Best states for a production editor

Q: What is the best state for production editors?

The best state to be a production editor is New York based on production editor salaries and job opportunities.

Q: What is the highest paying state for production editors?

The highest paying state for production editors is Mississippi based on Zippia’s salary database.

Q: What is the worst state for production editors?

The worst state for production editors is Alaska, due to a combination of low salaries and few job opportunities.

Quoted expert

Catherine Nesci

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We decided to bring you a list of the best states for jobs for production editors in the United States. Production editor positions are available in every state, but not all states are the same. Some states do not offer the same wages, benefits, time off, etc for production editors.As production editors are popular in the U.S., we wanted to bring you a list of the best states for production editors. In case you are trying to decide where to start your career as a production editor, or if you are considering moving to a different city or state, we got you covered.

To that end, we dove into our dataset of job and salary numbers to figure out which states have the best opportunities for production editors. New York is the best state for production editors, where the median salary is $64,324.We found that the West is best for production editors, and the Northeast is the worst. Hartford, CT is the best city in the country for production editor jobs, where as New York is the best state in the country.

10 best states for production editors in 2026

1. New York
Total production editor jobs: 1,505
Average annual salary: $64,324
Lowest 10 percent earn: $47,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $86,000
Location Quotient:
1.21
Production editor jobs in New York
2. District of Columbia
Total production editor jobs: 245
Average annual salary: $64,865
Lowest 10 percent earn: $47,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $87,000
Location Quotient:
1.5
Production editor jobs in District of Columbia
3. New Hampshire
Total production editor jobs: 177
Average annual salary: $62,585
Lowest 10 percent earn: $48,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $80,000
Location Quotient:
1.04
Production editor jobs in New Hampshire
4. Minnesota
Total production editor jobs: 825
Average annual salary: $58,453
Lowest 10 percent earn: $46,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $72,000
Location Quotient:
1.28
Production editor jobs in Minnesota
5. Illinois
Total production editor jobs: 1,294
Average annual salary: $56,570
Lowest 10 percent earn: $44,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $72,000
Location Quotient:
1.12
Production editor jobs in Illinois
6. Kentucky
Total production editor jobs: 514
Average annual salary: $51,322
Lowest 10 percent earn: $39,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $67,000
Location Quotient:
1.44
Production editor jobs in Kentucky
7. Connecticut
Total production editor jobs: 254
Average annual salary: $65,642
Lowest 10 percent earn: $49,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $87,000
Location Quotient:
0.79
Production editor jobs in Connecticut
8. North Dakota
Total production editor jobs: 78
Average annual salary: $57,195
Lowest 10 percent earn: $47,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $69,000
Location Quotient:
0.86
Production editor jobs in North Dakota
9. Virginia
Total production editor jobs: 902
Average annual salary: $57,100
Lowest 10 percent earn: $42,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $77,000
Location Quotient:
0.99
Production editor jobs in Virginia
10. Pennsylvania
Total production editor jobs: 1,169
Average annual salary: $52,347
Lowest 10 percent earn: $38,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $70,000
Location Quotient:
1.04
Production editor jobs in Pennsylvania

Production editor jobsNear Columbus, OH

How Zippia determines the best states to be a production editor

You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.

Detailed list of the best states for a production editor

Rank	State	Average salary	Lowest 10% earn	Population	Job count
1	New York	$64,324	$47,000	19,849,399	1,505
2	District of Columbia	$64,865	$47,000	693,972	245
3	New Hampshire	$62,585	$48,000	1,342,795	177
4	Minnesota	$58,453	$46,000	5,576,606	825
5	Illinois	$56,570	$44,000	12,802,023	1,294
6	Kentucky	$51,322	$39,000	4,454,189	514
7	Connecticut	$65,642	$49,000	3,588,184	254
8	North Dakota	$57,195	$47,000	755,393	78
9	Virginia	$57,100	$42,000	8,470,020	902
10	Pennsylvania	$52,347	$38,000	12,805,537	1,169
11	Vermont	$52,198	$41,000	623,657	87
12	Michigan	$50,498	$38,000	9,962,311	879
13	Ohio	$49,559	$37,000	11,658,609	1,298
14	West Virginia	$54,161	$40,000	1,815,857	121
15	Maine	$51,502	$41,000	1,335,907	142
16	Washington	$54,407	$44,000	7,405,743	634
17	New Jersey	$56,577	$42,000	9,005,644	565
18	Tennessee	$48,543	$37,000	6,715,984	579
19	California	$52,156	$39,000	39,536,653	2,945
20	Idaho	$50,109	$40,000	1,716,943	161
21	Massachusetts	$51,906	$39,000	6,859,819	784
22	Colorado	$52,055	$41,000	5,607,154	478
23	Wyoming	$49,459	$39,000	579,315	51
24	Georgia	$49,549	$37,000	10,429,379	889
25	Rhode Island	$50,392	$38,000	1,059,639	84
26	Oklahoma	$49,892	$38,000	3,930,864	197
27	Delaware	$51,463	$38,000	961,939	79
28	Utah	$46,865	$36,000	3,101,833	371
29	Wisconsin	$43,830	$34,000	5,795,483	819
30	New Mexico	$49,324	$38,000	2,088,070	119
31	North Carolina	$47,817	$35,000	10,273,419	793
32	Arkansas	$48,334	$37,000	3,004,279	173
33	Texas	$48,351	$36,000	28,304,596	1,608
34	Nevada	$47,045	$35,000	2,998,039	199
35	Maryland	$47,211	$34,000	6,052,177	638
36	Indiana	$40,559	$31,000	6,666,818	866
37	South Carolina	$45,883	$34,000	5,024,369	388
38	Arizona	$46,330	$35,000	7,016,270	499
39	Iowa	$36,866	$29,000	3,145,711	512
40	Hawaii	$50,825	$44,000	1,427,538	37
41	Alabama	$45,105	$34,000	4,874,747	337
42	Oregon	$37,373	$30,000	4,142,776	541
43	Kansas	$37,794	$29,000	2,913,123	326
44	Missouri	$36,061	$28,000	6,113,532	624
45	Florida	$41,495	$30,000	20,984,400	1,137
46	Nebraska	$33,310	$26,000	1,920,076	236
47	South Dakota	$38,002	$30,000	869,666	73
48	Montana	$37,811	$31,000	1,050,493	84
49	Mississippi	$32,323	$24,000	2,984,100	195
50	Louisiana	$36,727	$27,000	4,684,333	146
51	Alaska	$34,354	$30,000	739,795	49

Highest paying states for production editors

Rank	State	Avg. Production Editor Salary
1	New York	$64,324
2	District of Columbia	$64,865
3	New Hampshire	$62,585
4	Minnesota	$58,453
5	Illinois	$56,570
6	Kentucky	$51,322
7	Connecticut	$65,642
8	North Dakota	$57,195
9	Virginia	$57,100
10	Pennsylvania	$52,347
11	Vermont	$52,198
12	Michigan	$50,498
13	Ohio	$49,559
14	West Virginia	$54,161
15	Maine	$51,502
16	Washington	$54,407
17	New Jersey	$56,577
18	Tennessee	$48,543
19	California	$52,156
20	Idaho	$50,109
21	Massachusetts	$51,906
22	Colorado	$52,055
23	Wyoming	$49,459
24	Georgia	$49,549
25	Rhode Island	$50,392
26	Oklahoma	$49,892
27	Delaware	$51,463
28	Utah	$46,865
29	Wisconsin	$43,830
30	New Mexico	$49,324
31	North Carolina	$47,817
32	Arkansas	$48,334
33	Texas	$48,351
34	Nevada	$47,045
35	Maryland	$47,211
36	Indiana	$40,559
37	South Carolina	$45,883
38	Arizona	$46,330
39	Iowa	$36,866
40	Hawaii	$50,825
41	Alabama	$45,105
42	Oregon	$37,373
43	Kansas	$37,794
44	Missouri	$36,061
45	Florida	$41,495
46	Nebraska	$33,310
47	South Dakota	$38,002
48	Montana	$37,811
49	Mississippi	$32,323
50	Louisiana	$36,727
51	Alaska	$34,354

Expert opinions on the best states for production editors

Are there any particularly good places in the United States for production editors to find work opportunities?
Catherine Nesci
Professor of French & Comparative Literature; Affiliate in Feminist Studies, University of California
The French, Italian, and Portuguese opportunities are diminishing and will continue doing so, despite the importance of French in a continent like Africa. Yet, Spanish will continue being more prominent, but online teaching will decrease job prospects.

Production editor best states FAQs

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Production Editor
Best states for Production Editors

Updated January 8, 2025

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Total production editor jobs:	1,505
Average annual salary:	$64,324
Lowest 10 percent earn:	$47,000
Highest 10 percent earn:	$86,000
Location Quotient:	1.21

Best states for a production editor

10 best states for production editors in 2026

1. New York

2. District of Columbia

3. New Hampshire

4. Minnesota

5. Illinois

6. Kentucky

7. Connecticut

8. North Dakota

9. Virginia

10. Pennsylvania