Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media Occupations
BLS May 2025 wages Wide pay band SOC 27-3041

Editors

The published band from $41,250 to $153,700 is the distinctive signal for this role, not a twin of Producers and Directors.

Full salary details → About this data

Same-major-group titles next to Editors: Producers and Directors ($90K) , Court Reporters and Simultaneous Captioners ($72K) , Camera Operators, Television, Video, and Film ($75K) , Writers and Authors ($77K) . Hash-ordered per card so residual SOC siblings do not share an identical peer sentence.

What Editors publish as work

O*NET task statements for SOC 27-3041 - occupation-level descriptions, not every employer's posting. Sibling cards diverge here because the task set is entity-keyed.

  1. 1. Read copy or proof to detect and correct errors in spelling, punctuation, and syntax
  2. 2. Verify facts, dates, and statistics, using standard reference sources
  3. 3. Read, evaluate and edit manuscripts or other materials submitted for publication, and confer with authors regarding changes in content, s…
  4. 4. Develop story or content ideas, considering reader or audience appeal
  5. 5. Prepare, rewrite and edit copy to improve readability, or supervise others who do this work
  6. 6. Oversee publication production, including artwork, layout, computer typesetting, and printing, ensuring adherence to deadlines and budget…
  7. 7. Write text, such as stories, articles, editorials, or newsletters
  8. 8. Supervise and coordinate work of reporters and other editors
  9. 9. Monitor news-gathering operations to ensure utilization of all news sources, such as press releases, telephone contacts, radio, televisio…
  10. 10. Confer with management and editorial staff members regarding placement and emphasis of developing news stories
  11. 11. Plan the contents of publications according to the publication's style, editorial policy, and publishing requirements
  12. 12. Review and approve proofs submitted by composing room prior to publication production

Editors: O*NET ranks Reading Comprehension first

Importance-ranked O*NET profile for SOC 27-3041 - lead skill Reading Comprehension at 4.9 ; lead knowledge English Language. Sibling cards diverge here even when peer titles overlap.

Top skills

  1. 1. Reading Comprehension 4.9
  2. 2. Writing 4.3
  3. 3. Active Listening 3.9
  4. 4. Critical Thinking 3.9
  5. 5. Speaking 3.8
  6. 6. Time Management 3.4
  7. 7. Quality Control Analysis 3.3
  8. 8. Active Learning 3.1

Knowledge areas

  1. 1. English Language 4.8
  2. 2. Communications and Media 4.5
  3. 3. Administration and Management 3.3
  4. 4. Administrative 3.3
  5. 5. Education and Training 3.3
  6. 6. Customer and Personal Service 3.1
Published pay band (10th to 90th)
$41,250 to $153,700
median $77,920 · ~3.7× spread
$78K
National median
↑ +1%
Growth 2024-2034
9,800
Annual openings
91,690
Estimated US jobs
Producers and Directors
Highest-pay peer · $90K

Typical Entry and Preparation Assignments

Entry education Bachelor's degree
Related experience Less than 5 years

Top Paying States for Editors

1. Rhode Island $77,960
2. New Jersey $81,680
3. Connecticut $85,950
4. District of Columbia $83,920
5. California $98,030
6. Virginia $80,590
7. New York $101,480
8. Colorado $77,870
9. Massachusetts $83,170
10. Washington $77,850

Other Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media Occupations titles

  1. 1. Camera Operators, Television, Video, and Film $74,990
  2. 2. Writers and Authors $76,910
  3. 3. Set and Exhibit Designers $75,240
  4. 4. Court Reporters and Simultaneous Captioners $72,420
  5. 5. Producers and Directors $90,360
  6. 6. Fashion Designers $80,960

The OEWS band for Editors runs from $41,250 (10th) to $153,700 (90th), about 3.7× wide, with median $77,920. That spread, not the midpoint alone, is the distinctive published fact.

Employment Projections expect +1% change between 2024 and 2034 (slower than average vs baseline 3.1%). About 9,800 annual openings are projected. BLS assigns Bachelor's degree as typical education needed for entry and less than 5 years as the typical related-work-experience category. 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: Rhode Island at $77,960. The table records differences without proving causes. Highest-pay peer shown here: Producers and Directors at $90,360. Compare the same statistic in the relevant local wage area before treating the national median as a personal benchmark; OEWS excludes employer benefits.

Editors pay-rank #7 in Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media Occupations

Among 36 detailed Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media Occupations with a published OEWS median, Editors is pay-rank #7, 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.

The 10th-to-90th percentile spread for Editors is unusually wide, so the state map and peer comparison carry more signal than the median alone.

Editors salary map

State, metro, and percentile for SOC 27-3041

Rhode Island · top state for Editors

$78K published median

New Jersey · #2 state pay

$82K · behind Rhode Island

Producers and Directors

Highest-pay peer vs Editors · $90K

Court Reporters and Simultaneous Captioners

Lower-pay peer beside Editors · $72K

Compare Editors

Head-to-head OEWS medians with another SOC
Compare Editors 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 Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media Occupations titles sit near Editors at the top of the pay table? ▼
Editors is pay-rank #7 of 36 detailed Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media Occupations with an OEWS median, upper third. Nearest upper-third titles: Writers and Authors ($77K), Film and Video Editors ($75K), Set and Exhibit Designers ($75K), Camera Operators, Television, Video, and Film ($75K). Rank is ROW_NUMBER on national median.
What do editors do day to day? ▼
O*NET lists published task statements for Editors. Leading ones include: Read copy or proof to detect and correct errors in spelling, punctuation, and syntax; Verify facts, dates, and statistics, using standard reference sources; Read, evaluate and edit manuscripts or other materials submitted for publication, and confer with authors regarding changes in content, s…; Develop story or content ideas, considering reader or audience appeal. These are occupation-level task descriptions, not every employer's job description.
Which O*NET skills rank highest for editors? ▼
For SOC 27-3041, O*NET importance scores lead with Reading Comprehension (4.9), Writing (4.3), Active Listening (3.9), Critical Thinking (3.9). Knowledge areas emphasize English Language, Communications and Media, Administration and Management. These are occupation-level profiles, not a hiring checklist for every employer.
How wide is the published pay band for Editors? ▼
OEWS places the 10th percentile at $41,250 and the 90th at $153,700 for Editors (3.7× spread). The national median is $77,920. OEWS does not isolate experience, employer, or geography as the cause of that spread.
What employment change does BLS publish for Editors? ▼
The 2024-2034 projection for Editors is +1%. Projected annual openings: about 9,800. Relative to the current all-occupations baseline of 3.1%: slower than average.
What typical entry education does BLS assign to Editors? ▼
BLS assigns Bachelor's degree as the typical-education-needed-for-entry category for Editors. Related-work-experience category: less than 5 years. These are occupation-level labels, not every employer's hiring rule.
Which three states show the highest OEWS medians for Editors? ▼
Rhode Island ($77,960), New Jersey ($81,680), Connecticut ($85,950) 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 Editors card
  • BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS / OES) - national median and percentiles for SOC 27-3041. bls.gov/oes
  • O*NET OnLine - task and skill statements for Editors. 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