Editors
Arts, Audio/Video Technology and CommunicationsO*NET 27-3041.00United States
Plan, coordinate, revise, or edit written material. May review proposals and drafts for possible publication.
- Median annual earnings
- $72,364
- Projected change
- +1.9%
- Typical education
- Bachelor's degree
- Employment
- 117.13K jobs
50th percentile, United States
2025 to 2035
81.7% of the workforce
Growing to 119.3K by 2035
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The work
What editors do
Tasks reported for this occupation, ordered by how often they come up in the role.
- 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, style or organization, or publication.
- Develop story or content ideas, considering reader or audience appeal.
- Prepare, rewrite and edit copy to improve readability, or supervise others who do this work.
- Oversee publication production, including artwork, layout, computer typesetting, and printing, ensuring adherence to deadlines and budget requirements.
- Write text, such as stories, articles, editorials, or newsletters.
- Supervise and coordinate work of reporters and other editors.
- Plan the contents of publications according to the publication's style, editorial policy, and publishing requirements.
- Confer with management and editorial staff members regarding placement and emphasis of developing news stories.
- Review and approve proofs submitted by composing room prior to publication production.
- Assign topics, events and stories to individual writers or reporters for coverage.
- Meet frequently with artists, typesetters, layout personnel, marketing directors, and production managers to discuss projects and resolve problems.
Pay and outlook
What the job pays and where it is heading
Annual earnings range
Reported earnings by percentile, United States
- 10th percentile
- $36,227
- 25th percentile
- $51,736
- 50th percentile
- $72,364
- 75th percentile
- $101,509
- 90th percentile
- $152,138
The gold marker shows the median. Half earn more than $72,364 and half earn less.
Employment outlook
2025 to 2035 projection
+1.9%average or slower
2025117,129 jobs
2035 projected119,299 jobs
2,170 more positions over the decade, before replacement hiring.
Preparation
Education levels
What people currently working in the career hold. These are not entry requirements.
- Bachelor's degree
- 81.7%
- Master's or Professional degree
- 18.3%
Skills
Skills employers ask for
Technical skills appearing most often in job postings for this occupation.
How the work gets done
Core competencies
Broad capabilities associated with strong performance in this occupation.
- Reading Comprehension
- Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
- Writing
- Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
- Active Listening
- Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
- Critical Thinking
- Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
- Speaking
- Talking to others to convey information effectively.
- Time Management
- Managing one's own time and the time of others.
- Quality Control Analysis
- Conducting tests and inspections of products, services, or processes to evaluate quality or performance.
- Active Learning
- Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
- Social Perceptiveness
- Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
- Judgment and Decision Making
- Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
- Systems Analysis
- Determining how a system should work and how changes in conditions, operations, and the environment will affect outcomes.
- Complex Problem Solving
- Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
- Negotiation
- Bringing others together and trying to reconcile differences.
- Management of Personnel Resources
- Motivating, developing, and directing people as they work, identifying the best people for the job.
- Persuasion
- Persuading others to change their minds or behavior.
- Coordination
- Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
- Monitoring
- Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
- Instructing
- Teaching others how to do something.
- Learning Strategies
- Selecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things.
- Service Orientation
- Actively looking for ways to help people.
In the market
Job titles and employers
Recent job postings in United StatesCommon job titles
- 01Editors815 postings
- 02Technical Editors339 postings
- 03Content Editors335 postings
- 04Managing Editors253 postings
- 05Copy Editors250 postings
- 06Editorial Assistants221 postings
- 07News Editors216 postings
- 08Writers/Editors214 postings
- 09Editorial Assistants/Assistant Editors212 postings
- 10Content Strategists189 postings
- 11Acquisitions Editors154 postings
- 12Web Content Specialists151 postings
- 13Content Reviewers144 postings
- 14Photo Editors141 postings
- 15Legal Editors133 postings
- 16Assignment Editors111 postings
- 17Associate Editorial Directors110 postings
- 18Social Media Editors102 postings
- 19Executive Editors99 postings
- 20Digital Editors95 postings
Top employers
- 01Wolters Kluwer261 postings
- 02EBSCO Industries217 postings
- 03TELUS162 postings
- 04Relx131 postings
- 05St George Tanaq Corporation131 postings
- 06Robert Half125 postings
- 07NBC124 postings
- 08System One120 postings
- 09Cengage Learning109 postings
- 10Fox News Network99 postings
- 11Warner Bros. Discovery92 postings
- 12TEGNA91 postings
- 13Gannett73 postings
- 14inVentiv Health68 postings
- 15Hearst62 postings
- 16PricewaterhouseCoopers56 postings
- 17Skill55 postings
- 18New York Times54 postings
- 19Thomson Reuters53 postings
- 20Merck & Co.52 postings
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