News reporter demographics and statistics in the US
News reporter demographics research summary. Zippia estimates news reporter demographics and statistics in the United States by using a database of 30 million profiles. Our news reporter 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 reporters after extensive research and analysis:
- There are over 17,218 news reporters currently employed in the United States.
- 55.0% of all news reporters are women, while 45.0% are men.
- The average news reporter age is 40 years old.
- The most common ethnicity of news reporters is White (67.0%), followed by Hispanic or Latino (12.4%), Asian (9.6%) and Black or African American (6.3%).
- News reporters are most in-demand in New York, NY.
- The media industry is the highest-paying for news reporters.
- 10% of all news reporters are LGBT.
On this page
News reporter demographics by:
News reporter gender statistics
55.0% of news reporters are women and 45.0% of news reporters are men.
- Female, 55.0%
- Male, 45.0%
News reporter gender ratio
| Gender | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Female | 55.0% |
| Male | 45.0% |
News reporter gender pay gap
Women earn 98¢ for every $1 earned by men
Male income
$39,093
Female income
$38,188
News reporter gender ratio over time
This data breaks down the percentage of men and women in news reporter positions over time. Currently, 55.0% of news reporters are female.
News reporter gender ratio by year
| Year | Male | Female |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 46.60% | 53.40% |
| 2011 | 46.17% | 53.83% |
| 2012 | 46.14% | 53.86% |
| 2013 | 49.17% | 50.83% |
| 2014 | 51.73% | 48.27% |
| 2015 | 45.77% | 54.23% |
| 2016 | 47.73% | 52.27% |
| 2017 | 44.52% | 55.48% |
| 2018 | 49.15% | 50.85% |
| 2019 | 45.60% | 54.40% |
| 2020 | 49.61% | 50.39% |
| 2021 | 44.96% | 55.04% |
News reporter related jobs gender ratio
We compared news reporters 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 Reporter | 45% | 55% |
| 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 reporter demographics by race
The most common ethnicity among news reporters is White, which makes up 67.0% of all news reporters. Comparatively, 12.4% of news reporters are Hispanic or Latino and 9.6% of news reporters are Asian.
- White, 67.0%
- Hispanic or Latino, 12.4%
- Asian, 9.6%
- Black or African American, 6.3%
- Unknown, 4.4%
- American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%
News reporter race
| News reporter race | Percentages |
|---|---|
| White | 67.0% |
| Hispanic or Latino | 12.4% |
| Asian | 9.6% |
| Black or African American | 6.3% |
| Unknown | 4.4% |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 0.3% |
News reporter race and ethnicity over time
See how news reporter racial and ethnic diversity trended since 2010 according to the United States Census Bureau data.
News reporter race and ethnicity by year
| Year | White | Black or African American | Asian | Hispanic or Latino |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 74.07% | 7.23% | 6.11% | 10.48% |
| 2011 | 76.47% | 5.39% | 5.82% | 9.33% |
| 2012 | 74.05% | 7.15% | 6.75% | 9.90% |
| 2013 | 73.06% | 6.93% | 6.37% | 11.68% |
| 2014 | 72.49% | 6.36% | 6.71% | 11.34% |
| 2015 | 71.34% | 7.90% | 5.87% | 11.74% |
| 2016 | 74.36% | 4.64% | 6.60% | 10.09% |
| 2017 | 72.07% | 5.89% | 6.59% | 12.47% |
| 2018 | 70.08% | 7.41% | 6.87% | 13.49% |
| 2019 | 70.98% | 5.32% | 8.49% | 11.91% |
| 2020 | 71.63% | 6.43% | 7.31% | 11.54% |
| 2021 | 66.98% | 6.31% | 9.60% | 12.45% |
News reporter wage gap by race
According to our data, hispanic or latino news reporters have the highest average salary compared to other ethnicities. Black or african american news reporters have the lowest average salary at $35,178.
| Ethnicity | Salary |
|---|---|
| Unknown | $38,678 |
| White | $38,767 |
| Black or African American | $35,178 |
| Asian | $41,129 |
| Hispanic or Latino | $42,088 |
Average news reporter age
See how the average age of news reporters varies based on ethnicity and gender.
Male
Female
News reporter 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 reporter age breakdown
The average age of news reporters is 40+ years years old, representing 44% of the news reporter population.
News reporter age breakdown
| News Reporter Years | Percentages |
|---|---|
| 40+ years | 44% |
| 30-40 years | 32% |
| 20-30 years | 24% |
News reporter educational attainment
The most common degree for news reporters is bachelor's degree, with 83% of news reporters earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are associate degree degree at 7% and associate degree degree at 6%.
- Bachelor's, 83%
- Associate, 7%
- Master's, 6%
- High School Diploma, 2%
- Other Degrees, 2%
News reporters by degree level
| News reporter degree | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Bachelor's | 83% |
| Associate | 7% |
| Master's | 6% |
| High School Diploma | 2% |
| Other Degrees | 2% |
News reporter jobs you might like
News reporter wage gap by degree level
| Education | Salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $44,747 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $42,829 |
News reporter employment statistics
Most news reporters work for a private in the media industry.
Company size where news reporters work
Below, you can see the size of companies where news reporters work.
News reporter jobs by employer size
| Company size | Percentages |
|---|---|
| < 50 employees | 9% |
| 50 - 100 employees | 21% |
| 100 - 500 employees | 28% |
| 500 - 1,000 employees | 13% |
| 1,000 - 10,000 employees | 23% |
| > 10,000 employees | 6% |
News reporter jobs by company type
Employees with the news reporter job title have their preferences when it comes to working for a company. For instance, most news reporters prefer to work at private companies over public companies.
News reporter jobs by sector
| Company type | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Education | 11% |
| Public | 11% |
| Private | 76% |
| Government | 2% |
News reporter jobs by industry
The most common industries for news reporters are media, education and manufacturing.
News reporter industry statistics
| Industry | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Media | 65% |
| Education | 10% |
| Manufacturing | 4% |
| Finance | 2% |
| Government | 2% |
| Fortune 500 | 2% |
| Professional | 2% |
| Technology | 2% |
| Telecommunication | 2% |
| Non Profits | 1% |
| Utilities | 1% |
| Health Care | 1% |
| Construction | 1% |
| Internet | 1% |
| Retail | 1% |
News reporter turnover and employment statistics
News reporter unemployment rate over time
The unemployment rate for news reporters between 2008 and the most recent data has varied, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
News reporter unemployment rate by year
| Year | News reporter 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 reporter tenure
The average news reporter stays at their job for 1-2 years, based on the 4,727 news reporters resumes in Zippia's database.
News reporter tenure statistics
| Number of years | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Less than 1 year | 29% |
| 1-2 years | 39% |
| 3-4 years | 13% |
| 5-7 years | 10% |
| 8-10 years | 4% |
| 11+ years | 5% |
News reporter LGBT ratio compared to similar jobs
Review the percent of news reporters 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 Reporter | 10.10% | - |
| Radio Internship | 10.34% | 49,838 |
| Digital Media Coordinator | 12.01% | 39,317 |
| Online Editor | 12.38% | 5,474 |
| Court Interpreter | 14.90% | 4,250 |
| Advertising Writer | 16.36% | 13,726 |
| Mobile Disc Jockey | 16.36% | 5,576 |
Similar news reporter jobs LGBT demographics
| Profession | Percentages of LGBT | Job openings |
|---|---|---|
| Radio Internship | 10.34% | 49,838 |
| Digital Media Coordinator | 12.01% | 39,317 |
| Online Editor | 12.38% | 5,474 |
| Court Interpreter | 14.90% | 4,250 |
| Advertising Writer | 16.36% | 13,726 |
| Mobile Disc Jockey | 16.36% | 5,576 |
Foreign languages spoken by news reporters
The most common foreign language among news reporters is Spanish at 47.1%. The second-most popular foreign language spoken is French at 10.6% and Chinese is the third-most popular at 6.9%.
- Spanish, 47.1%
- French, 10.6%
- Chinese, 6.9%
- Mandarin, 5.1%
- German, 4.0%
- Other, 26.3%
News reporter languages spoken
| Foreign language | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Spanish | 47.1% |
| French | 10.6% |
| Chinese | 6.9% |
| Mandarin | 5.1% |
| German | 4.0% |
| Other | 26.3% |
