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Book and magazine publishing
Penguin Random House, HarperCollins, Condé Nast
Editors
Editors decide what gets published, shape rough drafts into clear copy, and keep writers, designers, and production teams moving toward the same deadline. The job is a constant tradeoff between clean language and practical constraints: you are protecting the publication's voice and quality while also managing budgets, space, and the pressure to publish fast.
Also known as Copy EditorContent EditorDigital EditorProduction EditorAssociate Editor
Median Salary
$75,260
Mean $85,700
U.S. Workforce
~95K
9.8K openings per year
10-Year Growth
+0.6%
115.8K to 116.5K
Entry Education
Bachelor's degree
+ Less than 5 years experience
What This Role Looks Like in Practice
Editors sits in the Creative category. In practical terms, this role combines day-to-day execution, cross-team coordination, and consistent decision-making under real business constraints.
U.S. employment is currently about ~95K workers, with a median annual pay of $75,260 and roughly 9.8K openings each year. Based on BLS projections, total employment is expected to grow from 115.8 K in 2024 to 116.5K in 2034.
Most hiring paths start with Bachelor's degree, and employers typically expect less than 5 years of related experience. Many careers in this track begin around Editorial Assistant and can progress toward Editorial Director. High-value skills usually include AP Style, Copy Editing & Fact-Checking, Proofreading, Grammar & Punctuation Checks, and Adobe InDesign, WordPress & CMS Publishing, paired with soft skills such as Reading Comprehension, Writing, and Critical Thinking.
Core Responsibilities
- Assign stories or topics to writers and reporters, then follow up to make sure the work comes in on time.
- Work with supervisors and other editors to decide which stories get priority and where they should appear.
- Suggest new article ideas and angles that will appeal to the target audience.
- Coordinate with designers, production staff, and marketers to solve layout, artwork, and publishing problems.
Keep exploring: more Creative careers or browse all job titles.
A Day in the Life
01 Assign stories or topics to writers and reporters, then follow up to make sure the work comes in on time.
02 Work with supervisors and other editors to decide which stories get priority and where they should appear.
03 Suggest new article ideas and angles that will appeal to the target audience.
04 Coordinate with designers, production staff, and marketers to solve layout, artwork, and publishing problems.
05 Review drafts, rewrite awkward sections, and fix grammar, punctuation, and other language issues.
06 Check proofs and final pages carefully so mistakes are caught before publication.
Industries That Hire
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News and digital media
The New York Times, Reuters, Axios
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Educational publishing
Scholastic, Pearson, McGraw Hill
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Tech and software content
Microsoft, Google, Adobe
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Corporate communications and marketing
IBM, Salesforce, Edelman
Pros and Cons
Advantages
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The pay is solid for a writing-centered job, with a mean annual wage of $85,700 and a median of $75,260.
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The work is varied: editors may rewrite copy one hour, plan coverage the next, and solve production issues later in the day.
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A bachelor's degree is the typical entry point, and the role does not require formal on-the-job training.
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There are still about 9.8K annual openings, so people leave and new spots open up even in a slow-growing field.
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The skills transfer well to other content jobs, including communications, content strategy, and digital publishing.
Challenges
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Growth is almost flat, at just 0.6% from 2024 to 2034, so the field is not expanding in a meaningful way.
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The occupation is small, with about 95,480 jobs, so competition can be tough when openings appear.
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The median pay of $75,260 is well below the mean of $85,700, which suggests earnings are uneven and many editors make less than the headline average.
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Routine proofreading and formatting are increasingly handled by templates, CMS tools, and AI-assisted software, which can squeeze demand for basic editing work.
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Advancement can stall unless you move into management or strategy, so strong editorial skills do not always translate into a bigger title or much higher pay.
Career Progression
Editorial Assistant
0-2 years
$38K-$52K
Supports senior editors by tracking submissions, doing basic proofreading, and handling routine publishing tasks.
Editor
2-5 years
$63K-$88K
Manages assigned content, rewrites copy, and makes day-to-day decisions about what gets published and how it should read.
Senior Editor THIS ROLE
5-8 years
$89K-$115K
Leads bigger projects, coaches writers, and takes on more responsibility for quality, planning, and editorial judgment.
Managing Editor
8-12 years
$116K-$145K
Oversees workflow, schedules, and deadlines across a publication or content team.
Editorial Director
12+ years
$146K-$185K
Sets editorial strategy, manages multiple teams or publications, and balances content goals with business priorities.
Education Paths
Bachelor's degree
The most common entry point, held by 80.43% of workers in this role.
Master's degree
An advanced path, held by 17.03% of workers, often used by editors aiming for specialty publications or higher-responsibility roles.
Post-baccalaureate certificate
A niche route, held by 1.27% of workers, usually used to add practical editing or publishing training after college.
Editing or publishing certificate plus portfolio
A realistic alternative for career changers who build skills through short programs, internships, and sample work instead of another full degree.
Key Skills
Technical
AP Style, Copy Editing & Fact-Checking 98%
Proofreading, Grammar & Punctuation Checks 92%
Adobe InDesign, WordPress & CMS Publishing 84%
Google Docs, Track Changes & Microsoft Word 80%
Headline Writing, SEO & Metadata Optimization 75%
Layout Review, PDF Markup & Print Production 70%
Soft Skills
Reading ComprehensionWritingCritical ThinkingActive ListeningSpeakingTime Management Job Outlook and Trends
+0.6%
Projected growth (2024-2034)
9.8K
Annual job openings
Employment is projected to rise from 115.8K to 116.5 K over the next decade, representing 0.6% growth. Around 9.8 K openings per year include both newly created roles and replacement hiring from turnover.
Remote availability is currently Moderate. Demand remains strongest where employers need practical domain knowledge plus modern workflow and data skills.