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Job outlook for political reporters in the United States
Are political reporter jobs in demand?
Political reporter job and salary trends over time
Political reporter jobs over time
Political reporter job growth rate over time
| Year | # of jobs | % of population |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 100 | 0.00% |
| 2020 | 106 | 0.00% |
| 2019 | 113 | 0.00% |
| 2018 | 100 | 0.00% |
| 2017 | 104 | 0.00% |
Average political reporter salary over time
Political reporter salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $60,535 | $29.10 | +3.5% |
| 2024 | $58,482 | $28.12 | +3.0% |
| 2023 | $56,803 | $27.31 | +4.8% |
| 2022 | $54,201 | $26.06 | +4.1% |
| 2021 | $52,067 | $25.03 | +4.0% |
Political reporter jobs by state
Most common states for political reporters
| Rank | State | Population | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | District of Columbia | 693,972 | 199 | 29% |
| 2 | Maryland | 6,052,177 | 299 | 5% |
| 3 | Wyoming | 579,315 | 29 | 5% |
| 4 | Virginia | 8,470,020 | 373 | 4% |
| 5 | Massachusetts | 6,859,819 | 250 | 4% |
| 6 | Oregon | 4,142,776 | 155 | 4% |
| 7 | New York | 19,849,399 | 643 | 3% |
| 8 | Nebraska | 1,920,076 | 49 | 3% |
| 9 | Alaska | 739,795 | 25 | 3% |
| 10 | Vermont | 623,657 | 19 | 3% |
| 11 | California | 39,536,653 | 788 | 2% |
| 12 | North Carolina | 10,273,419 | 190 | 2% |
| 13 | Washington | 7,405,743 | 173 | 2% |
| 14 | New Jersey | 9,005,644 | 166 | 2% |
| 15 | Wisconsin | 5,795,483 | 95 | 2% |
| 16 | Connecticut | 3,588,184 | 60 | 2% |
| 17 | New Mexico | 2,088,070 | 36 | 2% |
| 18 | New Hampshire | 1,342,795 | 24 | 2% |
| 19 | Rhode Island | 1,059,639 | 22 | 2% |
| 20 | Delaware | 961,939 | 17 | 2% |
Most common cities for political reporters
| Rank | City | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl | Avg. salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Washington | 3 | 0% | $77,932 |
Political Reporter job outlook: Expert opinions
Our panel of political reporter experts
The University of Findlay
Western Kentucky University
American University
Towson University
Miami University
University of Georgia
University of New Mexico
Lehman College
Saint Xavier University
Lehigh University
Luther College
California State University
Colorado Public Radio
The University of Kansas
California University of Pennsylvania
Bates College
Cal Poly
Independence Community College
Ferrum College
Quinnipiac University
What will help Political Reporters increase their earning potential?
Amy Rogan: People working in journalism probably most dislike the hours and the pay but it’s truly one of the most rewarding fields to work in. It can be stressful but also exciting and challenging. Whether at the local level or a larger stage, it’s truly a service to your community to provide vital information.
What Political Reporter skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Professor Mac McKerral: Fact checking. Ethical use of AI. Getting back to dealing with sources face-to-face. Using literary writing devices to tell great stories.
Assistant Amy Eisman
Assistant ProfessorAmerican University
Arts, Entertainment, And Media Management
What Political Reporter skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Assistant Amy Eisman: As others have said, the career track is a jungle gym, not a ladder. Acquire new skill sets wherever you go, then use them in the next job. And be great at whatever task you take on. Even if you are in an entry-level position, ace it, impress your colleagues, and be the person everyone wants on their team. The field is changing. That is not a secret. Many of the changes are overdue. There is more focus on trauma-informed reporting, for example, and on rethinking how we treat sources. There is more focus on bringing multiple voices into the fold and healthy debates about the role of identity. There is a deep focus, as there should be, on investigative journalism and on keeping citizens informed in a democracy. Be the best at your job. Don't burn bridges behind you.
What general advice would you give to a Political Reporter?
Pallavi Guha Ph.D.: Mastering all trades, for example, if you are a journalist, you need reporting skills, social media storytelling skills, basic photography/video skills, and editing skills. Using storyboards and graphics such as Canva, and effectively using social media for sourcing, interviews, checking accuracy, and promoting stories will become irreplaceable.
What will help Political Reporters increase their earning potential?
Pallavi Guha Ph.D.: Mastering all trades, for example, if you are journalist, you need reporting skills, social media story telling skills, basic photography/video skills, and editing skills. Using storyboard and graphics such Canva, and effectively using social media for sourcing, interviews, checking accuracy, and promoting stories will become irreplaceable.
Rosemary Pennington
Associate Professor & Area Coordinator of Journalism Miami UniversityMiami University
Journalism
What general advice would you give to a Political Reporter?
Rosemary Pennington: This one is harder, but I do think skill stacking is always a good idea. Someone who can, for example, write well, can work with data, and can take good photos is a more versatile reporter and could demand a higher salary than a reporter entering the field who has gotten really good at just one of those things. Building a deep resume through internships and working in student media can also help as it shows you are an experienced reporter who understands the fundamentals of the profession.
What will help Political Reporters increase their earning potential?
Rosemary Pennington: I think it's important for individuals to cast as wide a net as possible when looking for that first journalism job. The worst thing a new journalist can do right now is cut off options. Apply for TV jobs, online jobs, print jobs -- apply where the jobs are. Most journalism curricula are training graduates to work in a multitude of environments and many employers are willing to provide on the job training around specific skills if the potential employee has a good news foundation. Getting that first job can be the hardest step in building a journalism career, so being open to what media you work in, and where you work, can help you land that first gig.
Dr. Keith Herndon Ph.D.
Professor of Practice and Executive Director of the Cox Institute for Journalism Innovation, Management and Leadership.University of Georgia
Journalism
What Political Reporter skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Dr. Keith Herndon Ph.D.: Artificial intelligence, or AI, is becoming more relevant to journalism jobs, and in the next few years it will become an essential tool for journalists if it already isn't one. Journalists will increasingly use AI as they prepare interview guides, mine data, search for sources, and edit audio or video stories. Journalists have long been comfortable interviewing human subjects. Journalists now must become comfortable with prompt engineering, which is essentially interviewing the computer. But while AI can help journalists become more productive, journalists must also recognize the ethical challenges that come with using these tools and learn to become more transparent with their audiences about how and why AI tools are deployed in a newsroom.
What will help Political Reporters increase their earning potential?
Dr. Keith Herndon Ph.D.: Don't be afraid to negotiate your starting salary. Young journalists have a lot to offer newsrooms through social media skills and a willingness to adapt to new technologies such as artificial intelligence. Technology skills have value and should not be undersold. Also, young journalism students should not discount the value of their student media and internship experiences. Young journalists must use everything on their resumes to show how they bring value to their position and ask to be compensated fairly for the work they will contribute to the newsroom's success.
Kate Cunningham
Multimedia communication instructorUniversity of New Mexico
Department of Communication and Journalism
What soft skills should all Political Reporters possess?
Kate Cunningham: Good journalists use a variety of soft skills, but I think curiosity is chief among them. You've got to be curious about the world around you to produce a variety of stories. It's not just writing about the things that are happening in your community. It's asking why those things are happening. Are they trends or just one-time things? If a new law is passed to crack down on a certain crime, for example, it's figuring out if that crime was frequently happening or if there is another reason behind the move.
Along with curiosity about your community, interest in continuing to learn about journalism itself is important. Journalists can't cover City Hall, for example, how they might have 20 years ago, and it will be different in another five years. Being open-minded and realizing that storytelling itself has changed -- and will change -- is paramount.
Collaboration with other people in the newsroom is another soft skill to have. By that, I mean not just working with other reporters but visual journalists or the graphics team. Coincidentally, the more departments you work with, the better your story might be presented to and understood by people in your audience.
Other soft skills that are important include critical thinking and observation.
What skills will help Political Reporters earn the most?
Kate Cunningham: In some cases, more specialized skills like website development or data science can be useful toward earning more. Some newsrooms offer bilingual bonuses for staff with fluency in other languages.
Leadership ability and positions in management also could lead to higher salaries within the field.
Will there be an enduring impact of the coronavirus pandemic on Political Reporters?
Robert Valentine: Most of our undergraduate History majors either become social studies teachers or enter a graduate program. If they are certified to teach social studies in middle or high school, the Middle & High School Education Department helps them with certification and job placement. Their minor is in Middle & High School Education, their major is in History. Some of our majors decide to pursue social studies teacher certification after they receive their bachelor's degree in History. In this case, they enroll in a graduate program to receive a master's degree in Social Studies Education, administered by the Middle & High School Education Department. Part of their curriculum involves taking about half their coursework in master's-level History courses.
Other graduating History majors apply for our own master's program in History. From there, they could apply to doctoral programs either at the Graduate Center or elsewhere if they want to become History professors. As far as the impact of the pandemic goes, the hiring of social studies teachers depends upon whether or not the public schools are hiring at all at this time. There has been no effect on enrollment into graduate programs, however. In fact, I believe there has been a slight increase, since the job market is frozen.
Will there be an enduring impact of the coronavirus pandemic on Political Reporters?
Matthew Costello Ph.D.: The pandemic has accelerated the trend to remote work, which will become increasingly common even after the pandemic recedes.
Political Science graduates often find work in areas such as public policy analysis, journalism, organizational communication, and legal research, all of which can often be done remotely, and sometimes are necessarily done remotely. This process was ongoing anyway-national and global institutions want employees who can be as geographically diverse as their interests and flexible about time and location. The pandemic accelerated these trends and probably extended them into areas that had not yet been affected.
There are also likely to be long-term social, political, and economic effects of the pandemic that need addressing. Long term impacts on employment, immigration, education, public health, and myriad other potential areas are going to need addressing. The Bureau of Labor Statistics had already projected that jobs for political science graduates would grow more than average of over the next decade-the lingering effects of the pandemic are likely to increase the demand for policy analysts and public managers who are going to be facing a much more complex set of problems than pre-pandemic. Companies and public agencies will be seeking people who are adaptable, articulate, and task-oriented-all traits that are developed in students of political science.
Jack Lule Ph.D.
Lacocca ProfessorLehigh University
Department of Journalism and Communication
What experience really stands out on Political Reporter resumes?
Jack Lule Ph.D.: I think ANY experience stands out at first. We require that students work for the college newspaper. We require that students work a senior internship-and we set it up for them. We help them get other internships during the summers. But as employers dig deeper into student resumes, the ability of students to work on their own will really stand out. Organizations are so lean these days that no one has the time, unfortunately, to train or teach a new employee. Students have to be prepared to hit the ground running-or more likely-sprinting!
Will there be an enduring impact of the coronavirus pandemic on Political Reporters?
David Faldet: Their senior year is going to be memorable: a year of trials and challenges and disappointments that will set them apart from people who came before them. The virtual education and networked learning required for the eighteen months leading up to their graduation will also give them good credentials as they enter the work-from-home or connect-remotely environment of business today.
What type of skills will young Political Reporters need?
David Faldet: Those college years of reading, writing, and discussing literature mean English majors have three skills business leaders want: creativity, the ability to communicate well, and the empathy that can set a person or a business apart. Creativity is crucial in a time of change such as this one, and as employers look to transform their business model. Good communication is basic within a business and in reaching out to the market. Empathy is there to make sure communication matters and reaches a receptive audience.
What are the biggest trends we'll see in the Political Reporter job market given the pandemic?
Aaron Quinn Ph.D.: In my limited observations, the pandemic has changed journalism workflow from being office-based to having employees working from home and other locations that are suitable to getting their jobs done. It has certainly made experienced journalists more valuable than usual because they have familiarity with protocol and professional standards. The pandemic has also led to staff reductions and/or furloughs, largely because the slim advertising offerings have become even more scarce as small businesses who advertise in local and regional publications struggle to stay open.
What are the biggest trends we'll see in the Political Reporter job market given the pandemic?
Rachel Estabrook: In my opinion, in terms of journalism jobs, the need for these jobs is only getting bigger in the pandemic. But the finances of almost every news outlet have suffered. Even in nonprofit media, sponsorships have declined as businesses don't have events to promote, for example. So hiring may be a bit more stagnant than it otherwise would have been. Unfortunately, you're also seeing journalists furloughed and even let go sometimes when outlets are forced to contract given the economic pressures.
Steve Rottinghaus
Career and outreach coordinatorThe University of Kansas
William Allen White School of Journalism
What will help Political Reporters increase their earning potential?
Steve Rottinghaus: Journalists like creating content that matters to a community and helping community members make decisions based on facts. They enjoy meeting different people and telling their stories. In a 24/7 news cycle, the time commitment can become overwhelming. Working nights, weekends, and holidays are common, especially in smaller news organizations.
What type of skills will young Political Reporters need?
Dr. Christina Fisanick: College graduates in 2021 and beyond, need all of the skills that English programs have to offer: critical thinking, effective communication, creativity, and flexibility. New hires need to be able to adapt to workplace changes quickly and with aplomb, which requires critical thinking and problem solving and the ability to communicate those solutions to a diverse audience clearly and effectively. Those skills are refined and practiced regularly in English programs.
How do you envision technology impacting Political Reporters in the next 5 years?
Dr. Daniel Sanford: I don't think there's going to be any one tool, or app, or piece of software that changes how people write, but I do think that the impact of cloud computing on how people write in professional spheres will become even more pervasive. The ability to work together on shared documents, intelligently critique collaborators' writing, and comment in ways that move a draft forward are all going to become, even more than today, highly valued in writing.
How do you envision technology impacting Political Reporters in the next 5 years?
Eileen Buecher: Technology is impacting all career fields with knowledge of various communication and business platforms, social media, and ways to network online in the future.
Will there be an enduring impact of the coronavirus pandemic on Political Reporters?
Eileen Buecher: I believe there will be an impact on all of us. Work will look differently as I see some of the creative initiatives higher education and industries have taken to keep people safe and support the economy. These may be integrated into how we provide services and do our jobs long-term. COVID teaches new graduates how to be resourceful, resilient, and flexible for both individual and uncertain times.
Bridget Carson
Associate Professor of Developmental EnglishIndependence Community College
History
What general advice would you give to a Political Reporter?
Bridget Carson: Show up. Listen and keep learning. Be a part of the broader community.
I know these seem simple, but they require time. It isn't just about the hours on the clock, although they are that for which you are paid. Go to the meet and greet. Chip into the water cooler fund. Join a softball league, a book club, or a game night. When somebody invites you to a company picnic - go. Join the volunteer opportunities in which the organization participates. Relationships need nurturing so that you can have empathy and resilience during difficult discussions within an organization or when it needs to pull together and get through something.
Our shiny new degrees are just the beginning of what we know. You'll be stepping into situations where people will need your fresh perspective, and you will need their experience. Keep reading, not just things in your content area. This isn't just a "respect your elders" or "know your place" statement. They don't know everything, and neither do you, but they've been there longer.
Be a visible part of the broader community. This is especially important if you choose to work in the Public Sector where people want to see their tax dollars pay people who are invested in their community. Go to the concerts in the park, the local community theater, the parades. Join some organization and chip in. Work the polls, join the park committee, be active in a philanthropic or faith community, show up for events celebrating local history. Support local businesses where you find them in alignment with your values.
Don't do any of this for the show. People can spot a fake-Esse quad videre: to be rather than to seem.
Will there be an enduring impact of the coronavirus pandemic on Political Reporters?
Allison Harl Ph.D.: Yes, but the pandemic's impact will create new and different opportunities, so graduates should keep their imaginations and options open.
Will there be an enduring impact of the coronavirus pandemic on Political Reporters?
Richard Hanley: The pandemic will have a lasting impact on graduates as it is reshaping how people who don't need to be in a physical space work, and journalism isn't going to escape that. Many reporters are working remotely, and that may change the physical space known as the newsroom. That may not be a good thing, as informal, in-person conversations and quick questions to colleagues often lead to story ideas. The pandemic and events, such as the murder of George Floyd, have exposed gaps in the profession in terms of health reporting, and the need to make news organizations more diverse. With climate change accelerating, the need for valid information is now more critical than ever. These are the things that will shape journalism moving forward.