How much does an editorial assistant make?

The average editorial assistant salary in the United States is $43,141. Editorial assistant salaries typically range between $35,000 and $53,000 yearly. The average hourly rate for editorial assistants is $20.74 per hour. Editorial assistant salary is impacted by location, education, and experience. Editorial assistants earn the highest average salary in Colorado.

Editorial assistant salary

Q: What state pays Editorial Assistants the most?

Colorado pays Editorial Assistants the most in the United States, with an average salary of $54,780 per year, or $26.34 per hour.

Q: How do I know if I'm being paid fairly as an editorial assistant?

You know if you are being paid fairly as an editorial assistant if your pay is close to the average pay for the state you live in. For example, if you live in Hawaii you should be paid close to $53,687 per year.

Q: How much do editorial assistants make in NYC?

Editorial assistants in NYC make $51,469 a year, on average. However, the salary range typically falls between $44,388 and $58,286 a year. The company and industry impact how much an editorial assistant can make in NYC.

Average editorial assistant salary

$43,141

$20.74 hourly rate

Entry-level editorial assistant salary

$35,000 yearly salary

Updated December 15, 2025

Average Editorial Assistant Salary

The average salary for an editorial assistant is approximately $43,141 annually, which translates to about $21 per hour. This figure can vary based on experience level, with entry-level positions earning less than those with several years in the field. Entry-level editorial assistants may start around $35,000, while seasoned professionals can earn upwards of $50,000, especially in major metropolitan areas.

Where Can You Earn More?

Some of the highest paying states for editorial assistants include California, New York, and Massachusetts. In these regions, the demand for skilled editorial staff in publishing houses, media companies, and online platforms drives salaries higher. Understanding the geographic salary differentials can empower professionals to make informed career choices.

Salary Estimates Across the Web

When considering salary estimates, it’s beneficial to consult various sources. Websites like Glassdoor and PayScale provide valuable insights into what similar positions are offering across different companies, helping candidates gauge their earning potential effectively. By analyzing this data, prospective editorial assistants can better negotiate their salaries and choose job opportunities wisely.

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Editorial assistant salary by:

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Where can an Editorial Assistant earn more?

Compare salary by location

69k

49k

29k

Columbus, OH$54,818

Atlanta, GA$38,592

Compare salary by company

73k

53k

33k

13k

Columbia University in the City of New York$56,407

Cheng & Tsui$43,104

Editorial assistant salaries by experience level

Editorial assistant salary estimates from across the web

Based on the latest salary information compiled by Zippia, Salary.com, Indeed, Glassdoor, Ziprecruiter and Payscale, the average salary for an editorial assistant typically falls between $41,040 and $67,264.

zippia

$43,141yearly

glassdoor[1]

$67,264yearly

indeed[2]

$45,034yearly

Salary.com[3]

$54,992yearly

ZipRecruiter[4]

$52,750yearly

payscale[5]

$41,040yearly

Average editorial assistant salary by state

The highest-paying states for editorial assistants are Colorado, Hawaii, and Minnesota. The lowest average editorial assistant salary states are West Virginia, South Dakota, and Oklahoma.

State view
County view

Average salary:

Highest paying states for editorial assistants

Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
1	Colorado	$54,780	$26.34
2	Massachusetts	$50,387	$24.22
3	Rhode Island	$50,998	$24.52
4	Minnesota	$51,695	$24.85
5	Oregon	$50,447	$24.25
6	Michigan	$48,617	$23.37
7	Ohio	$46,537	$22.37
8	Hawaii	$53,687	$25.81
9	Nebraska	$47,933	$23.04
10	Connecticut	$48,991	$23.55
11	District of Columbia	$49,659	$23.87
12	Vermont	$48,947	$23.53
13	Washington	$48,363	$23.25
14	New York	$46,464	$22.34
15	New Hampshire	$47,070	$22.63
16	Arizona	$44,598	$21.44
17	New Jersey	$48,008	$23.08
18	Nevada	$43,965	$21.14
19	New Mexico	$47,554	$22.86
20	Tennessee	$43,877	$21.09
21	Virginia	$44,786	$21.53
22	California	$47,181	$22.68
23	Indiana	$44,384	$21.34
24	Wisconsin	$41,944	$20.17
25	Mississippi	$43,640	$20.98
26	Missouri	$44,737	$21.51
27	Alaska	$42,198	$20.29
28	Iowa	$44,033	$21.17
29	Texas	$43,003	$20.67
30	Louisiana	$44,676	$21.48
31	Wyoming	$40,240	$19.35
32	Illinois	$43,842	$21.08
33	Pennsylvania	$41,160	$19.79
34	North Carolina	$41,877	$20.13
35	Maine	$42,500	$20.43
36	Montana	$39,521	$19.00
37	Idaho	$40,218	$19.34
38	Florida	$39,299	$18.89
39	Maryland	$42,507	$20.44
40	Kansas	$41,816	$20.10
41	North Dakota	$40,474	$19.46
42	Utah	$38,901	$18.70
43	South Carolina	$40,948	$19.69
44	West Virginia	$38,235	$18.38
45	Alabama	$38,915	$18.71
46	Georgia	$38,581	$18.55
47	South Dakota	$37,794	$18.17
48	Oklahoma	$37,715	$18.13
49	Delaware	$35,372	$17.01
50	Kentucky	$34,576	$16.62
51	Arkansas	$34,205	$16.44

Top editorial assistant jobs near you

Highest paying cities for editorial assistants

The highest-paying cities for editorial assistants are Denver, CO, Savage, MN, and Beaverton, OR.

Rank	City	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
1	Denver, CO	$54,818	$26.35
2	Savage, MN	$51,674	$24.84
3	Beaverton, OR	$50,437	$24.25
4	Boston, MA	$50,404	$24.23
5	Washington, DC	$49,648	$23.87
6	Lansing, MI	$48,502	$23.32
7	San Francisco, CA	$47,895	$23.03
8	Cleveland, OH	$47,152	$22.67
9	New York, NY	$46,469	$22.34
10	Indianapolis, IN	$44,285	$21.29
11	Chicago, IL	$43,949	$21.13
12	Austin, TX	$43,120	$20.73
13	Baltimore, MD	$42,591	$20.48
14	Appleton, WI	$42,122	$20.25
15	Raleigh, NC	$42,089	$20.24
16	Leawood, KS	$41,917	$20.15
17	Philadelphia, PA	$41,255	$19.83
18	Greenville, SC	$41,039	$19.73
19	Salt Lake City, UT	$38,888	$18.70
20	Atlanta, GA	$38,592	$18.55

Editorial assistant salary details

An editorial assistant's salary ranges from $35,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $53,000 at the 90th percentile.

Average editorial assistant salary graph, trends, and summary

What is an editorial assistant's salary?

Percentile	Annual salary	Monthly salary	Hourly rate
90th Percentile	$53,000	$4,417	$25
75th Percentile	$48,000	$4,000	$23
Average	$43,141	$3,595	$21
25th Percentile	$38,000	$3,167	$18
10th Percentile	$35,000	$2,917	$17

Highest paying editorial assistant jobs

The highest paying types of editorial assistants are assistant secretary, trading assistant, and associate editor.

Job title	Annual salary	Monthly salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
Editorial Internship	$32,356	$2,696	$15.56	51,667

Top companies hiring editorial assistants now:

Which companies pay editorial assistants the most?

Editorial assistant salaries at Columbia University in the City of New York and Cleveland Clinic are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average editorial assistant salary at companies like Reasons to Believe and Boston College are highly competitive.

Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate
1	Columbia University in the City of New York	$56,407	$27.12
2	Cleveland Clinic	$53,775	$25.85
3	Reasons to Believe	$53,649	$25.79
4	Boston College	$50,456	$24.26
5	Flexport	$49,991	$24.03
6	HomeLight	$47,819	$22.99
7	American Psychiatric Association	$47,599	$22.88
8	American Academy Of Physician Assistants	$47,596	$22.88
9	Mindlance	$47,401	$22.79
10	The New York Times Company	$47,236	$22.71
11	Ethics and Public Policy Center	$46,681	$22.44
12	Meharry Medical College	$46,022	$22.13
13	Johns Hopkins University	$45,901	$22.07
14	HealthTrust	$45,793	$22.02
15	University of Kentucky	$45,492	$21.87
16	Wiley	$44,272	$21.28
17	The University of Kansas Health System	$44,123	$21.21
18	Deadline	$43,494	$20.91
19	American College of Cardiology	$43,136	$20.74
20	Cheng & Tsui	$43,104	$20.72

Wage gap by gender, race and education

$46,000$45,400$44,800$44,200$43,600$43,000

MaleFemale

Editorial assistant salary trends

The average editorial assistant salary has risen by $7,751 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average editorial assistant earned $35,390 annually, but today, they earn $43,141 a year. That works out to a 12% change in pay for editorial assistants over the last decade.

Compare editorial assistant salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.

Average editorial assistant salary over time

Compare editorial assistant salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.

Editorial assistant salary by year

Year	Avg. salary	Hourly rate	% Change
2025	$43,100	$20.74	+3.0%
2024	$41,900	$20.12	+2.8%
2023	$40,700	$19.56	+2.8%
2022	$39,500	$19.00	+2.2%
2021	$38,700	$18.59	+2.6%

Recently added editorial assistant salaries

Company	Job	Location	Date added	Salary
Goop	Editorial Assistant	Santa Monica, CA	06/29/2025	$45,000
University of Texas at Austin	Editorial Assistant	Austin, TX	06/28/2025	$43,000
Bertelsmann	Editorial Assistant, Putnam (Hybrid)	New York, NY	06/27/2025	$51,000
Penguin Random House	Editorial Assistant, Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group-(Hybrid)	New York, NY	06/27/2025	$51,000
Book of The Month	Editorial Assistant Rotational Program	New York, NY	06/25/2025	$65,000
Harpercollins Publishers	Editorial Assistant (NYC Hybrid)	New York, NY	06/13/2025	$50,000
Healio	Editorial Assistant	Downe, NJ	06/11/2025	$40,000
The Wyanoke Group	Editorial Assistant-Healio News	Downe, NJ	06/03/2025	$40,000
Bertelsmann	Editorial Assistant, Berkley (Hybrid)	New York, NY	05/28/2025	$51,000
Penguin Random House	Editorial Assistant, Berkley (Hybrid)	New York, NY	05/28/2025	$51,000

Editorial assistant salary FAQs

What state pays Editorial Assistants the most?

How do I know if I'm being paid fairly as an editorial assistant?

How much do editorial assistants make in NYC?

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Updated December 15, 2025

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