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The national median salary for News Analysts, Reporters, and Journalists is $62,213 per year ($29.91/hr) according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2025. The middle 50% of earners make between $45,365 and $98,446 annually. Top earners at the 90th percentile reach $144,144 per year. There are approximately 39,250 news analysts, reporters, and journalists employed in the United States.
About This Role
BLS Standard Occupational Classification 2018
Narrate or write news stories, reviews, or commentary for print, broadcast, or other communications media such as newspapers, magazines, radio, or television. May collect and analyze information through interview, investigation, or observation.
Career Outlook
BLS Employment Projections · 2024-2034
10-year growth
-3.9%
Slower than average
Annual openings
4K
per year, on avg
Workforce today
49K
as of 2024
Why those openings exist
0% from new growth100% from people leaving the role
Most openings come from replacement, not growth. Retention matters more than recruiting here.
Typical entry requirements
Education
Bachelor's degree
Experience
None
On-the-job training
None
Industry Wage Breakdown
Top 5 industries by employment · median annual wage, sector-specific
Industry
Workforce
Median Pay
Newspaper, Periodical, Book, and Directory Publishers
NAICS 513100
16K
$53,310
Radio and Television Broadcasting Stations
NAICS 516100
10K
$62,790
Media Streaming Distribution Services, Social Networks, and Other Media Networks and Content Providers
NAICS 516200
10K
$80,180
Motion Picture and Video Industries
NAICS 512100
730
N/A
Computer Systems Design and Related Services
NAICS 541500
330
N/A
Wage range across top 5 industries: $53,310 to $80,180 (50% spread)
Wage Percentiles
Hourly & annualized (2,080 hours)
Percentile
Hourly Rate
Annual Salary
P10
$17.42
$36,234
P25
$21.81
$45,365
P50MEDIAN
$29.91
$62,213
P75
$47.33
$98,446
P90
$69.30
$144,144
Market Context Signal
JOLTS · professional sector
Cooling
Openings Rate
4.2%
Quits Rate
2.0%
Professional & Business Services openings tumbled 318K in March -- the largest single-sector drop in this release. Openings rate fell from 5.5% to 4.2%. Layoffs jumped to 527K (+99K). White-collar demand has cooled abruptly.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the average news analysts, reporters, and journalists salary?
The national median salary for News Analysts, Reporters, and Journalists is $62,213 per year ($29.91/hr) according to BLS OEWS May 2025 data. The middle 50% earn between $45,365 and $98,446 annually.
How much do top-earning news analysts, reporters, and journalists make?
The 90th percentile salary for News Analysts, Reporters, and Journalists is $144,144 per year ($69.30/hr). The 75th percentile is $98,446 per year.
What is the entry-level salary for news analysts, reporters, and journalists?
Entry-level News Analysts, Reporters, and Journalists (10th percentile) earn approximately $36,234 per year ($17.42/hr). The 25th percentile is $45,365 per year.
Wage figures on this page come from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2025 release. OEWS surveys roughly 1.1 million establishments annually. It is the most comprehensive employer-reported wage dataset in the United States.
P10 through P90 percentiles represent the wage distribution across all surveyed employers (not self-reported by workers). Geographic adjustments use BLS-derived cost multipliers calibrated from regional wage variation.
Wages are estimates. Individual compensation depends on experience, education, employer size, industry, and negotiation. Use this as benchmark context, not absolute ground truth.
CompSignal is a free labor market intelligence tool built for HR, compensation, and talent acquisition teams. We make BLS data, the same primary source Mercer and Radford cross-reference in their paid surveys, searchable and actionable without an enterprise subscription.
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