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Writer and editor salary
Average writer and editor salary
$61,482
Understanding Writer and Editor Salaries
As of October 2025, the salary for a Writer and Editor averages $61,482 per year. This figure can fluctuate based on various factors including experience, geographical location, and the specific industry. For instance, writers in high-demand fields such as technology or healthcare often earn more than those in traditional publishing.
In the United States, states like California and New York frequently offer the highest salaries for these roles, reflecting the higher cost of living and the concentration of media companies in these regions. Additionally, freelance writers and editors may have different earning potential based on their client base and project types.
To navigate this landscape effectively, job seekers should also consider the benefits and opportunities for advancement within different organizations. By assessing the average salaries by state and industry, aspiring writers can identify where their skills are most valued and potentially negotiate better compensation packages.
As the demand for skilled content creators continues to grow, understanding these salary dynamics will empower you to make informed career decisions. Utilize platforms like Zippia to explore job listings and salary information tailored to your unique career path.
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Where can a Writer And Editor earn more?
Writer and editor salary estimates from across the web
Average writer and editor salary by state
The average writer and editor salary in Connecticut, New Jersey, and New Hampshire are the highest in the U.S. The lowest average writer and editor salary states are Missouri, Alaska, and Hawaii.
- State view
- County view
Highest paying states for writer and editors
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | District of Columbia | $99,570 | $47.87 |
| 2 | New York | $78,509 | $37.74 |
| 3 | Virginia | $79,550 | $38.25 |
| 4 | Connecticut | $85,416 | $41.07 |
| 5 | New Jersey | $82,472 | $39.65 |
| 6 | New Hampshire | $82,188 | $39.51 |
| 7 | Massachusetts | $72,127 | $34.68 |
| 8 | Washington | $71,256 | $34.26 |
| 9 | Maryland | $68,569 | $32.97 |
| 10 | Illinois | $70,604 | $33.94 |
| 11 | North Dakota | $69,609 | $33.47 |
| 12 | Vermont | $67,005 | $32.21 |
| 13 | Rhode Island | $66,116 | $31.79 |
| 14 | Delaware | $64,584 | $31.05 |
| 15 | West Virginia | $64,728 | $31.12 |
| 16 | Oregon | $58,510 | $28.13 |
| 17 | Michigan | $62,455 | $30.03 |
| 18 | California | $61,269 | $29.46 |
| 19 | Wyoming | $52,137 | $25.07 |
| 20 | Pennsylvania | $62,327 | $29.96 |
| 21 | Maine | $65,934 | $31.70 |
| 22 | Idaho | $57,867 | $27.82 |
| 23 | Nevada | $53,808 | $25.87 |
| 24 | Minnesota | $59,116 | $28.42 |
| 25 | North Carolina | $53,747 | $25.84 |
| 26 | Kentucky | $59,117 | $28.42 |
| 27 | Wisconsin | $53,827 | $25.88 |
| 28 | Colorado | $51,819 | $24.91 |
| 29 | Ohio | $53,014 | $25.49 |
| 30 | New Mexico | $50,177 | $24.12 |
| 31 | Georgia | $50,490 | $24.27 |
| 32 | Arizona | $49,571 | $23.83 |
| 33 | Arkansas | $47,959 | $23.06 |
| 34 | Oklahoma | $48,932 | $23.52 |
| 35 | Montana | $44,273 | $21.29 |
| 36 | Indiana | $48,183 | $23.16 |
| 37 | Utah | $41,159 | $19.79 |
| 38 | Alaska | $38,110 | $18.32 |
| 39 | Hawaii | $37,508 | $18.03 |
| 40 | South Carolina | $48,413 | $23.28 |
| 41 | Tennessee | $46,860 | $22.53 |
| 42 | Texas | $44,241 | $21.27 |
| 43 | South Dakota | $44,164 | $21.23 |
| 44 | Nebraska | $37,073 | $17.82 |
| 45 | Alabama | $45,051 | $21.66 |
| 46 | Florida | $40,316 | $19.38 |
| 47 | Missouri | $39,463 | $18.97 |
| 48 | Iowa | $43,258 | $20.80 |
| 49 | Kansas | $39,555 | $19.02 |
| 50 | Louisiana | $36,172 | $17.39 |
| 51 | Mississippi | $31,712 | $15.25 |
Highest paying cities for writer and editors
The highest-paying cities for writer and editors are Washington, DC, Jersey City, NJ, and Reston, VA.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Washington, DC | $100,149 | $48.15 |
| 2 | Jersey City, NJ | $82,644 | $39.73 |
| 3 | Reston, VA | $82,611 | $39.72 |
| 4 | New York, NY | $78,545 | $37.76 |
| 5 | Seattle, WA | $72,083 | $34.66 |
| 6 | Boston, MA | $72,042 | $34.64 |
| 7 | Chicago, IL | $71,094 | $34.18 |
| 8 | San Francisco, CA | $70,626 | $33.95 |
| 9 | Baltimore, MD | $68,918 | $33.13 |
| 10 | Portland, ME | $67,211 | $32.31 |
| 11 | Philadelphia, PA | $62,733 | $30.16 |
| 12 | Waterford, MI | $62,631 | $30.11 |
| 13 | Portland, OR | $58,515 | $28.13 |
| 14 | Columbus, OH | $52,280 | $25.13 |
| 15 | Boulder, CO | $51,937 | $24.97 |
| 16 | Charlotte, NC | $51,505 | $24.76 |
| 17 | Atlanta, GA | $50,574 | $24.31 |
| 18 | Phoenix, AZ | $49,738 | $23.91 |
| 19 | Indianapolis, IN | $47,934 | $23.05 |
| 20 | El Paso, TX | $47,039 | $22.61 |
Writer And Editors are the most in-demand in these five cities:
Writer and editor salary details
A writer and editor's salary ranges from $36,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $103,000 at the 90th percentile.
What is a writer and editor's salary?
| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $103,000 | $8,583 | $50 |
| 75th Percentile | $80,000 | $6,667 | $38 |
| Average | $61,482 | $5,124 | $30 |
| 25th Percentile | $46,000 | $3,833 | $22 |
| 10th Percentile | $36,000 | $3,000 | $17 |
Highest paying writer and editor jobs
The highest paying types of writer and editors are senior editor, managing editor, and senior writer.
| Job title | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Journalist | $60,828 | $5,069 | $29.24 | 11,488 |
| Editing Internship | $35,035 | $2,920 | $16.84 | 49,315 |
| Reporter | $46,667 | $3,889 | $22.44 | 11,179 |
| Editorial Internship | $32,356 | $2,696 | $15.56 | 51,667 |
| Content Writer | $58,918 | $4,910 | $28.33 | 19,621 |
| Staff Writer | $44,844 | $3,737 | $21.56 | 80,547 |
Top companies hiring writer and editors now:
Which companies pay writer and editors the most?
Writer and editor salaries at Apple and Campbell-Ewald are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average writer and editor salary at companies like Food and Drug Law Institute and Department of Homeland Security are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Apple | $123,787 | $59.51 |
| 2 | Campbell-Ewald | $95,466 | $45.90 |
| 3 | Food and Drug Law Institute | $93,084 | $44.75 |
| 4 | Department of Homeland Security | $91,544 | $44.01 |
| 5 | University Of California, Agriculture And Natural Resources | $87,762 | $42.19 |
| 6 | Accenture | $85,656 | $41.18 |
| 7 | Association Headquarters | $82,098 | $39.47 |
| 8 | ERM | $80,437 | $38.67 |
| 9 | NYU Lutheran Medical Center | $78,511 | $37.75 |
| 10 | Journal of World History | $77,240 | $37.13 |
| 11 | Pm Consulting Corp | $77,240 | $37.13 |
| 12 | General Services Corporation | $77,240 | $37.13 |
| 13 | Deluxe Entertainment Services Group Inc. | $76,218 | $36.64 |
| 14 | The Tor Project | $76,203 | $36.64 |
| 15 | BerryDunn | $74,970 | $36.04 |
| 16 | Ncar - The National Center For Atmospheric Research | $74,754 | $35.94 |
| 17 | GoodRx | $72,658 | $34.93 |
| 18 | CERTIFIED INC. | $71,050 | $34.16 |
| 19 | Paramount | $69,716 | $33.52 |
| 20 | Grenzebach Glier + Associates | $66,754 | $32.09 |
Wage gap by gender, race and education
Writer And Editor salary by industry
The average writer and editor salary varies across industries:
- The average writer and editor salary in the internet industry is $97,058, the highest of any industry.
- The average writer and editor salary in the finance industry is $77,652.
- Writer and editors in the media industry earn an average salary of $57,290, the lowest of any industry.
Highest paying industries for writer and editors
| Rank | Industry | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Internet | $97,058 | $46.66 |
| 2 | Technology | $77,652 | $37.33 |
| 3 | Government | $74,172 | $35.66 |
| 4 | Media | $57,290 | $27.54 |
High paying writer and editor jobs
Writer and editor salary trends
The average writer and editor salary has risen by $10,686 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average writer and editor earned $50,796 annually, but today, they earn $61,482 a year. That works out to a 11% change in pay for writer and editors over the last decade.
Compare writer and editor salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Average writer and editor salary over time
Compare writer and editor salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
Writer and editor salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $61,500 | $29.56 | +3.2% |
| 2024 | $59,500 | $28.61 | +3.1% |
| 2023 | $57,700 | $27.73 | +1.2% |
| 2022 | $57,000 | $27.40 | +2.7% |
| 2021 | $55,500 | $26.67 | +2.1% |
Recently added writer and editor salaries
| Company | Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CVS Health | MGR, Health Services (IC)-Payment Policy Writer for Code Editing-State Medicaid Health Plan and D | Harrisburg, PA | 06/28/2025 | $60,300 |
| Simpletense Education | Your Words Can Make YOU! Freelance Academic Writers Wanted! | Pasadena, CA | 06/27/2025 | $24,000 |
| Simpletense Education | Don't Write US Off Just YET! OUR Freelance Writers ! | Pasadena, CA | 06/27/2025 | $24,000 |
| Blavity Inc. | Freelancer Writer (AI Researcher)-Morning Shift | New York, NY | 06/24/2025 | $31,305 |
| Dow Jones | Senior Editorial Page Writer and Editor, Opinion Newsletters | New York, NY | 06/13/2025 | $130,000 |
| Audacy, Inc. | Editor/Writer Wins | New York, NY | 06/11/2025 | $88,927 |
| U.S. Department of State | Writer-Editor | Washington, DC | 06/07/2025 | $120,579 |
| State of Virginia | Writer/Editor for Undergraduate Education | Blacksburg, VA | 06/04/2025 | $41,740 |
| State of Virginia | Writer/Editor for Undergraduate Education | Virginia, MN | 05/27/2025 | $41,740 |
| State of Virginia | Writer/Editor for Undergraduate Education | Blacksburg, VA | 05/27/2025 | $41,740 |
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