What is the average salary for a journalist? Find out this and other information in this guide. This can also come in handy if you are considering a career as a journalist and need to know what an average salary would be. If you are seeking an entry level position and want to know how much the starting try is, you’ll also find out in this article.
The average salary for a journalist is $60,000 a year. This figure is based on a survey conducted by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, which collected data from over 4,700 journalists in the United States. The majority of journalists surveyed worked in newspaper or magazine jobs, and these workers tended to earn higher salaries than those who worked for television stations or radio stations. Journalists working at newspapers reported an average salary of $62,000 per year, while those working at magazines averaged $63,000 per year.
The highest-paid journalists were those who worked in publishing; they had an annual salary of $70,000 per year. The lowest-paid journalists were those who worked as reporters or correspondents; they earned an average of $56,000 per year.
What is the average salary for a journalist
Introduction
Journalism is a diverse career that can include working as a reporter, editor or photographer. However, they all share the common goal of telling stories and delivering news to the public. They may work for print publications, television stations or online sites.
As with most careers in today’s economy, pay varies according to location and industry. Journalism salaries can also vary based on experience level and job title within the field. As you can see below, there are many different roles within journalism, each with its own earning potential:
Mean annual wage
The mean annual wage is the average annual income. It’s calculated by adding up all or most of your wages for a year and dividing that by the number of years. For example, let’s say you earn $50,000 per year for 52 weeks in a year. Your mean wage would be ($50,000/52) = $1,010 per week or $5,520 per month (12 x 1,010). If you have multiple jobs during the same time period and they’re paying different amounts each week or month then it can get complicated to figure out what your total mean wage was for that period because some jobs will be paid more than others.
Top 10 percent
The top 10 percent of journalists earn $97,000 or more.
To earn this salary, you’ll need to work as a feature writer or editor at a major publication and have several years of experience under your belt. You also need to be very good at what you do. In some cases, it may help if you have worked at other publications before jumping into this position.
Bottom 10 percent
The bottom 10 percent of journalists earn less than $28,000 per year.
The median salary for all journalists is $50,500 per year.
Lowest paying states
The lowest paying states for journalists are usually in the south, but not always. These include:
- Mississippi ($40,000)
- West Virginia ($40,000)
- Alabama ($41,000)
- Arkansas ($42,000)
- Kentucky ($43,000) It’s only marginally better than the other states mentioned here. The state has a high rate of poverty and low income levels overall; this might explain why journalists don’t make much there. That said, it does have some good points: it’s beautiful country with great food and music! If you can get past the fact that they love their guns more than anything else in life… well then maybe give it a shot!
Highest paying metropolitan areas
The highest paying metropolitan areas for journalists are Washington, D.C., San Jose, San Francisco and Los Angeles. The highest paying states are California, New York and Virginia.
The pay for journalists can vary by area and specialty, but the median salary for a journalist is about $38,870, and the top 10 percent of earners make more than $97,000.
The pay for journalists can vary by area and specialty, but the median salary for a journalist is about $38,870, and the top 10 percent of earners make more than $97,000.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that the average annual wage in 2017 was $51,790. That’s an increase of roughly 6 percent from 2016.
To see how this relates to your potential earnings as a journalist, take a look at our list of highly paid jobs below:
Conclusion
With journalism, it’s important to know that you won’t get rich. However, there are some jobs that pay more than $70K per year, so don’t give up on your dream of being a journalist just yet. You also can always go into other areas such as public relations or advertising if you want something more lucrative!
