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The differences between publishing editors and copy editors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a publishing editor and a copy editor. Additionally, a copy editor has an average salary of $62,599, which is higher than the $61,550 average annual salary of a publishing editor.
The top three skills for a publishing editor include web site, feature stories and edit content. The most important skills for a copy editor are proofreading, house style, and digital publishing.
| Publishing Editor | Copy Editor | |
| Yearly salary | $61,550 | $62,599 |
| Hourly rate | $29.59 | $30.10 |
| Growth rate | -5% | -5% |
| Number of jobs | 4,562 | 4,866 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 73% | Bachelor's Degree, 83% |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
Publishing Editors tend to earn around $56K per year in a career that demands creativity, language, and writing skills, as well as being detail-oriented and possessing good judgment and interpersonal skills. Though not required, most will have at least a bachelor's degree in English, communications, or journalism for this career, which calls for deciding the style and content of various publications or even the entire publication content in managerial roles.
The primary job of copy editors is to check for misspellings, incorrect punctuation, and consistency in typography, words, and style. They also act as fact-checkers, proofreaders, and project managers, overseeing the workflow and communicating with other departments. A copy editor's other duties and responsibilities include checking content for readability and compliance with editorial policies, rewriting text to improve readability and clarity, and arranging page layouts of articles, photos, and advertisements. Formal training is not required for this role, but copy editors generally have a firm grasp and love for the English language's proper usage.
Publishing editors and copy editors have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Publishing Editor | Copy Editor | |
| Average salary | $61,550 | $62,599 |
| Salary range | Between $44,000 And $85,000 | Between $39,000 And $98,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | Washington, DC |
| Highest paying state | - | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | - | PayPal |
| Best paying industry | - | Finance |
There are a few differences between a publishing editor and a copy editor in terms of educational background:
| Publishing Editor | Copy Editor | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 73% | Bachelor's Degree, 83% |
| Most common major | Journalism | English |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | Northwestern University |
Here are the differences between publishing editors' and copy editors' demographics:
| Publishing Editor | Copy Editor | |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 52.6% Female, 47.4% | Male, 39.2% Female, 60.8% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 3.5% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 7.8% Asian, 6.9% White, 77.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% | Black or African American, 3.6% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 8.2% Asian, 7.3% White, 76.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% |
| LGBT Percentage | 12% | 12% |