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Editorial director salary
Average editorial director salary
$99,934
Average Editorial Director Salary
The average salary for an Editorial Director is approximately $99,934 per year, which translates to about $48 per hour. This figure can fluctuate based on various factors including geographic location, industry, and years of experience. For instance, Editorial Directors in major metropolitan areas often command higher salaries compared to those in smaller markets.
Highest Paying States for Editorial Directors
States such as California, New York, and Washington are among the highest paying for this role, reflecting the concentration of media organizations and publishing firms in these regions. Understanding the regional salary dynamics can help professionals negotiate better compensation packages.
Career Opportunities
Editorial Directors have the potential to advance into roles such as Chief Content Officer or Vice President of Content Strategy, where salaries can rise significantly. Additionally, sectors such as digital media and publishing offer varied compensation, making it essential for candidates to research specific industries to maximize their earning potential.
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Where can an Editorial Director earn more?
Editorial director salary estimates from across the web
Average editorial director salary by state
The highest-paying states for editorial directors are Connecticut, New Hampshire, and New York. The lowest average editorial director salary states are Kansas, South Dakota, and Missouri.
- State view
- County view
Highest paying states for editorial directors
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New York | $106,262 | $51.09 |
| 2 | Connecticut | $110,250 | $53.00 |
| 3 | District of Columbia | $107,388 | $51.63 |
| 4 | Washington | $98,407 | $47.31 |
| 5 | Illinois | $94,856 | $45.60 |
| 6 | New Hampshire | $107,065 | $51.47 |
| 7 | California | $103,167 | $49.60 |
| 8 | Virginia | $95,103 | $45.72 |
| 9 | Minnesota | $95,738 | $46.03 |
| 10 | Nevada | $91,908 | $44.19 |
| 11 | Oklahoma | $86,225 | $41.45 |
| 12 | Maryland | $91,495 | $43.99 |
| 13 | New Jersey | $91,640 | $44.06 |
| 14 | Idaho | $92,361 | $44.40 |
| 15 | New Mexico | $90,844 | $43.67 |
| 16 | Vermont | $88,906 | $42.74 |
| 17 | Arkansas | $83,819 | $40.30 |
| 18 | North Dakota | $94,087 | $45.23 |
| 19 | West Virginia | $91,117 | $43.81 |
| 20 | Massachusetts | $88,915 | $42.75 |
| 21 | Texas | $88,797 | $42.69 |
| 22 | Pennsylvania | $87,049 | $41.85 |
| 23 | Arizona | $88,641 | $42.62 |
| 24 | Georgia | $87,541 | $42.09 |
| 25 | Utah | $84,650 | $40.70 |
| 26 | Kentucky | $86,802 | $41.73 |
| 27 | Rhode Island | $86,093 | $41.39 |
| 28 | Wyoming | $84,365 | $40.56 |
| 29 | Alabama | $79,903 | $38.41 |
| 30 | Tennessee | $83,847 | $40.31 |
| 31 | Florida | $86,404 | $41.54 |
| 32 | Michigan | $84,547 | $40.65 |
| 33 | Maine | $87,661 | $42.14 |
| 34 | North Carolina | $81,447 | $39.16 |
| 35 | Ohio | $83,193 | $40.00 |
| 36 | Louisiana | $67,156 | $32.29 |
| 37 | Delaware | $85,289 | $41.00 |
| 38 | Hawaii | $85,251 | $40.99 |
| 39 | Oregon | $72,615 | $34.91 |
| 40 | Colorado | $76,364 | $36.71 |
| 41 | South Dakota | $62,099 | $29.86 |
| 42 | Wisconsin | $72,982 | $35.09 |
| 43 | South Carolina | $81,231 | $39.05 |
| 44 | Iowa | $60,180 | $28.93 |
| 45 | Mississippi | $57,645 | $27.71 |
| 46 | Alaska | $65,404 | $31.44 |
| 47 | Indiana | $67,747 | $32.57 |
| 48 | Montana | $66,107 | $31.78 |
| 49 | Missouri | $60,247 | $28.96 |
| 50 | Kansas | $63,286 | $30.43 |
| 51 | Nebraska | $54,767 | $26.33 |
Highest paying cities for editorial directors
The highest-paying cities for editorial directors are New Haven, CT, San Francisco, CA, and Washington, DC.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New Haven, CT | $110,559 | $53.15 |
| 2 | San Francisco, CA | $109,139 | $52.47 |
| 3 | Washington, DC | $107,418 | $51.64 |
| 4 | New York, NY | $106,599 | $51.25 |
| 5 | Seattle, WA | $99,042 | $47.62 |
| 6 | Arlington, VA | $95,854 | $46.08 |
| 7 | Chicago, IL | $95,265 | $45.80 |
| 8 | Houston, TX | $89,114 | $42.84 |
| 9 | Boston, MA | $88,774 | $42.68 |
| 10 | Atlanta, GA | $87,401 | $42.02 |
| 11 | Palm Beach Gardens, FL | $86,397 | $41.54 |
| 12 | Greensboro, NC | $81,764 | $39.31 |
| 13 | Colorado Springs, CO | $76,588 | $36.82 |
Editorial director salary details
An editorial director's salary ranges from $68,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $144,000 at the 90th percentile.
What is an editorial director's salary?
| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $144,000 | $12,000 | $69 |
| 75th Percentile | $121,000 | $10,083 | $58 |
| Average | $99,934 | $8,328 | $48 |
| 25th Percentile | $82,000 | $6,833 | $39 |
| 10th Percentile | $68,000 | $5,667 | $33 |
Highest paying editorial director jobs
The highest paying types of editorial directors are director, senior editor, and managing editor.
| Job title | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Publisher | $71,539 | $5,962 | $34.39 | 10,303 |
| Content Writer | $58,918 | $4,910 | $28.33 | 19,621 |
| Staff Writer | $44,844 | $3,737 | $21.56 | 80,547 |
| Grant Writer | $52,719 | $4,393 | $25.35 | 16,708 |
| Technical Writer And Editor | $65,088 | $5,424 | $31.29 | 78,617 |
| Production Editor | $53,275 | $4,440 | $25.61 | 62,877 |
Top companies hiring editorial directors now:
Which companies pay editorial directors the most?
Editorial director salaries at McKinsey & Company Inc and Bloomberg are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average editorial director salary at companies like The New York Times Company and HowStuffWorks are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | McKinsey & Company Inc | $141,345 | $67.95 |
| 2 | Bloomberg | $131,058 | $63.01 |
| 3 | The New York Times Company | $122,439 | $58.86 |
| 4 | HowStuffWorks | $116,628 | $56.07 |
| 5 | NBCUniversal | $109,834 | $52.80 |
| 6 | SFX Entertainment | $109,147 | $52.47 |
| 7 | Yardi | $108,565 | $52.19 |
| 8 | American Physical Society | $106,304 | $51.11 |
| 9 | Qnary | $100,295 | $48.22 |
| 10 | Randstad North America, Inc. | $99,496 | $47.83 |
| 11 | WarnerMedia | $98,822 | $47.51 |
| 12 | Yale University | $98,620 | $47.41 |
| 13 | Bertelsmann | $98,242 | $47.23 |
| 14 | Skift | $97,752 | $47.00 |
| 15 | The Rockefeller University | $96,386 | $46.34 |
| 16 | LAGARDERE | $96,171 | $46.24 |
| 17 | Paramount | $95,905 | $46.11 |
| 18 | S&P Global | $95,738 | $46.03 |
| 19 | Knights of Columbus | $95,637 | $45.98 |
| 20 | Scholastic | $95,332 | $45.83 |
Wage gap by gender, race and education
Editorial Director salary by industry
The average editorial director salary varies across industries:
- The average editorial director salary in the professional industry is $100,162, the highest of any industry.
- The average editorial director salary in the finance industry is $94,925.
- Editorial directors in the government industry earn an average salary of $73,349, the lowest of any industry.
Highest paying industries for editorial directors
| Rank | Industry | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Professional | $100,162 | $48.15 |
| 2 | Media | $94,925 | $45.64 |
| 3 | Retail | $84,988 | $40.86 |
| 4 | Government | $73,349 | $35.26 |
High paying editorial director jobs
Editorial director salary trends
The average editorial director salary has risen by $17,370 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average editorial director earned $82,564 annually, but today, they earn $99,934 a year. That works out to a 11% change in pay for editorial directors over the last decade.
Compare editorial director salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Average editorial director salary over time
Compare editorial director salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
Editorial director salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $99,900 | $48.05 | +3.2% |
| 2024 | $96,700 | $46.51 | +3.1% |
| 2023 | $93,800 | $45.07 | +1.2% |
| 2022 | $92,600 | $44.54 | +2.7% |
| 2021 | $90,200 | $43.35 | +2.1% |
Recently added editorial director salaries
| Company | Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| XQ | Editorial Director | Oakland, CA | 06/26/2025 | $175,000 |
| Wealthfront | Editorial Director of Market Insights Content (Temporary Role) | Palo Alto, CA | 06/21/2025 | $185,000 |
| LPA | Brand Editorial Director | Irvine, CA | 06/10/2025 | $120,000 |
| Morning Brew | Editorial Director, Consumer Publications | New York, NY | 06/05/2025 | $140,000 |
| Fox | Director, Content Merchandising Editorial | Los Angeles, CA | 05/24/2025 | $128,000 |
| The New York Times | Deputy Editorial Director, Games | Fine, NY | 05/16/2025 | $150,000 |
| Discovered | Editorial Director for Business Book Launch | Seal Beach, CA | 05/16/2025 | $93,915 |
| Holtzbrinck Publishing Group | Editorial Director-FSG Books for Young Readers | New York, NY | 05/16/2025 | $130,000 |
| Vox Media, LLC | Editorial Director, Audio & Video, The Verge | New York, NY | 04/28/2025 | $142,000 |
| Memorial Hermann Health System | Associate Editorial Director, Food | Fine, NY | 04/28/2025 | $90,000 |
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