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Publisher salary
Average publisher salary
$71,539
Understanding Publisher Salaries
As of October 2025, the average salary for a Publisher stands at $71,539 per year, translating to approximately $34 per hour. Salaries can vary widely based on factors such as location, experience level, and industry sector.
Where Can Publishers Earn More?
Publishers in states like California, New York, and Texas tend to report higher salaries due to the concentration of media firms and publishing houses. In California, for instance, the demand for skilled publishers drives competitive compensation.
Highest Paying Industries
The publishing industry encompasses various sectors such as digital media, print publishing, and academic publishing. Each of these areas offers unique opportunities and salary ranges. For example, those in digital media may earn more than traditional print publishers due to the evolving landscape of content consumption.
Career Advancement
To maximize your earning potential as a publisher, consider pursuing advanced qualifications or specialized training. Networking within industry circles and gaining experience in high-demand roles can also lead to lucrative positions.
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Where can a Publisher earn more?
Publisher salary estimates from across the web
Average publisher salary by state
The average publisher salary in Connecticut, New Hampshire, and California are the highest in the U.S. The lowest average publisher salary states are Kansas, South Dakota, and Iowa.
- State view
- County view
Highest paying states for publishers
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | District of Columbia | $89,656 | $43.10 |
| 2 | Connecticut | $93,339 | $44.87 |
| 3 | Virginia | $78,776 | $37.87 |
| 4 | California | $85,312 | $41.02 |
| 5 | New Hampshire | $90,692 | $43.60 |
| 6 | Vermont | $75,355 | $36.23 |
| 7 | Illinois | $77,521 | $37.27 |
| 8 | North Dakota | $74,897 | $36.01 |
| 9 | Washington | $77,756 | $37.38 |
| 10 | New York | $77,366 | $37.20 |
| 11 | Minnesota | $78,018 | $37.51 |
| 12 | New Jersey | $77,051 | $37.04 |
| 13 | Maryland | $76,751 | $36.90 |
| 14 | Massachusetts | $74,830 | $35.98 |
| 15 | West Virginia | $74,651 | $35.89 |
| 16 | Pennsylvania | $73,322 | $35.25 |
| 17 | Rhode Island | $72,174 | $34.70 |
| 18 | Nevada | $71,987 | $34.61 |
| 19 | Maine | $74,693 | $35.91 |
| 20 | Michigan | $70,798 | $34.04 |
| 21 | Idaho | $70,620 | $33.95 |
| 22 | New Mexico | $69,985 | $33.65 |
| 23 | Wyoming | $65,171 | $31.33 |
| 24 | Delaware | $71,733 | $34.49 |
| 25 | Texas | $68,364 | $32.87 |
| 26 | Ohio | $68,587 | $32.97 |
| 27 | Kentucky | $69,106 | $33.22 |
| 28 | Colorado | $68,333 | $32.85 |
| 29 | Hawaii | $60,812 | $29.24 |
| 30 | Utah | $65,049 | $31.27 |
| 31 | North Carolina | $65,531 | $31.51 |
| 32 | Tennessee | $65,517 | $31.50 |
| 33 | Arizona | $68,270 | $32.82 |
| 34 | Georgia | $67,908 | $32.65 |
| 35 | Florida | $66,674 | $32.05 |
| 36 | Oklahoma | $66,179 | $31.82 |
| 37 | Oregon | $55,117 | $26.50 |
| 38 | Arkansas | $64,640 | $31.08 |
| 39 | Alaska | $50,383 | $24.22 |
| 40 | Wisconsin | $60,173 | $28.93 |
| 41 | South Carolina | $63,255 | $30.41 |
| 42 | Alabama | $61,767 | $29.70 |
| 43 | Montana | $49,965 | $24.02 |
| 44 | Missouri | $47,146 | $22.67 |
| 45 | Nebraska | $43,233 | $20.79 |
| 46 | Kansas | $49,265 | $23.69 |
| 47 | Indiana | $54,864 | $26.38 |
| 48 | South Dakota | $49,251 | $23.68 |
| 49 | Louisiana | $51,767 | $24.89 |
| 50 | Iowa | $48,236 | $23.19 |
| 51 | Mississippi | $44,542 | $21.41 |
Highest paying cities for publishers
The highest-paying cities for publishers are Stamford, CT, San Francisco, CA, and Arlington, VA.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Stamford, CT | $93,393 | $44.90 |
| 2 | San Francisco, CA | $89,755 | $43.15 |
| 3 | Arlington, VA | $80,069 | $38.49 |
| 4 | North Chicago, IL | $78,443 | $37.71 |
| 5 | Redmond, WA | $77,847 | $37.43 |
| 6 | New York, NY | $77,507 | $37.26 |
| 7 | Jersey City, NJ | $77,166 | $37.10 |
| 8 | Baltimore, MD | $76,990 | $37.01 |
| 9 | Boston, MA | $74,786 | $35.95 |
| 10 | Philadelphia, PA | $73,726 | $35.45 |
| 11 | Charleston, WV | $73,500 | $35.34 |
| 12 | Ann Arbor, MI | $70,559 | $33.92 |
| 13 | Albuquerque, NM | $70,268 | $33.78 |
| 14 | Frankfort, KY | $69,803 | $33.56 |
| 15 | Bristol, TN | $69,070 | $33.21 |
| 16 | Austin, TX | $69,003 | $33.17 |
| 17 | Atlanta, GA | $67,925 | $32.66 |
| 18 | Boca Raton, FL | $66,751 | $32.09 |
| 19 | Raleigh, NC | $66,741 | $32.09 |
| 20 | Little Rock, AR | $64,674 | $31.09 |
Publisher salary details
A publisher's salary ranges from $42,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $120,000 at the 90th percentile.
What is a publisher's salary?
| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $120,000 | $10,000 | $58 |
| 75th Percentile | $94,000 | $7,833 | $45 |
| Average | $71,539 | $5,962 | $34 |
| 25th Percentile | $54,000 | $4,500 | $26 |
| 10th Percentile | $42,000 | $3,500 | $20 |
Highest paying publisher jobs
The highest paying types of publishers are advertising manager, senior editor, and managing editor.
| Job title | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Managing Editor | $89,060 | $7,422 | $42.82 | 16,781 |
| Content Editor | $61,694 | $5,141 | $29.66 | 18,586 |
| News Editor | $53,822 | $4,485 | $25.88 | 12,484 |
| Technical Writer And Editor | $65,088 | $5,424 | $31.29 | 78,617 |
| Writer And Editor | $61,482 | $5,124 | $29.56 | 14,865 |
| Technical Editor | $61,717 | $5,143 | $29.67 | 78,423 |
Top companies hiring publishers now:
Which companies pay publishers the most?
Publisher salaries at Microsoft and Playbuzz are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average publisher salary at companies like American Physical Society and Sanofi US are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Microsoft | $134,312 | $64.57 |
| 2 | Playbuzz | $118,026 | $56.74 |
| 3 | American Physical Society | $114,901 | $55.24 |
| 4 | Sanofi US | $109,912 | $52.84 |
| 5 | Church & Dwight Co. | $109,353 | $52.57 |
| 6 | Abbott | $107,994 | $51.92 |
| 7 | Eurasia Group | $105,505 | $50.72 |
| 8 | Univision Holdings, Inc. | $104,588 | $50.28 |
| 9 | Wells Fargo | $101,108 | $48.61 |
| 10 | Alpha Consulting | $98,118 | $47.17 |
| 11 | Riot Games | $97,437 | $46.84 |
| 12 | Deloitte | $93,756 | $45.08 |
| 13 | Fluor Corporation | $91,976 | $44.22 |
| 14 | ICONMA | $90,660 | $43.59 |
| 15 | Forum Communications | $88,066 | $42.34 |
| 16 | Strategic Staffing Solutions | $86,770 | $41.72 |
| 17 | Green Key Resources | $86,110 | $41.40 |
| 18 | Amazon | $83,688 | $40.23 |
| 19 | Prudential Bank | $82,165 | $39.50 |
| 20 | Russell Tobin | $79,482 | $38.21 |
Wage gap by gender, race and education
Publisher salary by industry
The average publisher salary varies across industries:
- The average publisher salary in the telecommunication industry is $69,908, the highest of any industry.
- The average publisher salary in the finance industry is $69,607.
- Publishers in the manufacturing industry earn an average salary of $61,387, the lowest of any industry.
Highest paying industries for publishers
| Rank | Industry | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Telecommunication | $69,908 | $33.61 |
| 2 | Media | $69,607 | $33.46 |
| 3 | Retail | $67,812 | $32.60 |
| 4 | Energy | $64,832 | $31.17 |
| 5 | Manufacturing | $61,387 | $29.51 |
High paying publisher jobs
Publisher salary trends
The average publisher salary has risen by $12,435 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average publisher earned $59,104 annually, but today, they earn $71,539 a year. That works out to a 11% change in pay for publishers over the last decade.
Compare publisher salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Average publisher salary over time
Compare publisher salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
Publisher salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $71,500 | $34.39 | +3.2% |
| 2024 | $69,200 | $33.29 | +3.1% |
| 2023 | $67,100 | $32.27 | +1.2% |
| 2022 | $66,300 | $31.88 | +2.7% |
| 2021 | $64,600 | $31.04 | +2.1% |
Recently added publisher salaries
| Company | Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Innocean | Senior Web Content Publisher | Huntington Beach, CA | 06/22/2025 | $80,000 |
| Amazon | SDE, Publisher Ad Server, Workflows & Plugin Management | Seattle, WA | 06/12/2025 | $129,300 |
| Travelzoo | Assistant Publisher | Miami, FL | 05/24/2025 | $55,000 |
| Oxford University Press | Publisher | Boone, NC | 05/18/2025 | $67,844 |
| Fluent | Publisher Coordinator (Affiliate) | Miami, FL | 05/10/2025 | $50,000 |
| CGI Technologies and Solutions, Inc. | Kafka Publisher/Kubernetes Developer | Pittsburgh, PA | 05/07/2025 | $173,500 |
| Springernature | Locum Publisher | Philadelphia, PA | 04/29/2025 | $66,000 |
| Jeppesen | Mid-Level Data Publisher | Seal Beach, CA | 04/28/2025 | $93,500 |
| Zeta Global | Publisher Sales, Disqus | San Francisco, CA | 04/28/2025 | $80,000 |
| University Federal Credit Union | Knowledge Base Procedure Publisher | West Jordan, UT | 04/26/2025 | $48,001 |
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