43 Series · SOC 43-9081
Proofreaders and Copy Markers Salary
National pay, percentile range, growth outlook, and state-by-state detail from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS survey (May 2025).
- $51,120
- Median / year
- +3.9%
- 2024→2025
- $79,290
- Top 10% earn
- -0.6%
- Growth '24–'34
- 4,580
- Estimated US jobs
Proofreaders and Copy Markers earn a median of $51,120 per year.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS survey, the median annual wage is $51,120, based on the most recent survey of employers. Reported pay ranges from $34,510 (10th percentile) to $79,290 (90th percentile) nationally, across roughly 4,580 estimated jobs in covered establishments. The highest published state median in this ranking is District of Columbia ($68,120).
The pay verdict
Proofreaders and Copy Markers earn a median of $51,120, putting them below the typical US occupation and higher than 36% of the 825 occupations with a published BLS median. Within Office and Administrative Support, it ranks #16 of 54 by median pay. Employment is projected to fall 0.6% by 2034.
- $51,120
- Median annual wage
- Top 64%
- of 825 US occupations with published wages
- #16 of 54
- in Office and Administrative Support
- 2.3×
- 90th-to-10th pay spread
Highest-paying state: District of Columbia at $68,120. Typical entry-level education: Bachelor's degree.
Observed pay change
What changed, BLS OEWS 2019–2025
- The published national median for Proofreaders and Copy Markers moved from $40,630 in May 2019 to $51,120 in May 2025 (+25.8%).
- Across the 749 occupations priced in both releases under SOC-2018, the median occupation changed +24.5%.
- Proofreaders and Copy Markers sits +1.4 pp near that median, nominal dollars, no price deflator applied.
Proofreaders and Copy Markers (SOC 43-9081) has a national median of $51,120 per year in the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics May 2025 release. The published 10th-to-90th-percentile boundaries run from $34,510 to $79,290, and the published mean is $54,800. Those summary statistics describe the estimated distribution; their difference alone does not identify its cause. OEWS estimates 4,580 jobs in covered establishments nationally. WageDex has published rows for 26 state or territory areas and 23 metropolitan or nonmetropolitan wage areas. The published national median moved from $49,210 in the May 2024 OEWS release to $51,120 in May 2025, a rise of $1,910 (+3.9%). This is a change between two BLS survey estimates, not an inflation-adjusted same-worker pay raise.
BLS Employment Projections forecast a -0.6% change in employment from 2024 to 2034, which we classify as declining relative to the all-occupations baseline of 3.1%. About 1,900 openings are projected per year from growth, occupational transfers, and labor-force exits. BLS assigns Bachelor's degree as typical education needed for entry. BLS does not publish a separate occupation-specific fatality and injury rate for this role in the current release. The safety panel below shows its broad Office and Administrative Support Occupations SOC-group context and is not an occupation-level measurement or ranking.
Geographic variation matters as much as the headline median. District of Columbia pays the highest state median at $68,120, which is +33% above the national figure. The highest published metropolitan-area median in this ranking is Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA at $66,620. The observed difference does not identify its cause. Pair the national median with the state and metropolitan-area rows below while keeping the geography and statistic consistent. OEWS includes tips, commissions, incentive pay, and production bonuses, but not employer benefits, overtime premiums, stock compensation, or nonproduction bonuses. See our methodology for the sourcing and calculation details.
Median Salary
$51,120
per year
Median Hourly
$24.58/hr
per hour
Mean Salary
$54,800
average
Employment
4,580
jobs nationwide
How does this pay compare nationally?
Where Proofreaders and Copy Markers pay sits nationally
Median annual wage vs. 825 detailed BLS occupations with a published median
$51,120 Bottom 36% higher than 36% of 825 US occupations
Each bar is a $20K-wide band; taller bars hold more US occupations. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Read the chart as text · as of May 2025
| Band | Count | Share |
|---|---|---|
| $0–$20,000 | 0 US occupations | 0% |
| $20,000–$40,000 | 98 US occupations | 12% |
| $40,000–$60,000 (this entry) | 298 US occupations | 36% |
| $60,000–$80,000 | 209 US occupations | 25% |
| $80,000–$100,000 | 82 US occupations | 10% |
| $100,000–$120,000 | 58 US occupations | 7% |
| $120,000–$140,000 | 32 US occupations | 4% |
| $140,000–$160,000 | 14 US occupations | 2% |
| $160,000–$180,000 | 9 US occupations | 1% |
| $180,000 and above | 25 US occupations | 3% |
$51,120 · 36th percentile of 825 US occupations
Source U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS · May 2025
Does this job pay well and grow?
Each dot is a 43-series occupation, placed by projected 2024–2034 growth and median pay. The highlighted dot is Proofreaders and Copy Markers; the upper-right quadrant is the sweet spot (high pay + fast growth).
Read the chart as text
- Customer Service Rep…: Projected growth 2024–2034 (%) -5.5%, Median annual wage $44770
- Office Clerks, General: Projected growth 2024–2034 (%) -6.7%, Median annual wage $45010
- Secretaries and Admi…: Projected growth 2024–2034 (%) -1.6%, Median annual wage $47540
- First-Line Superviso…: Projected growth 2024–2034 (%) -0.3%, Median annual wage $69500
- Bookkeeping, Account…: Projected growth 2024–2034 (%) -5.8%, Median annual wage $50670
- Medical Secretaries …: Projected growth 2024–2034 (%) 4.2%, Median annual wage $45930
- Shipping, Receiving,…: Projected growth 2024–2034 (%) -7.7%, Median annual wage $45260
- Executive Secretarie…: Projected growth 2024–2034 (%) -1.6%, Median annual wage $76590
- Billing and Posting …: Projected growth 2024–2034 (%) -0.4%, Median annual wage $48500
- Production, Planning…: Projected growth 2024–2034 (%) -1.8%, Median annual wage $59650
- Tellers: Projected growth 2024–2034 (%) -12.9%, Median annual wage $43030
- Postal Service Mail …: Projected growth 2024–2034 (%) -3.5%, Median annual wage $60550
- Hotel, Motel, and Re…: Projected growth 2024–2034 (%) 3.7%, Median annual wage $35070
- Insurance Claims and…: Projected growth 2024–2034 (%) -3.7%, Median annual wage $49230
- Dispatchers, Except …: Projected growth 2024–2034 (%) -0.9%, Median annual wage $50340
- Office and Administr…: Projected growth 2024–2034 (%) -7.8%, Median annual wage $45670
- Court, Municipal, an…: Projected growth 2024–2034 (%) 3%, Median annual wage $48700
- Loan Interviewers an…: Projected growth 2024–2034 (%) -2.3%, Median annual wage $50020
- Bill and Account Col…: Projected growth 2024–2034 (%) -10.5%, Median annual wage $47030
- Legal Secretaries an…: Projected growth 2024–2034 (%) -5.8%, Median annual wage $55570
- Eligibility Intervie…: Projected growth 2024–2034 (%) 1%, Median annual wage $54210
- Payroll and Timekeep…: Projected growth 2024–2034 (%) -16.7%, Median annual wage $58260
- Interviewers, Except…: Projected growth 2024–2034 (%) -11.6%, Median annual wage $45920
- Proofreaders and Copy Markers: Projected growth 2024–2034 (%) -0.6%, Median annual wage $51120
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS (wages, May 2025) and Employment Projections (2024–2034).
Job Outlook (2024–2034)
Projected Growth
-0.6%
Declining
Annual Openings
1,900
per year (projected)
Employment Change
-100
12,000 (2024) → 11,900 (2034)
Typical Education
Bachelor's degree
Source: BLS Employment Projections, 2024–2034
Workplace Safety
All safety ratings →Office and Administrative Support Occupations context
Broad SOC context, not an occupation grade
Fatality Rate
0.5/100K
Injury Rate
1/100
Danger Index
4.3/100
Source: BLS Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI) & Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses (SOII), 2023
Career Intelligence
Skills, knowledge, and tasks most important for Proofreaders and Copy Markers roles, ranked by importance. Source: O*NET.
Top Skills
Knowledge Areas
Key Tasks
- ▸ Mark copy to indicate and correct errors in type, arrangement, grammar, punctuation, or spelling, using standard printers' marks.
- ▸ Read corrected copies or proofs to ensure that all corrections have been made.
- ▸ Correct or record omissions, errors, or inconsistencies found.
- ▸ Compare information or figures on one record against same data on other records, or with original copy, to detect errors.
- ▸ Route proofs with marked corrections to authors, editors, typists, or typesetters for correction or reprinting.
- ▸ Consult reference books or secure aid of readers to check references with rules of grammar and composition.
- ▸ Typeset and measure dimensions, spacing, and positioning of page elements, such as copy and illustrations, to verify conformance to specifications, using printer's ruler or layout software.
- ▸ Consult with authors and editors regarding manuscript changes and suggestions.
- ▸ Archive documents, conduct research, and read copy, using the internet and various computer programs.
- ▸ Write original content, such as headlines, cutlines, captions, and cover copy.
Source: O*NET Online, National Center for O*NET Development. Data represents typical importance ratings for this occupation.
Salary Range
Annual Salary Distribution
Hourly Rate Distribution
Proofreaders and Copy Markers pay history, 2015–2025
Published national median across 11 BLS OEWS releases. Nominal dollars, not inflation-adjusted.
Read the chart as text
| Period | National median |
|---|---|
| 2015 | $35,630 |
| 2016 | $36,960 |
| 2017 | $37,550 |
| 2018 | $39,140 |
| 2019 | $40,630 |
| 2020 | $41,140 |
| 2021 | $43,940 |
| 2022 | $45,410 |
| 2023 | $48,790 |
| 2024 | $49,210 |
| 2025 | $51,120 |
2015 median
$35,630
2025 median
$51,120
2019–2025 change (same SOC)
+$10,490 (+25.8%)
Avg/year (same SOC)
+3.9%
| Release | Median | Change | Estimated jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 2015 | $35,630 | First banked release | 10,810 |
| May 2016 | $36,960 | +3.7% | 11,430 |
| May 2017 | $37,550 | +1.6% | 11,420 |
| May 2018 | $39,140 | +4.2% | 9,820 |
| May 2019 | $40,630 | Classification break | 7,730 |
| May 2020 | $41,140 | +1.3% | 6,610 |
| May 2021 | $43,940 | +6.8% | 5,340 |
| May 2022 | $45,410 | +3.3% | 5,120 |
| May 2023 | $48,790 | +7.4% | 5,490 |
| May 2024 | $49,210 | +0.9% | 5,160 |
| May 2025 | $51,120 | +3.9% | 4,580 |
Across the 11 releases WageDex holds for this occupation, the published national median went from $35,630 in May 2015 to $51,120 in May 2025. Within the SOC-2018 classification (2019–2025), the like-for-like change averages +3.9% per year in nominal terms. Within the same SOC classification, estimated employment went from 7,730 in May 2019 to 4,580 in May 2025.
Each figure is a separate BLS survey estimate, so a change between releases reflects the estimated occupation-wide median in each year. It is not the raise any individual worker received, and it is not adjusted for inflation. Years where BLS did not publish an annual median for this occupation are omitted rather than filled in. This span also crosses a classification change: releases before May 2019 use the 2010 Standard Occupational Classification and later releases use the 2018 SOC, so figures either side of that boundary are not strictly like-for-like. Headline change rates on this page use only the same-classification subset.
Salary by State
Highest Paying States
Lowest Paying States
View all 26 states →
| # | State | Median Salary | vs National |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | District of Columbia | $68,120 | +33% above national |
| 2 | New York | $59,740 | +17% above national |
| 3 | California | $57,490 | +12% above national |
| 4 | Massachusetts | $57,160 | +12% above national |
| 5 | New Jersey | $56,700 | +11% above national |
| 6 | Ohio | $55,560 | +9% above national |
| 7 | Maryland | $53,920 | +5% above national |
| 8 | Washington | $53,890 | +5% above national |
| 9 | Missouri | $52,920 | +4% above national |
| 10 | Kansas | $51,160 | same as national |
| 11 | Illinois | $50,060 | 2% below national |
| 12 | Minnesota | $49,450 | 3% below national |
| 13 | Georgia | $49,200 | 4% below national |
| 14 | Virginia | $48,090 | 6% below national |
| 15 | Pennsylvania | $47,510 | 7% below national |
| 16 | Kentucky | $46,380 | 9% below national |
| 17 | North Carolina | $46,140 | 10% below national |
| 18 | Iowa | $44,680 | 13% below national |
| 19 | Wisconsin | $43,630 | 15% below national |
| 20 | South Carolina | $42,900 | 16% below national |
| 21 | Utah | $42,840 | 16% below national |
| 22 | Texas | $41,990 | 18% below national |
| 23 | Indiana | $40,920 | 20% below national |
| 24 | West Virginia | $36,730 | 28% below national |
| 25 | Florida | $35,610 | 30% below national |
| 26 | Michigan | $35,530 | 30% below national |
Salary by Metro Area
Highest Paying Metros
View all 22 metro areas →
| # | Metro Area | Median Salary | vs National |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | $66,620 | +30% above national |
| 2 | New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | $59,740 | +17% above national |
| 3 | Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | $57,840 | +13% above national |
| 4 | Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | $55,360 | +8% above national |
| 5 | Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO | $55,320 | +8% above national |
| 6 | St. Louis, MO-IL | $55,280 | +8% above national |
| 7 | Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN | $55,020 | +8% above national |
| 8 | Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD | $54,900 | +7% above national |
| 9 | Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA | $53,020 | +4% above national |
| 10 | Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL | $52,440 | +3% above national |
| 11 | Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI | $52,250 | +2% above national |
| 12 | Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN | $51,970 | +2% above national |
| 13 | San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $49,920 | 2% below national |
| 14 | Kansas City, MO-KS | $48,370 | 5% below national |
| 15 | Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC | $46,040 | 10% below national |
| 16 | Pittsburgh, PA | $45,740 | 11% below national |
| 17 | Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN | $44,160 | 14% below national |
| 18 | Salt Lake City-Murray, UT | $42,840 | 16% below national |
| 19 | Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY | $42,140 | 18% below national |
| 20 | Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | $41,600 | 19% below national |
| 21 | Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI | $39,040 | 24% below national |
| 22 | Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL | $35,240 | 31% below national |
Same SOC major group
Other detailed occupations in SOC major group 43 (Office and Administrative Support Occupations) - category peers, not a pay match.
Bill and Account Collectors
SOC 43-3011
Billing and Posting Clerks
SOC 43-3021
Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks
SOC 43-3031
Brokerage Clerks
SOC 43-4011
Cargo and Freight Agents
SOC 43-5011
Showing 5 of 53 detailed occupations BLS assigns to this SOC major group.
Nationwide occupations with similar pay or employment scale
Two OEWS peer sets outside this SOC major group (Office and Administrative Support Occupations). Same-category cards above stay inside the group; these neighborhoods are cross-group nearest neighbors on national median pay ($51,120 here) and reported employment (4,580 jobs here).
Similar median pay
Nearest other detailed occupations by BLS OEWS national median annual wage.
Similar employment scale
Nearest headcount peers (floor 1,000 national jobs), distinct from the pay column.
Peers are nearest-neighbor matches on BLS OEWS national median annual wage and reported employment. Employment peers exclude occupations already listed in the pay column so the two link sets stay distinct.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much do Proofreaders and Copy Markers make? ▼
Where does Proofreaders and Copy Markers pay rank nationally? ▼
What state pays Proofreaders and Copy Markers the most? ▼
What education do Proofreaders and Copy Markers need? ▼
Does BLS publish a safety rate for Proofreaders and Copy Markers? ▼
Is Proofreaders and Copy Markers a good career? ▼
How does Proofreaders and Copy Markers pay vary by state? ▼
Which metro areas pay the most for Proofreaders and Copy Markers? ▼
What to do with this data
How to use Proofreaders and Copy Markers pay figures in a real decision
- The 75th-percentile wage is about $62,390/year. Treat it as the upper-quartile market boundary, not an automatic target for experience alone; role scope, location, industry, credentials, performance, and employer context still need separate evidence. Salary calculator
- Location moves pay significantly: District of Columbia leads at $68,120/year for this role. Weigh state pay against local cost of living before relocating or negotiating remote. Pay by state
- Compare this occupation against similar roles before you decide, so you are reading the pay band in context rather than in isolation. Compare jobs
These are BLS survey estimates for the occupation, not a salary offer or a prediction for any individual. Your pay depends on experience, employer, exact role, and location.
Source data and WageDex calculations are identified in context on this page. Occupation wages use BLS OEWS May 2025; outlook uses BLS Employment Projections for 2024–2034; safety, skills, knowledge, and task panels identify their BLS or O*NET sources in context. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.
This page is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial or career advice. Actual pay for a specific role, employer, or offer may differ from these national/state figures, consult a qualified career counselor, recruiter, or financial advisor before making decisions based on this data.