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Assistant editor salary
Average assistant editor salary
$52,284
Understanding Assistant Editor Salaries
The average salary for an Assistant Editor in the United States is approximately $52,284 annually. However, this figure can fluctuate based on several elements, including geographic location, years of experience, and the specific industry in which one works. For instance, Assistant Editors in major metropolitan areas often earn higher salaries due to the cost of living and demand for editorial talent.
In addition to location, experience plays a significant role in salary determination. Entry-level positions may start lower, while those with several years of experience can command salaries closer to or above the average rate. Furthermore, industries such as publishing, media, and film may offer varying pay scales based on their revenue and budget allocations.
Highest Paying States for Assistant Editors
States such as California and New York are known for offering the highest salaries for Assistant Editors, often exceeding the national average. This trend reflects the concentration of media and publishing companies in these regions, providing numerous opportunities for advancement. Understanding these factors can help aspiring Assistant Editors make informed career choices and effectively negotiate their salaries.
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Where can an Assistant Editor earn more?
Assistant editor salary estimates from across the web
Average assistant editor salary by state
The average assistant editor salary in New York, Connecticut, and Massachusetts are the highest in the U.S. The lowest average assistant editor salary states are Louisiana, Iowa, and Kansas.
- State view
- County view
Highest paying states for assistant editors
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New York | $69,940 | $33.63 |
| 2 | Massachusetts | $66,999 | $32.21 |
| 3 | Connecticut | $68,844 | $33.10 |
| 4 | Washington | $59,999 | $28.85 |
| 5 | District of Columbia | $61,614 | $29.62 |
| 6 | New Jersey | $62,069 | $29.84 |
| 7 | New Hampshire | $65,376 | $31.43 |
| 8 | Virginia | $56,601 | $27.21 |
| 9 | North Dakota | $55,421 | $26.64 |
| 10 | Pennsylvania | $57,836 | $27.81 |
| 11 | Vermont | $53,874 | $25.90 |
| 12 | West Virginia | $54,832 | $26.36 |
| 13 | California | $54,806 | $26.35 |
| 14 | Rhode Island | $53,074 | $25.52 |
| 15 | Idaho | $50,956 | $24.50 |
| 16 | Michigan | $51,658 | $24.84 |
| 17 | Wyoming | $45,606 | $21.93 |
| 18 | Illinois | $49,610 | $23.85 |
| 19 | Nevada | $48,976 | $23.55 |
| 20 | North Carolina | $47,107 | $22.65 |
| 21 | Delaware | $53,083 | $25.52 |
| 22 | Maine | $53,183 | $25.57 |
| 23 | New Mexico | $47,323 | $22.75 |
| 24 | Kentucky | $49,432 | $23.77 |
| 25 | Maryland | $44,493 | $21.39 |
| 26 | Tennessee | $45,715 | $21.98 |
| 27 | Georgia | $47,394 | $22.79 |
| 28 | Arkansas | $44,554 | $21.42 |
| 29 | Oklahoma | $45,856 | $22.05 |
| 30 | Oregon | $41,346 | $19.88 |
| 31 | Alaska | $41,639 | $20.02 |
| 32 | Florida | $43,201 | $20.77 |
| 33 | Wisconsin | $43,720 | $21.02 |
| 34 | Arizona | $45,496 | $21.87 |
| 35 | Hawaii | $43,576 | $20.95 |
| 36 | Ohio | $44,213 | $21.26 |
| 37 | Minnesota | $43,711 | $21.01 |
| 38 | South Carolina | $44,472 | $21.38 |
| 39 | Colorado | $42,090 | $20.24 |
| 40 | Texas | $40,840 | $19.63 |
| 41 | Alabama | $42,936 | $20.64 |
| 42 | Utah | $35,846 | $17.23 |
| 43 | Indiana | $39,737 | $19.10 |
| 44 | Montana | $36,514 | $17.55 |
| 45 | Missouri | $33,309 | $16.01 |
| 46 | Nebraska | $30,777 | $14.80 |
| 47 | Iowa | $35,157 | $16.90 |
| 48 | South Dakota | $36,020 | $17.32 |
| 49 | Kansas | $34,356 | $16.52 |
| 50 | Louisiana | $35,414 | $17.03 |
| 51 | Mississippi | $30,801 | $14.81 |
Highest paying cities for assistant editors
The highest-paying cities for assistant editors are Huntington, NY, New Haven, CT, and Needham, MA.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Huntington, NY | $70,168 | $33.73 |
| 2 | New Haven, CT | $68,993 | $33.17 |
| 3 | Needham, MA | $67,069 | $32.24 |
| 4 | Jersey City, NJ | $62,182 | $29.90 |
| 5 | Washington, DC | $61,678 | $29.65 |
| 6 | San Francisco, CA | $60,670 | $29.17 |
| 7 | Seattle, WA | $60,555 | $29.11 |
| 8 | Pittsburgh, PA | $56,232 | $27.03 |
| 9 | Chicago, IL | $49,921 | $24.00 |
| 10 | Tulsa, OK | $45,426 | $21.84 |
| 11 | Laramie, WY | $44,883 | $21.58 |
| 12 | Bethesda, MD | $44,331 | $21.31 |
| 13 | Columbus, OH | $44,023 | $21.16 |
| 14 | Minneapolis, MN | $43,729 | $21.02 |
| 15 | Miami, FL | $43,298 | $20.82 |
| 16 | Madison, WI | $43,227 | $20.78 |
| 17 | Loveland, CO | $42,163 | $20.27 |
| 18 | Houston, TX | $40,913 | $19.67 |
| 19 | Cedar Rapids, IA | $35,636 | $17.13 |
| 20 | New Orleans, LA | $35,454 | $17.05 |
Assistant editor salary details
An assistant editor's salary ranges from $34,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $78,000 at the 90th percentile.
What is an assistant editor's salary?
| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $78,000 | $6,500 | $38 |
| 75th Percentile | $64,000 | $5,333 | $31 |
| Average | $52,284 | $4,357 | $25 |
| 25th Percentile | $42,000 | $3,500 | $20 |
| 10th Percentile | $34,000 | $2,833 | $16 |
Highest paying assistant editor jobs
The highest paying types of assistant editors are senior editor, managing editor, and writer.
| Job title | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reporter | $46,667 | $3,889 | $22.44 | 11,179 |
| Journalist | $60,828 | $5,069 | $29.24 | 11,488 |
| Writer | $66,143 | $5,512 | $31.80 | 13,931 |
| News Reporter | $41,481 | $3,457 | $19.94 | 11,609 |
| Editing Internship | $35,035 | $2,920 | $16.84 | 49,315 |
| Editorial Internship | $32,356 | $2,696 | $15.56 | 51,667 |
Top companies hiring assistant editors now:
Which companies pay assistant editors the most?
Assistant editor salaries at Apple and Tripadvisor are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average assistant editor salary at companies like The New York Times Company and SAGE Publishing are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Apple | $117,323 | $56.41 |
| 2 | Tripadvisor | $88,369 | $42.49 |
| 3 | The New York Times Company | $87,999 | $42.31 |
| 4 | SAGE Publishing | $81,915 | $39.38 |
| 5 | Yale University | $80,216 | $38.57 |
| 6 | The Washington Post | $80,112 | $38.52 |
| 7 | First Round | $78,154 | $37.57 |
| 8 | American Physical Society | $77,932 | $37.47 |
| 9 | Mashable | $77,863 | $37.43 |
| 10 | HarperCollins | $77,850 | $37.43 |
| 11 | Esri | $75,591 | $36.34 |
| 12 | Cornell University | $75,561 | $36.33 |
| 13 | AIChE - American Institute of Chemical Engineers | $75,385 | $36.24 |
| 14 | Advanced Systems Group | $73,925 | $35.54 |
| 15 | Genetics Society of America | $72,080 | $34.65 |
| 16 | Rockstar Games | $71,014 | $34.14 |
| 17 | Columbia University in the City of New York | $69,367 | $33.35 |
| 18 | Gaia | $67,952 | $32.67 |
| 19 | Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory | $65,980 | $31.72 |
| 20 | Nature, Inc. | $65,692 | $31.58 |
Wage gap by gender, race and education
Assistant Editor salary by industry
The average assistant editor salary varies across industries:
- The average assistant editor salary in the media industry is $55,636, the highest of any industry.
- The average assistant editor salary in the finance industry is $54,891.
- Assistant editors in the start-up industry earn an average salary of $49,061, the lowest of any industry.
Highest paying industries for assistant editors
| Rank | Industry | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Media | $55,636 | $26.75 |
| 2 | Education | $54,891 | $26.39 |
| 3 | Professional | $54,299 | $26.11 |
| 4 | Start-up | $49,061 | $23.59 |
High paying assistant editor jobs
Assistant editor salary trends
The average assistant editor salary has risen by $9,088 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average assistant editor earned $43,196 annually, but today, they earn $52,284 a year. That works out to a 11% change in pay for assistant editors over the last decade.
Compare assistant editor salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Average assistant editor salary over time
Compare assistant editor salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
Assistant editor salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $52,300 | $25.14 | +3.2% |
| 2024 | $50,600 | $24.33 | +3.1% |
| 2023 | $49,100 | $23.58 | +1.2% |
| 2022 | $48,500 | $23.30 | +2.7% |
| 2021 | $47,200 | $22.68 | +2.1% |
Recently added assistant editor salaries
| Company | Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York Public Radio | Temporary Assistant Editor, Day-of | New York, NY | 06/29/2025 | $90,302 |
| Mjh Life Sciences, LLC | Assistant Editor | Cranbury, NJ | 06/29/2025 | $42,000 |
| The New York Times Company | Assistant Editor, Home Discovery | New York, NY | 06/26/2025 | $130,000 |
| Blizzard Entertainment | Animation Assistant Editor-Temp (SFD/Cinematics) | Irvine, CA | 06/19/2025 | $62,213 |
| Conde Nast | Assistant Editor, Talk of The Town, The New Yorker | New York, NY | 06/19/2025 | $67,500 |
| University of California System | Assistant Editor | Irvine, CA | 06/19/2025 | $48,001 |
| Weigel Broadcasting Co | Assistant Editor | Chicago, IL | 06/16/2025 | $35,479 |
| Sony Pictures | Assistant Editor-Features | Los Angeles, CA | 06/09/2025 | $72,941 |
| Oregon State University | Orange Media Network (OMN) Prism Assistant Editor | Corvallis, OR | 05/31/2025 | $30,679 |
| Monumental Sports & Entertainment | Assistant Editor | Washington, DC | 05/27/2025 | $56,575 |
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