About Your Pay

Wondering how your salary stacks up against other journalists? Against editors? In California? In the nation? The following statistics are presented by position, with California and national breakdowns and reported by circulation catagories.

This is a service of the California Society of Newspaper Editors. It is a special report on the 1996 California breakout of the Newspaper Industry Compensation Survey, prepared exclusively for CSNE by the Illinois-based Inland Press Association.

The positions presented in this report:

• City/Metro Editor
• Columnist
• Copy Editor 1 (0-4 years experience)
• Copy Editor 2 (5-plus years experience)
• Lifestyle Editor
• News Artist/Designer
• News Librarian
• Photographer
• Senior Reporter (broad experience, 5-plus years)
• Experienced Reporter ( 1-4 years experience)
• Entry Level Reporter (little or no experience)
• Sports Editor

CITY/METRO EDITOR:

* California

43 California daily newspapers reported in five circulation categories. Here are the results in the four catagories reporting significant data:

15,001 - 30,000      30,001 - 50,000     50,001 - 100,000     100,001 and over
$35,857                 $41,600              $51,147              $70,564

* National

Nationally, 387 newspapers reported in 11 categories. Here are the amounts in selected categories that provide the best information for comparision to the catagories reporting in California:

15,001 - 20,000      20,001 - 30,000     30,001 - 50,000        50,001 - 75,000
$31,000                  $33,810            $39,812                $46,800

75,001 - 100,000      100,001 - 150,000       500,001 and over
$49,250                 $53,105                  $90,588

COLUMNIST:

This includes all signed columns and columnist positions; general assignment, beats, sports, business, etc.

30 California daily newspapers reported in the '96 survey. Here are the pay averages in the three circulation categories reporting significant data:

* California

30,001 - 50,000    50,001 - 100,000     100,001 and over
$45,051              $44,519              $63,542

* National

Nationally, 177 daily newspapers reported salaries in 11 circulation categories ranging from less than 10,000 to more than 500,000. Here are the amounts in selected categories that provide the best information for comparision to the catagories reporting in California:

30,001 - 50,000      50,001 - 75,000       75,001 - 100,000
$34,209                $42,378                $43,264

100,001 - 150,000      500,001 and over
$47,695                   $89,579

COPY EDITOR I (0 - 4 years experience):

* California

34 California newspapers reported in five circulation categories. Here are the results in the four catagories reporting significant data:

15,001 - 30,000      30,001 - 50,000    50,001 - 100,000     100,001 and over
$24,521                $23,575             $29,435              $36,444

* National

Nationally, 288 newspapers reported in 11 circulation categories. Here are the amounts in selected categories that provide the best information for comparision to the catagories reporting in California:

15,001 - 20,000   20,001 - 30,000    30,001 - 50,000        50,001 - 75,000
$22,417              $23,455              $23,632             $25,774

75,001 - 100,000      100,001 - 150,000       500,001 and over
$27,497                  $28,731                  $43,578

COPY EDITOR II (5-plus years of experience):

* California

32 California daily newspapers reported in five circulation categories. Here are the results in the four catagories reporting significant data:

15,001 - 30,000      30,001 - 50,000    50,001 - 100,000     100,001 and over
$28,611                $31,385              $37,728              $44,208

* National

Nationally, 301 newspapers reported in 11 categories. Here are the amounts in selected categories that provide the best information for comparision to the catagories reporting in California:

15,001 - 20,000     20,001 - 30,000      30,001 - 50,000        50,001 - 75,000
$26,274               $28,351               $29,935                $33,143

75,001 - 100,000        100,001 - 150,000        500,001 and over
$35,553                   $37,786                   $52,512

LIFESTYLE EDITOR:

* California

39 California daily newspapers reported in five circulation categories. Here are the results in the four catagories reporting significant data:

15,001 - 30,000      30,001 - 50,000     50,001 - 100,000     100,001 and over
$34,814                 $36,769              $50,542              $65,025

* National

Nationally, 365 newspapers reported in 11 categories. Here are the amounts in selected categories that provide the best information for comparision to the catagories reporting in California:

15,001 - 20,000      20,001 - 30,000     30,001 - 50,000        50,001 - 75,000
$25,003                  $29,000            $36,130                $42,744

75,001 - 100,000      100,001 - 150,000       500,001 and over
$48,255                 $49,937                  $75,000

NEWS ARTIST/DESIGNER:

* California

36 California daily newspapers reported in five circulation categories. Here are the results in the four catagories reporting significant data:

15,001 - 30,000      30,001 - 50,000     50,001 - 100,000     100,001 and over
$24,616                 $26,251              $32,923              $43,838

* National

Nationally, 243 newspapers reported in 11 categories. Here are the amounts in selected categories that provide the best information for comparision to the catagories reporting in California:

15,001 - 20,000      20,001 - 30,000     30,001 - 50,000        50,001 - 75,000
$23,310                  $24,982            $25,923                $29,681

75,001 - 100,000      100,001 - 150,000       500,001 and over
$32,390                 $34,772                  $52,831

NEWS LIBRARIAN:

* California

39 California daily newspapers reported in five circulation categories. Here are the results in the four catagories reporting significant data:

15,001 - 30,000      30,001 - 50,000     50,001 - 100,000     100,001 and over
$20,800                 $22,818              $37,367              $48,390

* National

Nationally, 279 newspapers reported in 11 categories. Here are the amounts in selected categories that provide the best information for comparision to the catagories reporting in California:

15,001 - 20,000      20,001 - 30,000     30,001 - 50,000        50,001 - 75,000
$18,340                  $19,432            $21,991                $25,112

75,001 - 100,000      100,001 - 150,000       500,001 and over
$33,622                 $36,816                  $63,830

PHOTOGRAPHER:

* California

45 California daily newspapers reported in five circulation categories. Here are the results in the four catagories reporting significant data:

15,001 - 30,000      30,001 - 50,000     50,001 - 100,000     100,001 and over
$25,180                 $27,561              $34,548              $41,443

* National

Nationally, 431 newspapers reported in 11 categories. Here are the amounts in selected categories that provide the best information for comparision to the catagories reporting in California:

15,001 - 20,000      20,001 - 30,000     30,001 - 50,000        50,001 - 75,000
$21,639                  $22,997            $25,865                $30,428

75,001 - 100,000      100,001 - 150,000       500,001 and over
$33,582                 $36,209                  $52,338

REPORTER, SENIOR (broad experience, 5-plus years):

* California

32 California daily newspapers reported in five circulation categories. Here are the results in the four catagories reporting significant data:

15,001 - 30,000      30,001 - 50,000    50,001 - 100,000     100,001 and over
$29,890                  $32,946           $38,423               $48,378

* National

Nationally, 333 newspapers reported in 11 categories. Here are the amounts in selected categories that provide the best information for comparision to the catagories reporting in California:

15,001 - 20,000   20,001 - 30,000    30,001 - 50,000        50,001 - 75,000
$26,184             $28,8301            $30,438                $36,650

75,001 - 100,000      100,001 - 150,000       500,001 and over
$37,394                   $38,051                $55,372

REPORTER, EXPERIENCED ( 1 to 4 years experience):

* California

50 California daily newspapers reported significant data in five circulation categories. Here are the results:

Less than 15,000        15,001 - 30,000      30,001 - 50,000
$21,050                    $24,350             $25,713

50,001 - 100,000     100,001 and over
$31,748                    $38,918

* National

Nationally, 435 newspapers reported in 11 categories. Here are the amounts in selected categories that provide the best information for comparision to the catagories reporting in California:

10,001 - 15,000        15,001 - 20,000     20,001 - 30,000    30,001 - 50,000
$19,924                   $21,480             $23,123              $25,214

50,001 - 75,000           75,001 - 100,000      100,001 - 150,000       500,001 and over
$28,868                      $29,454               $33,767                 $46,378

REPORTER, ENTRY LEVEL (little or no experience):

* California

24 California daily newspapers reported in five circulation categories. Here are the results in the four catagories reporting significant data:

15,001 - 30,000      30,001 - 50,000     50,001 - 100,000     100,001 and over
$19,816                 $21,629              $23,368              $25,513

* National

Nationally, 260 newspapers reported in 11 categories. Here are the amounts in selected categories that provide the best information for comparision to the catagories reporting in California:

15,001 - 20,000      20,001 - 30,000     30,001 - 50,000        50,001 - 75,000
$18,410                  $19,185            $20,837                $23,006

75,001 - 100,000      100,001 - 150,000       500,001 and over
$23,585                 $24,361                  $31,831

SPORTS EDITOR:

* California

43 California daily newspapers reported significant data in five circulation categories. Here are the results:

Less than 15,000        15,001 - 30,000      30,001 - 50,000
$21,147                    $33,210             $39,055

50,001 - 100,000     100,001 and over
$50,700                    $65,230

* National

Nationally, 467 newspapers reported in 11 categories. Here are the amounts in selected categories that provide the best information for comparision to the catagories reporting in California:

10,001 - 15,000        15,001 - 20,000     20,001 - 30,000    30,001 - 50,000
$24,787                   $27,766             $31,200              $36,212

50,001 - 75,000           75,001 - 100,000      100,001 - 150,000       500,001 and over
$43,035                      $52,984               $55,318                 $98,425

EDITOR'S NOTE: These survey results are provided by the California Society of Newspaper Editors with information from the Newspaper Industry Compensation Survey 1996 produced by the Inland Press Association. For more information contact California Journalism Online Editor Becky Day at beckyday@csne.org.

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