Editors vs Producers and Directors: $78K vs $90K Median Pay

Editors vs Producers and Directors: what changes?

Consider Editors if you want to plan, coordinate, revise, or edit written material. Consider Producers and Directors if you would rather produce or direct stage, television, radio, video, or film productions for entertainment, information, or instruction. 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) and Producers and Directors (less than 5 years).

Try this next: Compare three local entry-level postings for Editors and Producers and Directors. 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

Producers and Directors

National median pay (2025): $90,360
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: Plan details such as framing, composition, camera movement, sound, and actor movement for each shot or scene.
Annual openings (2025–2035): 12,100

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 Producers and Directors brief

How the national numbers differ

Producers and Directors has the edge on projected growth

Producers and Directors is at 4% projected growth, compared with -1.1% projected growth for Editors.

Producers and Directors has the edge on median pay

Producers and Directors is at $90,360, compared with $77,920 for Editors.

Producers and Directors has the edge on annual openings

Producers and Directors is at 12,100 annual openings, compared with 7,900 annual openings for Editors.

48.8/ 100

Editors

63.5/ 100

Producers and Directors

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