Editors
Plan, coordinate, revise, or edit written material. May review proposals and drafts for possible publication.
Editors plan, coordinate, revise, or edit written material. May review proposals and drafts for possible publication. The role reports a median annual salary of $75,260 in the US and is projected to grow 60% over the next decade (much faster than average). Entry typically requires a Bachelor's degree, and shows moderate AI exposure (0.69 on a 0-1 scale) — some tasks are being automated but the role adapts. The most in-demand skills for the role include film production process, graphic design, motion graphics, ICT software specifications, multimedia systems.
Pay in the UK
UK: median £44,534 a year for Newspaper and periodical journalists and reporters (ONS ASHE 2025, full-time)
UK jobs are grouped differently; this is the closest UK occupation group (ONS SOC 2020 2492). ONS rates this estimate acceptable: it rests on a small sample, so treat it as a rough guide. 2025 provisional figures; ONS revises them a year later. Source: ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (Open Government Licence)
Pay in India (occupation group)
Average monthly earnings of salaried employees in the occupation group “Professionals” in India, from the Government of India's Periodic Labour Force Survey (January–December 2025). It covers everyone in this group, not only Editors, and it is not US pay converted to rupees.
Source: MoSPI (Government of India), Periodic Labour Force Survey Annual Report 2025, Table 51 — average wage/salary earnings of regular wage/salaried employees, NCO-2015 division 2. Official India data gives one average per occupation group: there are no official India figures for single careers, experience levels or cities. Read the report
How to get here in India
No single fixed route is listed for this career. These Indian degrees lead to it, according to the US CIP–SOC education-to-occupation crosswalk; open a degree for its entrance exams and colleges.[1]
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Journalism — BJMC / BA in Journalism and Mass Communication (three or four years)
Entrance exams: CUET-UG
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Mass Communication — BJMC / BA in Mass Communication (three or four years)
Entrance exams: CUET-UG, SET
Rules change: check the exam body's and regulator's current notice before you apply.
- CIP 2020 – SOC 2018 crosswalk (NCES / BLS) (read on 2026-09-27)
2 open listings on our jobs board → Recent listings whose job title matches this career. Some jobs in this career are advertised under other titles.
Top skills
Knowledge you'll build
- English Language
- Communications and Media
- Administration and Management
- Administrative
- Education and Training
- Customer and Personal Service
- Computers and Electronics
- Law and Government
A day in the life
You open your inbox to find several articles filed overnight by writers, and you start by reading each one closely, correcting spelling, punctuation and awkward sentences. For one story you check a date and a quotation against reliable references, then send the writer a note asking about a claim that seems thin. Mid-morning you meet the team to plan upcoming content, weighing which ideas will catch the audience's interest. You spend a long stretch rewriting a messy draft so it flows, cutting it to fit its space without losing the point. After lunch you review page layouts with the designer, making sure pictures, headlines and captions fit together and the production schedule is on track. Late in the day you guide a junior reporter through restructuring their story. Line-by-line proofreading can feel tedious, but watching a rough piece turn into something sharp and clear under your hands is quietly satisfying.
Illustrative: one typical day, written from the O*NET task statements for this occupation. Real days vary by employer and seniority.
What you'd actually do
- Read copy or proof to detect and correct errors in spelling, punctuation, and syntax.
- Verify facts, dates, and statistics, using standard reference sources.
- Read, evaluate and edit manuscripts or other materials submitted for publication, and confer with authors regarding changes in content, style or organization, or publication.
- Develop story or content ideas, considering reader or audience appeal.
- Prepare, rewrite and edit copy to improve readability, or supervise others who do this work.
- Oversee publication production, including artwork, layout, computer typesetting, and printing, ensuring adherence to deadlines and budget requirements.
Tools & technology you'd use
Frequently asked questions
What does Editors do?
Plan, coordinate, revise, or edit written material. May review proposals and drafts for possible publication.
What does a typical day look like in Editors?
You open your inbox to find several articles filed overnight by writers, and you start by reading each one closely, correcting spelling, punctuation and awkward sentences. For one story you check a date and a quotation against reliable references, then send the writer a note asking about a claim that seems thin. Mid-morning you meet the team to plan upcoming content, weighing which ideas will catch the audience's interest.
How much does Editors earn?
The median annual salary for Editors in the US is $75,260.
What is the job outlook for Editors?
The role is projected to grow 60% over the next decade (much faster than average). Current US employment is approximately 115,800 workers.
How do I become a editors?
The typical entry education is a Bachelor's degree. Building a foundation in the top skills below will strengthen your application.
What skills does Editors need?
The most in-demand skills for this role include film production process, graphic design, motion graphics, ICT software specifications, multimedia systems, digital media. These are the skills O*NET identifies as most important for competent performance.
Will AI replace Editors?
Our AI-durability model gives Editors a score of 0.69 on a 0-1 scale (higher = more exposure). That places it at moderate AI exposure — some tasks are being automated but the role adapts. Learning to work with AI tools rather than against them is the path forward.
How hard is it to enter this field?
Editors has moderate barrier to entry — moderately gated — a bachelor's degree or equivalent training is typically required.