Editors vs News Analysts, Reporters, and Journalists: $78K vs $62K Median Pay

Editors vs News Analysts, Reporters, and Journalists: what changes?

Consider Editors if you want to plan, coordinate, revise, or edit written material. Consider News Analysts, Reporters, and Journalists if you would rather narrate or write news stories, reviews, or commentary for print, broadcast, or other communications media such as newspapers, magazines, radio, or television. Both list bachelor's degree; compare training and prior experience separately. Prior experience in a related occupation is typically needed for Editors (less than 5 years).

Try this next: Compare three local entry-level postings for Editors and News Analysts, Reporters, and Journalists. List the duties, credentials, prior experience, and paid training each employer actually asks for. Try a supervised class or sample project from each field before choosing a program.

BLS 2025 wages and 2025–2035 projections. National medians are not starting offers. Occupation size is not a count of vacancies. View the BLS data.

Compare the practical differences

Editors

National median pay (2025): $77,920
Route into the job: Bachelor's degree; Prior related experience: less than 5 years
Prior related experience: Prior related experience: less than 5 years.
Training and licensing: BLS does not list a separate on-the-job training requirement. Employers may still provide orientation and role-specific training.
Work to investigate: Read copy or proof to detect and correct errors in spelling, punctuation, and syntax.
Annual openings (2025–2035): 7,900

Know before you choose

BLS lists less than 5 years of related experience. This is normally reached through feeder roles, not directly from school.

See the full Editors brief

News Analysts, Reporters, and Journalists

National median pay (2025): $62,200
Route into the job: Bachelor's degree
Prior related experience: No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.
Training and licensing: BLS does not list a separate on-the-job training requirement. Employers may still provide orientation and role-specific training.
Work to investigate: Write commentaries, columns, or scripts, using computers.
Annual openings (2025–2035): 3,400

Know before you choose

BLS projects employment to shrink 5.9% from 2025 to 2035. Openings can still occur when existing workers leave.

See the full News Analysts, Reporters, and Journalists brief

How the national numbers differ

Editors has the edge on annual openings

Editors is at 7,900 annual openings, compared with 3,400 annual openings for News Analysts, Reporters, and Journalists.

Editors has the edge on median pay

Editors is at $77,920, compared with $62,200 for News Analysts, Reporters, and Journalists.

Editors has the edge on projected growth

Editors is at -1.1% projected growth, compared with -5.9% projected growth for News Analysts, Reporters, and Journalists.

48.8/ 100

Editors

35.2/ 100

News Analysts, Reporters, and Journalists

Each available metric is ranked from 0 to 100 against the careers on ChooseField. The weighted average uses this profile: pay 30%, growth 25%, openings 30%, preparation level 15%. Missing values are not scored as zero; their weights are redistributed across available metrics. Occupation size has zero weight: employment is not accessible vacancies. Preparation categories do not measure admission difficulty or years without earnings. The score summarizes national measures; local opportunities and personal fit still need separate consideration.

Detailed evidence