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Role hub · Editors

Editor: what the job is, what it pays, and how to get hired.

The work, the skills that matter, the tools in demand and the pay range, from U.S. government data, plus every TryHired page for the role.

Maid DizdarevicCareer coach · 8x LinkedIn Top Voice
Updated Nov 2, 2026 · Data: BLS OEWS May 2025 · O*NET 31.0
Pay ladder · select a percentile
Median percentile pay

Half of editors earn more than this and half earn less.

Annual
$77,920
Hourly
$37.46
Source
BLS May 2025
Quick answer

Editors plan, coordinate, revise, or edit written material. The median pay is $77,920 a year ($37.46 an hour) (BLS, May 2025).

Median pay
$77,920
BLS May 2025
Employed in the U.S.
91,690
BLS May 2025
Preparation
Job Zone 4 of 5
considerable preparation
Key facts

Editors at a glance

  • Editors in the United States earned a median annual wage of $77,920 in May 2025, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

    Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025

  • In its 2025–35 employment projections, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics lists a bachelor's degree as the typical entry-level education for editors in the United States.

    Source: BLS Employment Projections, 2025–35

  • BLS projects employment of editors in the United States to decline 1.1% from 2025 to 2035, with about 7,900 openings a year on average, including replacement openings.

    Source: BLS Employment Projections, 2025–35

  • BLS estimated that 91,690 people were employed as editors in the United States in May 2025, not counting the self-employed.

    Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025

Explore the role

Every page for Editors

SalaryEditor salary

Pay by percentile, state and metro, with a negotiation script.

Open →ResumeEditor resume

Keywords, bullet formulas and the skills to prove.

Open →Interview questionsEditor interview questions

Questions with what they test, plus practice mode.

Open →Career changeEditor career change

Where these skills transfer, with skill match and pay change.

Open →Free toolCheck your resume

Parsed text, evidence per bullet, fixes first.

Open →
The work

What editors do day to day

Data Core tasks rated most important by workers in the role (O*NET).

  1. Verify facts, dates, and statistics, using standard reference sources.
  2. Write text, such as headlines, stories, articles, editorials, or newsletters.
  3. Read copy or proof to detect and correct errors in spelling, punctuation, and syntax.
  4. Prepare, rewrite and edit copy to improve readability, or supervise others who do this work.
  5. Develop story or content ideas, considering reader or audience appeal.
  6. Allocate print space for story text, photos, and illustrations according to space parameters and copy significance, using knowledge of layout principles.
  7. Confer with management and editorial staff members regarding placement and emphasis of developing news stories.
  8. Oversee publication production, including artwork, layout, computer typesetting, and printing, ensuring adherence to deadlines and budget requirements.
Where this career works

Industries that employ it

Data Share of all editor jobs in each industry, 2025 (BLS Employment Matrix).

  1. Professional, scientific, and technical services17.4% of all jobs in this occupation · +9.8% projected change here 2025–35 · mean wage $87,290
  2. Broadcasting and Content Providers9.6% of all jobs in this occupation · +3.1% projected change here 2025–35 · mean wage $95,040
  3. Religious, grantmaking, civic, professional, and similar organizations7.6% of all jobs in this occupation · +3.4% projected change here 2025–35 · mean wage $89,750
  4. Motion picture and sound recording industries6.7% of all jobs in this occupation · +7.4% projected change here 2025–35 · mean wage $123,180
  5. Educational services; state, local, and private5.7% of all jobs in this occupation · +3.5% projected change here 2025–35 · mean wage $80,400
  6. Administrative and support services3.1% of all jobs in this occupation · +2.4% projected change here 2025–35 · mean wage $86,860

Sources: BLS 2025–35 National Employment Matrix (share of the occupation's jobs, projected change) and BLS OEWS May 2025 industry estimates (mean wage). Different industry estimates are not a pay forecast for any person.

Skills that matter

Ranked by importance to the job

Data O*NET importance ratings. The first three are core.

Reading ComprehensioncoreWritingcoreActive ListeningcoreSpeakingCritical ThinkingTime ManagementComplex Problem SolvingJudgment and Decision MakingActive Learning

Knowledge areas: English Language, Communications and Media, Customer and Personal Service, Design, Administration and Management, Computers and Electronics.

Tools and technology

Software editors use

Data Examples reported for the role; employer demand flags from O*NET.

  • Adobe PhotoshopGraphics or photo imaging softwareIn demand
  • Content management systems CMSWeb page creation and editing softwareIn demand
  • Adobe After EffectsVideo creation and editing softwareHot technology
  • Adobe Creative Cloud softwareGraphics or photo imaging softwareHot technology
  • Adobe IllustratorGraphics or photo imaging softwareHot technology
  • Adobe InDesignDesktop publishing softwareHot technology
  • Extensible markup language XMLEnterprise application integration softwareHot technology
  • FacebookWeb page creation and editing softwareHot technology
  • Google AnalyticsData mining softwareHot technology
  • Microsoft VisioProcess mapping and design softwareHot technology
  • WordPressWeb page creation and editing softwareHot technology
  • Adobe CaptivateComputer based training software

Also called: Acquisitions Editor, Assignment Editor, Business Editor, Features Editor, Legal Editor, Newspaper Copy Editor.

Method

How this page is built

Tasks, skills, tools, education and related roles come from O*NET 31.0. Pay and employment come from the BLS OEWS May 2025 national estimates. The skill-match score is our calculation: Skill match is the cosine similarity of the two occupations' skill profiles: for each of 35 O*NET skills (10 essential, 25 transferable) we multiply importance by level and subtract the average across all occupations, then compare the direction of the two profiles. 100 means identical shape; 0 means unrelated or opposite (negative values are shown as 0). Only occupations that O*NET itself lists as related are compared.

What this page can't tell you
  • How a specific employer defines the job.
  • Pay for self-employed workers (OEWS covers employees).
  • Your own chances: data describes the occupation, not you.
Sources
  1. O*NET 31.0 Database, U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. TryHired selected, ranked and combined the data; O*NET is not responsible for these pages.
  2. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 estimates (public domain).

How TryHired builds this data: sources, methods and downloads. Spotted an error? Report a correction.