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Editor

$77,920
median / year
$41,250 – $153,700
what most earn per year (10th–90th percentile)

What the job actually is

Plan, review, and revise written content for accuracy, clarity, and style before publishing.

You may also see this posted as: News Editor, Newspaper Copy Editor, Sports Editor, Acquisitions Editor, Business Editor, Features Editor.

Where you work

Publishing, media, and corporate offices, often remote.

The hours

Full-time, busier near deadlines

The day to day

What you'd actually spend time doing

  • 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.

Good fit if you like…

Artistic

creating, designing, performing, or working without a rigid script

Conventional

organizing information, following systems, and getting details right

Enterprising

leading, persuading, selling, or turning an idea into action

O*NET job zone 4 of 5

High preparation—usually a four-year degree plus experience—is common.

Work styles that matter most

Attention to DetailDependabilityLeadership OrientationIntellectual Curiosity

Software that shows up in the work

Examples employers report—not a checklist you must already know.

Adobe PhotoshopContent management systems CMSHypertext markup language HTMLMicrosoft ExcelMicrosoft Office softwareMicrosoft Outlook

By the numbers

May 2025 BLS wage & employment data · 2024–34 BLS employment projections.

Median pay
$77,920
per year
Hourly median
$37.46
per hour
What most earn
$41,250–$153,700
yearly, 10th to 90th percentile
Openings a year
~9,800
projected, 2024–34
Outlook to 2034
+0.6%
Little change
Working in the U.S.
91,690
people, nationwide

Openings a year counts new jobs plus the ones that open when people retire or move on — a truer picture of your odds than growth alone.

“Median” means half earn more and half earn less. Your city, employer, and years on the job move it a lot — that is what the 10th-to-90th range shows.

BLS estimates 13.2% of workers in this occupation are self-employed.

What it pays in your state

Statewide medians are a better starting point than the national number. Your city and experience still matter.

BLS state wage tables

How you get in

Typical starting education

Bachelor's degree

Training path: Bachelor's degree.

Related work experience: Less than 5 years.

On-the-job training: None.

License or certification

No license required to start in most places.

Check the path where you live

Licensing rules and available programs change by state. These federal tools take you to the current official listings.

What it takes

EditingGrammarFact-checkingProject planning

The honest take

Steadier than reporting, but the same industry shrinkage keeps openings competitive.

Standard Occupational Classification 27-3041. Pay and employment from the BLS May 2025 OEWS survey; outlook and openings from the 2024–34 employment projections; job context from the Occupational Outlook Handbook; tasks, interests, work styles, software examples, and job zone from O*NET 30.3. See something off? Tell us.