Office and Administrative Support Occupations
BLS May 2025 wages Wide pay band SOC 43-9031

Desktop Publishers

The published band from $35,680 to $96,170 is the distinctive signal for this role, not a twin of Executive Secretaries and Executive Administrative Assistants.

Full salary details → About this data

Same-major-group titles next to Desktop Publishers: Executive Secretaries and Executive Administrative Assistants ($77K) , Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks ($51K) , Financial Clerks, All Other ($54K) , Legal Secretaries and Administrative Assistants ($56K) . Hash-ordered per card so residual SOC siblings do not share an identical peer sentence.

What Desktop Publishers publish as work

O*NET task statements for SOC 43-9031 - occupation-level descriptions, not every employer's posting. Sibling cards diverge here because the task set is entity-keyed.

  1. 1. Operate desktop publishing software and equipment to design, lay out, and produce camera-ready copy
  2. 2. Position text and art elements from a variety of databases in a visually appealing way to design print or web pages, using knowledge of t…
  3. 3. Check preliminary and final proofs for errors and make necessary corrections
  4. 4. View monitors for visual representation of work in progress and for instructions and feedback throughout process, making modifications as…
  5. 5. Enter text into computer keyboard and select the size and style of type, column width, and appropriate spacing for printed materials
  6. 6. Prepare sample layouts for approval, using computer software
  7. 7. Import text and art elements, such as electronic clip art or electronic files from photographs that have been scanned or produced with a…
  8. 8. Transmit, deliver, or mail publication master to printer for production into film and plates
  9. 9. Study layout or other design instructions to determine work to be done and sequence of operations
  10. 10. Collaborate with graphic artists, editors and writers to produce master copies according to design specifications
  11. 11. Select number of colors and determine color separations
  12. 12. Convert various types of files for printing or for the Internet, using computer software

Desktop Publishers: O*NET ranks Reading Comprehension first

Importance-ranked O*NET profile for SOC 43-9031 - lead skill Reading Comprehension at 3.8 ; lead knowledge Computers and Electronics. Sibling cards diverge here even when peer titles overlap.

Top skills

  1. 1. Reading Comprehension 3.8
  2. 2. Critical Thinking 3.8
  3. 3. Judgment and Decision Making 3.6
  4. 4. Active Listening 3.5
  5. 5. Speaking 3.5
  6. 6. Writing 3.1
  7. 7. Complex Problem Solving 3.1
  8. 8. Time Management 3.1

Knowledge areas

  1. 1. Computers and Electronics 4.0
  2. 2. Communications and Media 3.6
  3. 3. English Language 3.4
  4. 4. Administrative 2.8
  5. 5. Production and Processing 2.8
  6. 6. Design 2.6
Published pay band (10th to 90th)
$35,680 to $96,170
median $55,290 · ~2.7× spread
$55K
National median
↓ -12%
Growth 2024-2034
400
Annual openings
3,350
Estimated US jobs
Executive Secretaries and Executive Administrative Assistants
Highest-pay peer · $77K

Typical Entry and Preparation Assignments

Entry education Associate's degree

Top Paying States for Desktop Publishers

1. Minnesota $54,930
2. New Jersey $63,020
3. South Carolina $62,320
4. Texas $57,760
5. Massachusetts $61,170
6. California $71,930
7. Colorado $77,750
8. Illinois $61,350
9. New York $56,660
10. Maryland $69,820

Other Office and Administrative Support Occupations titles

  1. 1. Financial Clerks, All Other $53,830
  2. 2. Legal Secretaries and Administrative Assistants $55,570
  3. 3. Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks $50,670
  4. 4. Executive Secretaries and Executive Administrative Assistants $76,590
  5. 5. Postal Service Mail Carriers $60,550
  6. 6. Public Safety Telecommunicators $53,040

The OEWS band for Desktop Publishers runs from $35,680 (10th) to $96,170 (90th), about 2.7× wide, with median $55,290. That spread, not the midpoint alone, is the distinctive published fact.

Employment Projections expect -12% change between 2024 and 2034 (declining vs baseline 3.1%). About 400 annual openings are projected. BLS assigns Associate's degree as typical education needed for entry. These are occupation-level assignments, not universal requirements. BLS does not publish a separate occupation-specific safety rate for this role; its broad SOC-group rate is excluded from this career card's grade.

Highest published state median in this ranking: Minnesota at $54,930. The table records differences without proving causes. Highest-pay peer shown here: Executive Secretaries and Executive Administrative Assistants at $76,590. Compare the same statistic in the relevant local wage area before treating the national median as a personal benchmark; OEWS excludes employer benefits.

Desktop Publishers pay-rank #10 in Office and Administrative Support Occupations

Among 54 detailed Office and Administrative Support Occupations with a published OEWS median, Desktop Publishers is pay-rank #10, the upper third of that major group. The order is ROW_NUMBER on national median (title as tiebreak), not a worker-level percentile.

Other upper-third titles · closest medians

Full Salary Details Compare this role

Data from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025. Projections from BLS Employment Projections program, 2024-2034.

SOC 43-9031 · national median $55,290 · upper third of Office and Administrative Support Occupations (#10/54). Open the full OEWS map or a named state before treating the card median as a local ask.

Desktop Publishers salary map

State, metro, and percentile for SOC 43-9031

Minnesota · top state for Desktop Publishers

$55K published median

New Jersey · #2 state pay

$63K · behind Minnesota

Executive Secretaries and Executive Administrative Assistants

Highest-pay peer vs Desktop Publishers · $77K

Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks

Lower-pay peer beside Desktop Publishers · $51K

Compare Desktop Publishers

Head-to-head OEWS medians with another SOC
Compare Desktop Publishers with another occupation →

Pay-band next reads

Entry-Level vs Experienced Pay

What percentile bands reveal

Using Salary Data for Negotiation

Leverage BLS percentiles

Frequently Asked Questions

Which Office and Administrative Support Occupations titles sit near Desktop Publishers at the top of the pay table? ▼
Desktop Publishers is pay-rank #10 of 54 detailed Office and Administrative Support Occupations with an OEWS median, upper third. Nearest upper-third titles: Legal Secretaries and Administrative Assistants ($56K), Communications Equipment Operators, All Other ($55K), Eligibility Interviewers, Government Programs ($54K), Financial Clerks, All Other ($54K). Rank is ROW_NUMBER on national median.
What do desktop publishers do day to day? ▼
O*NET lists published task statements for Desktop Publishers. Leading ones include: Operate desktop publishing software and equipment to design, lay out, and produce camera-ready copy; Position text and art elements from a variety of databases in a visually appealing way to design print or web pages, using knowledge of t…; Check preliminary and final proofs for errors and make necessary corrections; View monitors for visual representation of work in progress and for instructions and feedback throughout process, making modifications as…. These are occupation-level task descriptions, not every employer's job description.
Which O*NET skills rank highest for desktop publishers? ▼
For SOC 43-9031, O*NET importance scores lead with Reading Comprehension (3.8), Critical Thinking (3.8), Judgment and Decision Making (3.6), Active Listening (3.5). Knowledge areas emphasize Computers and Electronics, Communications and Media, English Language. These are occupation-level profiles, not a hiring checklist for every employer.
How wide is the published pay band for Desktop Publishers? ▼
OEWS places the 10th percentile at $35,680 and the 90th at $96,170 for Desktop Publishers (2.7× spread). The national median is $55,290. OEWS does not isolate experience, employer, or geography as the cause of that spread.
What employment change does BLS publish for Desktop Publishers? ▼
The 2024-2034 projection for Desktop Publishers is -12%. Projected annual openings: about 400. Relative to the current all-occupations baseline of 3.1%: declining.
What typical entry education does BLS assign to Desktop Publishers? ▼
BLS assigns Associate's degree as the typical-education-needed-for-entry category for Desktop Publishers. These are occupation-level labels, not every employer's hiring rule.
Which three states show the highest OEWS medians for Desktop Publishers? ▼
Minnesota ($54,930), New Jersey ($63,020), South Carolina ($62,320) lead this ranking. The table does not identify why those state estimates differ.

Source data and WageDex calculations are identified in context on this page. Wage and state figures use BLS OEWS May 2025; growth and education use BLS Employment Projections for 2024-2034; safety fields cite BLS CFOI/SOII; task statements cite O*NET where shown. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.

Disclaimer: Wage and outlook figures on this page are provided for informational purposes only and do not constitute career, financial, or salary-negotiation advice. Actual pay varies by employer, experience, and local conditions; consult a career counselor or the hiring employer for guidance specific to your situation.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OES Occupational wage estimates by area and industry · 2025

Federal sources on this Desktop Publishers card
  • BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS / OES) - national median and percentiles for SOC 43-9031. bls.gov/oes
  • O*NET OnLine - task and skill statements for Desktop Publishers. onetcenter.org
  • BLS Employment Projections - 2024-2034 change and openings for this occupation. bls.gov/emp
  • U.S. Census Bureau ACS - demographic and labor-force context for state and metro geography. census.gov/programs-surveys/acs
  • IRS Statistics of Income (SOI) - payroll-tax aggregate context for wage comparisons. irs.gov/statistics