For journalism students or for those contemplating a career transition into the newspaper industry, it's necessary to get that ugly detail straight at the outset.
The good news is it sifts those who are truly interested in the job from those who aren't. The ones who stick with it, despite the modest salary, tend to value the reporter's role in society, the opportunity to be an investigator and storyteller, to dig out information and inform the masses.
For those who've made that decision, they've ignored the salaries detailed below.
Salaries for Newspaper Writers
There are salary-related Web sites which lay out income and benefits details for various stages of any given career.
For example, Payscale.com reports that a newspaper reporter with less than one year of experience in the United States earns a median salary of a little more than $25,000 per year. That figure is based on information submitted by reporters who currently work at that experience level. Other median salaries based on ranges of work experience in the field are:
- 1-4 years: $28,700
- 5-9 years: $37,600
- 10-19 years: $48,408
- 20-plus years: $61,000
Salary.com provides ranges based on levels of experience.
- Entry Level (0-1 year): Less than $25,000 to more than $36,500
- Intermediate (1-4 years): Less than $27,000 to more than $48,000
- Senior (at least 5 years): Less than $38,000 to more than $62,000
Location Affects Newspaper Writers' Salaries
Experience is not the only factor newspapers consider when determining a reporter's salary. Location is also a critical factor, as with many other career fields.
Payscale.com breaks down the median salaries, as reported by more than 500 professionals working as reporters around the United States, as related to several major cities.
These figures do not necessarily take into account the range of experience levels, instead focusing on the median income of newspaper reporters, in general, working in each city.
- Pittsburgh: $32,000
- Los Angeles: $33,800
- Chicago: $34,800
- Atlanta: $38,500
- New York: $48,300
- Washington, D.C.: $53,300
- San Francisco: $58,000
Part of the Newspaper Guild, or not?
More than 250 newspapers and news organizations in the United States and Canada belong to The Newspaper Guild, which establishes standards for compensating newspaper employees.
Still, there is a range of income levels, as not all member news companies function in the same way or serve the same purposes.
For example, a reporter at the Kenosha News (Wisconsin) with six years of experience does not necessarily earn the same as a Wall Street Journal reporter with the same experience level.
The Guild frequently reports salary information specific to its member newspapers. Here are several examples of minimum salaries based on a 37.5-hour work week (related years of experience are in parentheses):
- Kenosha News (6): $735.00
- Wall Street Journal (6): $1,258.00
- St. Louis Post-Dispatch (8): $1,219.00
- New York Times (2): $1,675.28
- Newsweek (2): $741.00
- San Juan Star (6): $588.00
- San Juan El Vocero (16): $715.00
Freelance Pay for Newspaper Writers
Whether or not a newspaper belongs to the union – The Newspaper Guild – can also affect the rate any given publication pays freelance writers.
Non-union newspapers often pay much lower than union-member publications. That is something to note when considering making a living as a freelance writer for newspapers.
