All careersEveryday & transport

Reporter / Journalist

$62,200
median / year
$36,240 – $144,140
what most earn per year (10th–90th percentile)

What the job actually is

Research, report, and write stories on current events for print, broadcast, or online outlets.

You may also see this posted as: Anchor, News Anchor, News Reporter, Reporter, Radio News Anchor, Radio Talk Show Host.

Where you work

Newsrooms and out in the field.

The hours

Irregular, including nights and deadlines

The day to day

What you'd actually spend time doing

  • Write commentaries, columns, or scripts, using computers.
  • Coordinate and serve as an anchor on news broadcast programs.
  • Examine news items of local, national, and international significance to determine topics to address, or obtain assignments from editorial staff members.
  • Analyze and interpret news and information received from various sources to broadcast the information.
  • Receive assignments or evaluate leads or tips to develop story ideas.

Good fit if you like…

Artistic

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

Investigative

solving problems, analyzing evidence, and figuring out how things work

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

IntegrityIntellectual CuriosityAdaptabilitySocial Orientation

Software that shows up in the work

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

Adobe After EffectsAdobe InDesignAdobe PhotoshopFacebookHypertext markup language HTMLIBM SPSS Statistics

By the numbers

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

Median pay
$62,200
per year
Hourly median
$29.91
per hour
What most earn
$36,240–$144,140
yearly, 10th to 90th percentile
Openings a year
~4,100
projected, 2024–34
Outlook to 2034
-3.9%
Declining
Working in the U.S.
39,250
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 15.6% 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: None.

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

ReportingWritingInterviewingFact-checking

The honest take

Shrinking newsrooms make this competitive — early pay is low and the hours are unpredictable.

Standard Occupational Classification 27-3023. 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.