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The differences between news reporters and feature writers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a news reporter and a feature writer. Additionally, a news reporter has an average salary of $41,481, which is higher than the $35,590 average annual salary of a feature writer.
The top three skills for a news reporter include digital marketing, local community and facebook. The most important skills for a feature writer are web content, feature stories, and lifestyle.
| News Reporter | Feature Writer | |
| Yearly salary | $41,481 | $35,590 |
| Hourly rate | $19.94 | $17.11 |
| Growth rate | -10% | 6% |
| Number of jobs | 11,609 | 10,279 |
| Job satisfaction | 4 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 83% | Bachelor's Degree, 81% |
| Average age | 40 | 46 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
News Reporters collect and analyze facts about newsworthy events through interview, investigation, or observation. They carry cameras and take photos and video footage of objects or places of potential significance.
A feature writer is someone who writes real-time news, telling it with a mix of narrative and proper news writing. They can choose from a variety of topics and styles. They have a wide vocabulary to give a big impact. They also use idiomatic expressions and figures of speech to compel readers into reading and digging for more information based on what they wrote. However, despite making these stories and features colorful, that doesn't permit any feature writer to write any false narrative and must make sure that their articles are still factual and educational.
News reporters and feature writers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| News Reporter | Feature Writer | |
| Average salary | $41,481 | $35,590 |
| Salary range | Between $26,000 And $64,000 | Between $24,000 And $51,000 |
| Highest paying City | New York, NY | - |
| Highest paying state | New York | - |
| Best paying company | The Monitor Group | - |
| Best paying industry | Media | - |
There are a few differences between a news reporter and a feature writer in terms of educational background:
| News Reporter | Feature Writer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 83% | Bachelor's Degree, 81% |
| Most common major | Journalism | Journalism |
| Most common college | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
Here are the differences between news reporters' and feature writers' demographics:
| News Reporter | Feature Writer | |
| Average age | 40 | 46 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 45.0% Female, 55.0% | Male, 42.3% Female, 57.7% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 6.3% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 12.4% Asian, 9.6% White, 67.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% | Black or African American, 6.7% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 7.9% Asian, 8.8% White, 71.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 10% | 11% |