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Best states for a news writer
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Brant Houston
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Do you want to become a news writer at Fox, and you wonder what that means or entails? We have the full list of best states for news writers that you can check out, before you begin your journey. As news writers are popular in the U.S., we wanted to bring you a list of the best states for news writers. In case you are trying to decide where to start your career as a news writer, or if you are considering moving to a different city or state, we got you covered.
We figured that the best places for news writer jobs has three things everyone would agree on. There would be high annual wages, good career prospects (no matter what phase of the career you are in), and a lot of job opportunities.If you are currently seeking employment as a news writer, you can find open job positions using Zippia's search tools.
10 best states for news writers in 2025
1. New York
Total news writer jobs: 806 Average annual salary: $64,654 Lowest 10 percent earn: $42,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $98,000 Location Quotient: 2.22
2. Vermont
Total news writer jobs: 27 Average annual salary: $59,585 Lowest 10 percent earn: $40,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $87,000 Location Quotient: 1.24
3. District of Columbia
Total news writer jobs: 213 Average annual salary: $61,765 Lowest 10 percent earn: $40,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $94,000 Location Quotient: 4.47
4. New Jersey
Total news writer jobs: 239 Average annual salary: $62,973 Lowest 10 percent earn: $41,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $95,000 Location Quotient: 1.06
5. Massachusetts
Total news writer jobs: 352 Average annual salary: $54,727 Lowest 10 percent earn: $36,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $81,000 Location Quotient: 1.35
6. Maryland
Total news writer jobs: 328 Average annual salary: $55,385 Lowest 10 percent earn: $36,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $85,000 Location Quotient: 1.82
7. Washington
Total news writer jobs: 227 Average annual salary: $55,210 Lowest 10 percent earn: $37,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $81,000 Location Quotient: 1.1
8. Rhode Island
Total news writer jobs: 31 Average annual salary: $53,935 Lowest 10 percent earn: $35,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $80,000 Location Quotient: 0.9
9. Michigan
Total news writer jobs: 155 Average annual salary: $54,047 Lowest 10 percent earn: $35,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $81,000 Location Quotient: 0.7
10. Delaware
Total news writer jobs: 31 Average annual salary: $53,145 Lowest 10 percent earn: $34,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $81,000 Location Quotient: 0.87
News writer jobsNear Columbus, OH
How Zippia determines the best states to be a news writer
You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.
Detailed list of the best states for a news writer
| Rank | State | Average salary | Lowest 10% earn | Population | Job count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New York | $64,654 | $42,000 | 19,849,399 | 806 |
| 2 | Vermont | $59,585 | $40,000 | 623,657 | 27 |
| 3 | District of Columbia | $61,765 | $40,000 | 693,972 | 213 |
| 4 | New Jersey | $62,973 | $41,000 | 9,005,644 | 239 |
| 5 | Massachusetts | $54,727 | $36,000 | 6,859,819 | 352 |
| 6 | Maryland | $55,385 | $36,000 | 6,052,177 | 328 |
| 7 | Washington | $55,210 | $37,000 | 7,405,743 | 227 |
| 8 | Rhode Island | $53,935 | $35,000 | 1,059,639 | 31 |
| 9 | Michigan | $54,047 | $35,000 | 9,962,311 | 155 |
| 10 | Delaware | $53,145 | $34,000 | 961,939 | 31 |
| 11 | Maine | $59,371 | $40,000 | 1,335,907 | 15 |
| 12 | Pennsylvania | $52,731 | $34,000 | 12,805,537 | 253 |
| 13 | New Hampshire | $52,041 | $35,000 | 1,342,795 | 37 |
| 14 | Connecticut | $52,099 | $34,000 | 3,588,184 | 83 |
| 15 | Missouri | $48,904 | $34,000 | 6,113,532 | 145 |
| 16 | Alaska | $48,050 | $38,000 | 739,795 | 34 |
| 17 | Nevada | $45,852 | $30,000 | 2,998,039 | 71 |
| 18 | Illinois | $49,045 | $33,000 | 12,802,023 | 325 |
| 19 | Virginia | $46,695 | $30,000 | 8,470,020 | 402 |
| 20 | Ohio | $50,102 | $33,000 | 11,658,609 | 163 |
| 21 | Kentucky | $50,473 | $34,000 | 4,454,189 | 49 |
| 22 | New Mexico | $45,267 | $30,000 | 2,088,070 | 44 |
| 23 | Oregon | $44,035 | $29,000 | 4,142,776 | 199 |
| 24 | California | $46,000 | $30,000 | 39,536,653 | 1,069 |
| 25 | Tennessee | $44,179 | $30,000 | 6,715,984 | 104 |
| 26 | North Carolina | $43,126 | $28,000 | 10,273,419 | 259 |
| 27 | North Dakota | $41,494 | $29,000 | 755,393 | 26 |
| 28 | West Virginia | $43,164 | $28,000 | 1,815,857 | 32 |
| 29 | Minnesota | $44,597 | $30,000 | 5,576,606 | 145 |
| 30 | Wyoming | $40,432 | $28,000 | 579,315 | 32 |
| 31 | Arkansas | $43,019 | $29,000 | 3,004,279 | 48 |
| 32 | Oklahoma | $42,680 | $29,000 | 3,930,864 | 55 |
| 33 | Iowa | $42,240 | $29,000 | 3,145,711 | 60 |
| 34 | Wisconsin | $41,797 | $28,000 | 5,795,483 | 104 |
| 35 | Utah | $40,185 | $27,000 | 3,101,833 | 106 |
| 36 | Arizona | $41,994 | $28,000 | 7,016,270 | 118 |
| 37 | Louisiana | $42,792 | $29,000 | 4,684,333 | 38 |
| 38 | Nebraska | $39,179 | $27,000 | 1,920,076 | 75 |
| 39 | Texas | $40,657 | $27,000 | 28,304,596 | 458 |
| 40 | Colorado | $39,943 | $27,000 | 5,607,154 | 152 |
| 41 | Indiana | $40,107 | $27,000 | 6,666,818 | 103 |
| 42 | Georgia | $40,614 | $27,000 | 10,429,379 | 201 |
| 43 | Kansas | $39,860 | $27,000 | 2,913,123 | 55 |
| 44 | Alabama | $39,175 | $27,000 | 4,874,747 | 70 |
| 45 | Idaho | $38,606 | $26,000 | 1,716,943 | 35 |
| 46 | Montana | $37,022 | $26,000 | 1,050,493 | 29 |
| 47 | Hawaii | $34,032 | $26,000 | 1,427,538 | 23 |
| 48 | Florida | $38,116 | $25,000 | 20,984,400 | 356 |
| 49 | South Dakota | $37,539 | $26,000 | 869,666 | 15 |
| 50 | Mississippi | $37,923 | $26,000 | 2,984,100 | 22 |
| 51 | South Carolina | $35,654 | $24,000 | 5,024,369 | 81 |
Highest paying states for news writers
| Rank | State | Avg. News Writer Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | New York | $64,654 |
| 2 | Vermont | $59,585 |
| 3 | District of Columbia | $61,765 |
| 4 | New Jersey | $62,973 |
| 5 | Massachusetts | $54,727 |
| 6 | Maryland | $55,385 |
| 7 | Washington | $55,210 |
| 8 | Rhode Island | $53,935 |
| 9 | Michigan | $54,047 |
| 10 | Delaware | $53,145 |
| 11 | Maine | $59,371 |
| 12 | Pennsylvania | $52,731 |
| 13 | New Hampshire | $52,041 |
| 14 | Connecticut | $52,099 |
| 15 | Missouri | $48,904 |
| 16 | Alaska | $48,050 |
| 17 | Nevada | $45,852 |
| 18 | Illinois | $49,045 |
| 19 | Virginia | $46,695 |
| 20 | Ohio | $50,102 |
| 21 | Kentucky | $50,473 |
| 22 | New Mexico | $45,267 |
| 23 | Oregon | $44,035 |
| 24 | California | $46,000 |
| 25 | Tennessee | $44,179 |
| 26 | North Carolina | $43,126 |
| 27 | North Dakota | $41,494 |
| 28 | West Virginia | $43,164 |
| 29 | Minnesota | $44,597 |
| 30 | Wyoming | $40,432 |
| 31 | Arkansas | $43,019 |
| 32 | Oklahoma | $42,680 |
| 33 | Iowa | $42,240 |
| 34 | Wisconsin | $41,797 |
| 35 | Utah | $40,185 |
| 36 | Arizona | $41,994 |
| 37 | Louisiana | $42,792 |
| 38 | Nebraska | $39,179 |
| 39 | Texas | $40,657 |
| 40 | Colorado | $39,943 |
| 41 | Indiana | $40,107 |
| 42 | Georgia | $40,614 |
| 43 | Kansas | $39,860 |
| 44 | Alabama | $39,175 |
| 45 | Idaho | $38,606 |
| 46 | Montana | $37,022 |
| 47 | Hawaii | $34,032 |
| 48 | Florida | $38,116 |
| 49 | South Dakota | $37,539 |
| 50 | Mississippi | $37,923 |
| 51 | South Carolina | $35,654 |
Expert opinions on the best states for news writers
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for news writers to find work opportunities?
Brant Houston
Professor and Knight Chair in Investigative & Enterprise Reporting Director of Graduate Studies, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Any place with healthy nonprofit newsrooms and more than 250 (you can find them listed the Institute for Nonprofit News) across the country is an excellent place to look, and the pay is often more than at for-profits these days. One area where there are many nonprofits in Chicago.
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Updated January 8, 2025