | 82% |
| Associate | 8% |
| Master's | 6% |
| High School Diploma | 2% |
| Other Degrees | 2% |
News anchor jobs you might like
News anchor wage gap by degree level
| Education | Salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $44,994 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $43,978 |
News anchor employment statistics
Most news anchors work for a private in the media industry.
Company size where news anchors work
Below, you can see the size of companies where news anchors work.
News anchor jobs by employer size
| Company size | Percentages |
|---|---|
| < 50 employees | 8% |
| 50 - 100 employees | 23% |
| 100 - 500 employees | 31% |
| 500 - 1,000 employees | 7% |
| 1,000 - 10,000 employees | 22% |
| > 10,000 employees | 9% |
News anchor jobs by company type
Employees with the news anchor job title have their preferences when it comes to working for a company. For instance, most news anchors prefer to work at private companies over public companies.
News anchor jobs by sector
| Company type | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Education | 11% |
| Public | 14% |
| Private | 71% |
| Government | 4% |
News anchor jobs by industry
The most common industries for news anchors are media, education and professional.
News anchor industry statistics
| Industry | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Media | 57% |
| Education | 9% |
| Fortune 500 | 4% |
| Professional | 4% |
| Manufacturing | 3% |
| Government | 3% |
| Internet | 3% |
| Non Profits | 2% |
| Hospitality | 2% |
| Retail | 2% |
| Technology | 2% |
| Start-up | 2% |
| Finance | 2% |
| Transportation | 1% |
| Telecommunication | 1% |
| Energy | 1% |
| Utilities | 1% |
| Health Care | 1% |
| Construction | 1% |
| Automotive | 1% |
News anchor turnover and employment statistics
News anchor unemployment rate over time
The unemployment rate for news anchors between 2008 and the most recent data has varied, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
News anchor unemployment rate by year
| Year | News anchor unemployment rate |
|---|---|
| 2010 | 6.18% |
| 2011 | 5.45% |
| 2012 | 5.99% |
| 2013 | 3.17% |
| 2014 | 4.18% |
| 2015 | 4.87% |
| 2016 | 2.80% |
| 2017 | 2.13% |
| 2018 | 2.79% |
| 2019 | 4.35% |
| 2020 | 5.70% |
| 2021 | 3.87% |
Average news anchor tenure
The average news anchor stays at their job for 1-2 years, based on the 2,584 news anchors resumes in Zippia's database.
News anchor tenure statistics
| Number of years | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Less than 1 year | 19% |
| 1-2 years | 38% |
| 3-4 years | 18% |
| 5-7 years | 12% |
| 8-10 years | 5% |
| 11+ years | 9% |
News anchor LGBT ratio compared to similar jobs
Review the percent of news anchors that are members of the LGBT community. You can see how this compares to similar jobs in the chart below.
| Job title | LGBT | Job openings |
|---|---|---|
| News Anchor | 10.10% | - |
| Radio Disk Jockey | 10.34% | 4,111 |
| Community Relations Internship | 12.01% | 67,285 |
| Junior Editor | 12.38% | 18,857 |
| Interpretive Program Coordinator | 14.90% | 75,160 |
| Librettist | 16.36% | 10 |
| Track Announcer | 16.36% | 736 |
Similar news anchor jobs LGBT demographics
| Profession | Percentages of LGBT | Job openings |
|---|---|---|
| Radio Disk Jockey | 10.34% | 4,111 |
| Community Relations Internship | 12.01% | 67,285 |
| Junior Editor | 12.38% | 18,857 |
| Interpretive Program Coordinator | 14.90% | 75,160 |
| Librettist | 16.36% | 10 |
| Track Announcer | 16.36% | 736 |
Foreign languages spoken by news anchors
The most common foreign language among news anchors is Spanish at 47.2%. The second-most popular foreign language spoken is French at 8.0% and Chinese is the third-most popular at 5.5%.
- Spanish, 47.2%
- French, 8.0%
- Chinese, 5.5%
- Mandarin, 4.3%
- German, 3.7%
- Other, 31.3%
News anchor languages spoken
| Foreign language | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Spanish | 47.2% |
| French | 8.0% |
| Chinese | 5.5% |
| Mandarin | 4.3% |
| German | 3.7% |
| Other | 31.3% |
