Work Environment
Editors held about 108,600 jobs in 2020. The largest employers of editors were as follows:
- Newspaper, periodical, book, and directory publishers - 34%
- Other information services - 11%
- Self-employed workers - 10%
- Professional, scientific, and technical services - 10%
- Religious, grantmaking, civic, professional, and similar organizations - 9%
Most editors work in offices, whether onsite with their employer or from a remote location. They often use desktop or electronic publishing software, scanners, and other electronic communications equipment.
Jobs are somewhat concentrated in major media and entertainment markets—Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, and Washington, DC—but improved communications and Internet capabilities are allowing editors to work from a greater variety of locations.
Overseeing and coordinating multiple writing projects simultaneously is common among editors and may lead to stress or fatigue.
Self-employed editors face the added pressures of finding work on an ongoing basis and continually adjusting to new work environments.
Work Schedules
Most editors work full time, and their schedules are generally determined by production deadlines and type of editorial position. Editors typically work in busy offices and have to deal with production deadline pressures and the stresses of ensuring that the information they publish is correct. As a result, editors often work many hours, especially at those times leading up to a publication deadline. These work hours can be even more frequent when an editor is working on digital material for the Internet or for a live broadcast.
Job Outlook
Employment of editors is projected to grow 5 percent from 2020 to 2030, slower than the average for all occupations.
Despite limited employment growth, about 11,200 openings for editors are projected each year, on average, over the decade. Most of those openings are expected to result from the need to replace workers who transfer to different occupations or exit the labor force, such as to retire.
Employment
Much of the projected employment growth in this occupation is due to recovery from the COVID-19 recession that began in 2020.
Despite some job losses in traditional print magazines and newspapers, expected growth in online media will lead to overall employment growth for editors.
Earnings
The median annual wage for editors was $63,350 in May 2021. The median wage is the wage at which half the workers in an occupation earned more than that amount and half earned less. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $36,970, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $129,420.
In May 2021, the median annual wages for editors in the top industries in which they worked were as follows:
- Professional, scientific, and technical services - $78,270
- Religious, grantmaking, civic, professional, and similar organizations - $77,000
- Other information services - $69,880
- Newspaper, periodical, book, and directory publishers - $61,060
Most editors work full time, and their schedules are generally determined by production deadlines and type of editorial position. Editors typically work in busy offices and have to deal with production deadline pressures and the stresses of ensuring that the information they publish is correct. As a result, editors often work many hours, especially at those times leading up to a publication deadline. These work hours can be even more frequent when an editor is working on digital material for the Internet or for a live broadcast.
