Average Journalist Yearly Salary in the United States

Journalists earn an average yearly salary of $33,601. Salaries typically start from $11,727 and go up to $58,506.

Average Journalist Hourly Wage in the United States

Journalists earn an average hourly wage of $16.15. Hourly wages typically start from $5.64 and go up to $28.13.

Source: CareerExplorer (Aggregated)

These numbers may vary depending on several factors, like level of education, amount of experience, industry, company size and location.

Learn more about the Journalist job market for salaries of real jobs in your area.

If you're fortunate enough to get and keep a job in the current climate, it is possible to make a decent salary in print, online, or broadcast journalism. A journalist salary depends on what media market you're in, your specific job, and how much experience you have.

A journalist working for a big paper in a major media market can make more than someone at a smaller paper in a smaller market. The competition for jobs at big papers in large cities is more intense than for papers in small towns. Typically, the biggest papers hire people with many years of experience, who would expect to be paid more than someone just starting out.

In rough terms, journalist salaries at small papers are $20,000 to $30,000; at medium-sized papers, $35,000 to $55,000; and at large papers, $60,000 and up. Editors earn a bit more. At the low end of the salary scale, beginning TV reporters make about the same as beginning newspaper reporters. But in big media markets, salaries for TV reporters and anchors skyrocket. Reporters at stations in large cities can earn well into the six figures, and anchors in large media markets can earn $1 million or more annually.

Top End Journalist Earnings The highest earning Journalists in the United States earn:	$28.13 an hour	$58,506.3 per year
Senior Journalist Earnings Senior Journalists in the United States earn:	$19.94 an hour	$41,481.7 per year
Experienced Journalist Earnings Experienced Journalists in the United States earn:	$13.63 an hour	$28,342.1 per year
Junior Journalist Earnings Junior Journalists in the United States earn:	$10.41 an hour	$21,658.6 per year
Starting Journalist Earnings Starting Journalists in the United States earn:	$5.64 an hour	$11,727.5 per year

Approximate values based on highest and lowest earning segments.

Journalists earn more than 33% percent of similar careers in the United States.

Editor Salary	$43k
Food Critic Salary	$42k
Translator Salary	$39k
Proofreader Salary	$36k
Author Salary	$33k
Journalist Salary	$33k
Photojournalist Salary	$28k
News Reporter Salary	$27k
Sports Writer Salary	$25k
Blogger Salary	$20k

Click on a state to learn more

State	Hourly Wage	Annual Salary	Rank
Journalist Salary in New York	$18.75	$38,996.2	# 1
Journalist Salary in California	$17.79	$36,999.3	# 2
Journalist Salary in United States	$16.15	$33,600.5	# 3
Journalist Salary in Illinois	$15.21	$31,640	# 4
Journalist Salary in Texas	$15.11	$31,430.2	# 5
Journalist Salary in New Jersey	$14.86	$30,914.3	# 6
Journalist Salary in Washington	$14.69	$30,555.6	# 7
Journalist Salary in Pennsylvania	$13.98	$29,070.7	# 8
Journalist Salary in Massachusetts	$13.95	$29,011.9	# 9
Journalist Salary in North Carolina	$13.92	$28,950.5	# 10
Journalist Salary in Florida	$13.76	$28,621.2	# 11
Journalist Salary in Georgia	$13.75	$28,604.6	# 12
Journalist Salary in Virginia	$13.13	$27,316.7	# 13