Sports journalist demographics and statistics in the US
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Sports journalist demographics by:
Sports journalist gender statistics
20.9% of sports journalists are women and 79.1% of sports journalists are men.
- Male, 79.1%
- Female, 20.9%
Sports journalist gender ratio
| Gender | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Male | 79.1% |
| Female | 20.9% |
Sports journalist gender pay gap
Women earn 97¢ for every $1 earned by men
Male income
$57,806
Female income
$56,343
Sports journalist gender ratio over time
This data breaks down the percentage of men and women in sports journalist positions over time. Currently, 20.9% of sports journalists are female.
Sports journalist gender ratio by year
| Year | Male | Female |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 80.21% | 19.79% |
| 2011 | 79.93% | 20.07% |
| 2012 | 79.91% | 20.09% |
| 2013 | 81.80% | 18.20% |
| 2014 | 83.27% | 16.73% |
| 2015 | 79.68% | 20.32% |
| 2016 | 80.92% | 19.08% |
| 2017 | 78.84% | 21.16% |
| 2018 | 81.78% | 18.22% |
| 2019 | 79.56% | 20.44% |
| 2020 | 82.05% | 17.95% |
| 2021 | 79.14% | 20.86% |
Sports journalist related jobs gender ratio
We compared sports journalists with similar job titles to see how gender ratios vary. As you can see, public address announcer and track announcer have the biggest gender ratio gaps.
| Job title | Male | Female |
|---|---|---|
| Paraprofessional Interpreter | 12% | 88% |
| Deaf Interpreter | 15% | 85% |
| Fashion Journalist | 15% | 85% |
| Sports Journalist | 79% | 21% |
| Sports Announcer | 91% | 9% |
| Track Announcer | 92% | 8% |
| Public Address Announcer | 93% | 7% |
Male
Female
100%
75%
50%
25%
0%
0%
25%
50%
75%
100%
Sports journalist demographics by race
The most common ethnicity among sports journalists is White, which makes up 66.7% of all sports journalists. Comparatively, 12.6% of sports journalists are Hispanic or Latino and 9.7% of sports journalists are Asian.
- White, 66.7%
- Hispanic or Latino, 12.6%
- Asian, 9.7%
- Black or African American, 6.4%
- Unknown, 4.4%
- American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
Sports journalist race
| Sports journalist race | Percentages |
|---|---|
| White | 66.7% |
| Hispanic or Latino | 12.6% |
| Asian | 9.7% |
| Black or African American | 6.4% |
| Unknown | 4.4% |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 0.2% |
Sports journalist race and ethnicity over time
See how sports journalist racial and ethnic diversity trended since 2010 according to the United States Census Bureau data.
Sports journalist race and ethnicity by year
| Year | White | Black or African American | Asian | Hispanic or Latino |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 73.75% | 7.29% | 6.18% | 10.65% |
| 2011 | 76.15% | 5.45% | 5.89% | 9.49% |
| 2012 | 73.73% | 7.22% | 6.82% | 10.07% |
| 2013 | 72.75% | 7.00% | 6.44% | 11.85% |
| 2014 | 72.18% | 6.43% | 6.78% | 11.50% |
| 2015 | 71.02% | 7.96% | 5.94% | 11.90% |
| 2016 | 74.04% | 4.71% | 6.67% | 10.25% |
| 2017 | 71.75% | 5.95% | 6.66% | 12.63% |
| 2018 | 69.76% | 7.48% | 6.94% | 13.65% |
| 2019 | 70.67% | 5.39% | 8.57% | 12.07% |
| 2020 | 71.31% | 6.49% | 7.38% | 11.71% |
| 2021 | 66.66% | 6.37% | 9.67% | 12.61% |
Sports journalist wage gap by race
According to our data, hispanic or latino sports journalists have the highest average salary compared to other ethnicities. Black or african american sports journalists have the lowest average salary at $51,499.
| Ethnicity | Salary |
|---|---|
| Unknown | $57,134 |
| White | $57,278 |
| Black or African American | $51,499 |
| Asian | $61,109 |
| Hispanic or Latino | $62,671 |
Average sports journalist age
See how the average age of sports journalists varies based on ethnicity and gender.
Male
Female
Sports journalist age by race and gender
| Race | Male age | Female age |
|---|---|---|
| Unknown | 50 | 36 |
| White | 39 | 38 |
| Black or African American | 29 | 27.5 |
| Asian | 38 | 33 |
| Hispanic or Latino | 38 | 36 |
Sports journalist age breakdown
The average age of sports journalists is 40+ years years old, representing 44% of the sports journalist population.
Sports journalist age breakdown
| Sports Journalist Years | Percentages |
|---|---|
| 40+ years | 44% |
| 30-40 years | 32% |
| 20-30 years | 24% |
Sports journalist educational attainment
The most common degree for sports journalists is bachelor's degree, with 81% of sports journalists earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are master's degree degree at 8% and master's degree degree at 8%.
- Bachelor's, 81%
- Master's, 8%
- Associate, 8%
- High School Diploma, 2%
- Other Degrees, 1%
Sports journalists by degree level
| Sports journalist degree | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Bachelor's | 81% |
| Master's | 8% |
| Associate | 8% |
| High School Diploma | 2% |
| Other Degrees | 1% |
Sports journalist jobs you might like
Sports journalist wage gap by degree level
| Education | Salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $67,016 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $63,879 |
Sports journalist employment statistics
Most sports journalists work for a private in the media industry.
Company size where sports journalists work
Below, you can see the size of companies where sports journalists work.
Sports journalist jobs by employer size
| Company size | Percentages |
|---|---|
| < 50 employees | 16% |
| 50 - 100 employees | 13% |
| 100 - 500 employees | 36% |
| 500 - 1,000 employees | 10% |
| 1,000 - 10,000 employees | 20% |
| > 10,000 employees | 5% |
Sports journalist jobs by company type
Employees with the sports journalist job title have their preferences when it comes to working for a company. For instance, most sports journalists prefer to work at private companies over education companies.
Sports journalist jobs by sector
| Company type | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Education | 16% |
| Public | 6% |
| Private | 75% |
| Government | 2% |
Sports journalist jobs by industry
The most common industries for sports journalists are media, education and hospitality.
Sports journalist industry statistics
| Industry | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Media | 41% |
| Education | 14% |
| Hospitality | 7% |
| Start-up | 5% |
| Finance | 4% |
| Internet | 4% |
| Technology | 4% |
| Retail | 3% |
| Manufacturing | 3% |
| Professional | 3% |
| Government | 2% |
| Non Profits | 2% |
| Health Care | 2% |
| Telecommunication | 2% |
| Transportation | 1% |
| Energy | 1% |
| Construction | 1% |
| Fortune 500 | 1% |
| Automotive | 1% |
Sports journalist turnover and employment statistics
Sports journalist unemployment rate over time
The unemployment rate for sports journalists between 2008 and the most recent data has varied, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Sports journalist unemployment rate by year
| Year | Sports journalist unemployment rate |
|---|---|
| 2010 | 6.18% |
| 2011 | 5.45% |
| 2012 | 5.99% |
| 2013 | 3.17% |
| 2014 | 4.18% |
| 2015 | 4.87% |
| 2016 | 2.80% |
| 2017 | 2.13% |
| 2018 | 2.79% |
| 2019 | 4.35% |
| 2020 | 5.70% |
| 2021 | 3.87% |
Average sports journalist tenure
The average sports journalist stays at their job for 1-2 years, based on the 413 sports journalists resumes in Zippia's database.
Sports journalist tenure statistics
| Number of years | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Less than 1 year | 32% |
| 1-2 years | 29% |
| 3-4 years | 12% |
| 5-7 years | 15% |
| 8-10 years | 4% |
| 11+ years | 9% |
Sports journalist LGBT ratio compared to similar jobs
Review the percent of sports journalists that are members of the LGBT community. You can see how this compares to similar jobs in the chart below.
| Job title | LGBT | Job openings |
|---|---|---|
| Sports Journalist | 10.10% | - |
| Anchor/Producer | 10.34% | 10,037 |
| Community Relations Assistant | 12.01% | 27,961 |
| Science Editor | 12.38% | 9,103 |
| Interpreter And Translator | 14.90% | 3,787 |
| CO-Author | 16.36% | 2,793 |
| Mobile Disc Jockey | 16.36% | 5,576 |
Similar sports journalist jobs LGBT demographics
| Profession | Percentages of LGBT | Job openings |
|---|---|---|
| Anchor/Producer | 10.34% | 10,037 |
| Community Relations Assistant | 12.01% | 27,961 |
| Science Editor | 12.38% | 9,103 |
| Interpreter And Translator | 14.90% | 3,787 |
| CO-Author | 16.36% | 2,793 |
| Mobile Disc Jockey | 16.36% | 5,576 |
Foreign languages spoken by sports journalists
The most common foreign language among sports journalists is Spanish at 44.4%. The second-most popular foreign language spoken is French at 22.2% and German is the third-most popular at 7.4%.
- Spanish, 44.4%
- French, 22.2%
- German, 7.4%
- Italian, 7.4%
- Chinese, 3.7%
- Other, 14.9%
Sports journalist languages spoken
| Foreign language | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Spanish | 44.4% |
| French | 22.2% |
| German | 7.4% |
| Italian | 7.4% |
| Chinese | 3.7% |
| Other | 14.9% |
