Staff editors work under the supervision of chief editors, selecting, editing, and writing content for various types of printed or online media. They revise material and make sure the different articles and segments complement each other in an engaging way. They come up with ideas for topics and headlines and decide which piece of submitted writing meets the expected quality.
Working as a staff editor, you will have to be okay with performing under pressure. As deadlines approach, tension will rise, but you will have to make sure everything is delivered for publishing on time. It will be your job to make sure the texts are grammatically correct and well written, correcting and re-writing bits whenever necessary. You will reference sources and give advice for writers to improve their work.
A degree in literature or linguistics or another area of human studies is typically expected of people aspiring to work as editors. Excellent writing and language skills are a must, as well as attention to detail, great organization skills, and an ability to prioritize tasks. And when a deadline is approaching, you will have to give it everything you have, no questions asked. Working as an editor is not only an exciting and creatively fulfilling job but also one that earns you $101,400 a year on average.
What is a Staff Editor?
What Does a Staff Editor Do
There are certain skills that many staff editors have in order to accomplish their responsibilities. By taking a look through resumes, we were able to narrow down the most common skills for a person in this position. We discovered that a lot of resumes listed creativity, detail oriented and good judgment.
How To Become a Staff Editor
If you're interested in becoming a staff editor, one of the first things to consider is how much education you need. We've determined that 81.7% of staff editors have a bachelor's degree. In terms of higher education levels, we found that 7.7% of staff editors have master's degrees. Even though most staff editors have a college degree, it's impossible to become one with only a high school degree or GED.
Staff Editor Career Paths
In addition to switching up your job search, it might prove helpful to look at a career path for your specific job. Now, what's a career path you ask? Well, it's practically a map that shows how you might advance from one job title to another. Our career paths are especially detailed with salary changes. So, for example, if you started out with the role of manager you might progress to a role such as owner eventually. Later on in your career, you could end up with the title brand director.
Average Salary for a Staff Editor
What Am I Worth?
States With The Most Staff Editor Jobs
Mouse over a state to see the number of active staff editor jobs in each state. The darker areas on the map show where staff editors earn the highest salaries across all 50 states.
Number Of Staff Editor Jobs By State
| Rank | State | Number of Jobs | Average Salary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New York | 1,963 | $122,664 |
| 2 | Texas | 1,885 | $102,953 |
| 3 | Pennsylvania | 1,788 | $103,463 |
| 4 | Massachusetts | 1,484 | $110,276 |
| 5 | Florida | 1,466 | $88,799 |
| 6 | Illinois | 1,428 | $112,211 |
| 7 | Virginia | 1,010 | $112,471 |
| 8 | California | 982 | $123,811 |
| 9 | New Jersey | 975 | $109,547 |
| 10 | Ohio | 930 | $97,163 |
| 11 | Georgia | 908 | $103,135 |
| 12 | Washington | 860 | $108,345 |
| 13 | North Carolina | 832 | $94,980 |
| 14 | Maryland | 821 | $108,633 |
| 15 | Michigan | 635 | $98,872 |
| 16 | Minnesota | 633 | $112,452 |
| 17 | Oregon | 588 | $84,433 |
| 18 | Missouri | 570 | $71,365 |
| 19 | Colorado | 563 | $99,390 |
| 20 | Indiana | 545 | $80,089 |
| 21 | Arizona | 544 | $100,504 |
| 22 | Tennessee | 508 | $99,501 |
| 23 | Wisconsin | 430 | $85,827 |
| 24 | Alabama | 416 | $94,368 |
| 25 | Utah | 360 | $99,335 |
| 26 | South Carolina | 340 | $95,071 |
| 27 | Connecticut | 322 | $132,851 |
| 28 | Louisiana | 303 | $78,422 |
| 29 | Iowa | 271 | $91,328 |
| 30 | Kentucky | 260 | $103,284 |
| 31 | Kansas | 254 | $74,381 |
| 32 | Nevada | 251 | $106,411 |
| 33 | Arkansas | 231 | $98,619 |
| 34 | Oklahoma | 212 | $101,550 |
| 35 | Nebraska | 200 | $64,151 |
| 36 | New Mexico | 167 | $104,537 |
| 37 | Rhode Island | 163 | $105,737 |
| 38 | New Hampshire | 157 | $133,364 |
| 39 | Maine | 152 | $112,161 |
| 40 | Idaho | 138 | $85,301 |
| 41 | West Virginia | 117 | $106,711 |
| 42 | Mississippi | 110 | $68,423 |
| 43 | Montana | 100 | $71,584 |
| 44 | Vermont | 94 | $111,153 |
| 45 | Delaware | 90 | $101,491 |
| 46 | Hawaii | 85 | $105,281 |
| 47 | Alaska | 63 | $69,472 |
| 48 | Wyoming | 60 | $95,334 |
| 49 | North Dakota | 41 | $107,491 |
| 50 | South Dakota | 37 | $72,033 |
Top Colleges for Staff Editors
1. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
2. Harvard University
Cambridge, MA • Private
3. Washington University in St Louis
Saint Louis, MO • Private
4. New York University
New York, NY • Private
5. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
6. University of Texas at Austin
Austin, TX • Private
7. Columbia University in the City of New York
New York, NY • Private
8. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
9. University of Washington
Seattle, WA • Private
10. Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Cambridge, MA • Private
Top Skills For a Staff Editor
The skills section on your resume can be almost as important as the experience section, so you want it to be an accurate portrayal of what you can do. Luckily, we've found all of the skills you'll need so even if you don't have these skills yet, you know what you need to work on. Out of all the resumes we looked through, 28.9% of staff editors listed art directors on their resume, but soft skills such as creativity and detail oriented are important as well.
Choose From 10+ Customizable Staff Editor Resume templates
Zippia allows you to choose from different easy-to-use Staff Editor templates, and provides you with expert advice. Using the templates, you can rest assured that the structure and format of your Staff Editor resume is top notch. Choose a template with the colors, fonts & text sizes that are appropriate for your industry.
Staff Editor Demographics
Staff Editor Gender Distribution
After extensive research and analysis, Zippia's data science team found that:
- Among staff editors, 49.8% of them are women, while 50.2% are men.
- The most common race/ethnicity among staff editors is White, which makes up 77.8% of all staff editors.
- The most common foreign language among staff editors is Spanish at 23.2%.
Work Experience Programs For Staff Editors
Virtual work experience programs replicate work at top companies and help you gain the skills to be successful when applying and working there. In only a few hours, learn the relevant tools necessary to complete a typical work day at that company. Virtual work experience programs are 100% free, open-access, and self-paced. No experience or application is required!
Company: Accenture North America
Cost: Free
Duration: 5-6 hours
Company: Accenture North America
Cost: Free
Duration: 4 hours
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How Do Staff Editor Rate Their Jobs?
Top Staff Editor Employers
Most Common Employers For Staff Editor
| Rank | Company | Average Salary | Hourly Rate | Job Openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Patient Care Inc | $152,389 | $73.26 | 2 |
| 2 | Society of Petroleum Engineers | $142,477 | $68.50 | 2 |
| 3 | Ziff Davis | $137,923 | $66.31 | 2 |
| 4 | The New York Times Company | $129,168 | $62.10 | 35 |
| 5 | ViacomCBS | $127,318 | $61.21 | 5 |
| 6 | Entertainment Weekly | $126,940 | $61.03 | 3 |
| 7 | Merck | $120,108 | $57.74 | 6 |
| 8 | Oxford University Press | $119,722 | $57.56 | 3 |
| 9 | Adaptris | $117,876 | $56.67 | 4 |
| 10 | University of Pittsburgh | $116,982 | $56.24 | 2 |