A Reporter's salary isn't a fixed number.
It's shaped by several important factors.
Below, we'll explore how your years of experience, geographic location, education, and company size can directly affect your earning potential.
How Experience Level Affects Reporter Salaries?
Experience is a primary driver of a Reporter's salary.
As you build your skills and take on more complex tasks, your compensation generally increases.
Here's how the average salary grows at different career stages:
Entry-Level (less than 1 year): $60,020
Early Career (1-2 years): $60,996
Mid-Level (2-4 years): $62,884
Senior-Level (5-8 years): $65,354
Expert (over 8 years): $65,569
Levels
Salary
Entry Level Reporter
$60,020
Intermediate Level Reporter
$60,996
Senior Level Reporter
$62,884
Specialist Level Reporter
$65,354
Expert Level Reporter
$65,569
$60,0200 yr
$60,996< 2 yrs
$62,8842-4 yrs
$65,3545-8 yrs
$65,569> 8 yrs
View as Table
View as Graph
What Am I Worth?
How Do Reporter Salaries Vary from State to State?
Your salary can change significantly depending on where you work.
States with a higher cost of living and strong industrial sectors
often pay more to attract Reporters.
For example, consider the average annual salaries in these key locations:
Salaries can also vary between different cities.
Major metropolitan areas or cities with a high demand for technicians often offer more competitive pay.
Here are a few examples of average annual salaries in different U.S. cities:
San Jose: $77,961
San Francisco: $77,107
Oakland: $75,482
San Jose, CA$77,961
San Francisco, CA$77,107
Oakland, CA$75,482
New York, NY$71,167
Paramus, NJ$70,302
Queens Village, NY$70,299
Passaic, NJ$70,240
Bergenfield, NJ$70,235
Stamford, CT$70,099
Huntington, NY$70,073
Newark, NJ$69,617
Bridgeport, CT$69,486
Vallejo, CA$69,363
New Brunswick, NJ$69,338
Petaluma, CA$69,301
Middlesex, NJ$69,184
Somerset, NJ$69,141
Santa Cruz, CA$69,060
Boston, MA$68,683
Monterey, CA$68,466
Seattle, WA$68,325
Santa Rosa, CA$68,312
Los Angeles, CA$68,294
Juneau, AK$68,133
Washington, DC$68,065
Orange, CA$67,845
Santa Ana, CA$67,682
Long Beach, CA$67,620
Anaheim, CA$67,608
Anchorage, AK$67,577
Santa Maria, CA$67,391
Everett, WA$67,379
Danbury, CT$67,162
Bremerton, WA$67,076
Tacoma, WA$66,854
New Suffolk, NY$66,852
Sacramento, CA$66,835
Santa Barbara, CA$66,767
Trenton, NJ$66,699
San Diego, CA$66,699
Brockton, MA$66,631
Fairbanks, AK$66,480
Lompoc, CA$66,322
Lowell, MA$66,272
Ventura, CA$66,260
Nashua, NH$66,248
Stockton, CA$66,242
Modesto, CA$65,791
Poughkeepsie, NY$65,655
Olympia, WA$65,537
Kennewick, WA$65,537
New Haven, CT$65,512
Lawrence, MA$65,290
Hartford, CT$65,228
Riverside, CA$65,216
New Bedford, MA$65,154
Richland, WA$65,154
Bakersfield, CA$65,067
San Bernardino, CA$65,043
New Britain, CT$65,036
Atlantic City, NJ$65,036
New London, CT$65,012
Norwich, CT$64,993
Portsmouth, NH$64,981
Boulder, CO$64,850
Portland, OR$64,765
Worcester, MA$64,758
Minneapolis, MN$64,567
Philadelphia, PA$64,480
Honolulu, HI$64,276
Saint Paul, MN$64,247
Vineland, NJ$64,233
Providence, RI$64,054
Chicago, IL$63,874
Bellingham, WA$63,800
Springfield, MA$63,751
Baltimore, MD$63,732
Chico, CA$63,578
Pittsfield, MA$63,411
Manchester, NH$63,293
Spokane, WA$63,021
Denver, CO$63,015
Albany, NY$62,725
Troy, NY$62,700
Nassau, NY$62,634
Schenectady, NY$62,570
Wilmington, DE$62,521
Burlington, VT$62,434
Salem, OR$62,410
Portland, ME$62,218
Yakima, WA$62,156
Rochester, MN$61,965
Reno, NV$61,934
Fresno, CA$61,934
Milwaukee, WI$61,878
Detroit, MI$61,816
Ann Arbor, MI$61,806
Allentown, PA$61,798
Colorado Springs, CO$61,693
Syracuse, NY$61,662
Carson City, NV$61,662
Houston, TX$61,575
Eugene, OR$61,544
Gary, IN$61,470
Springfield, OR$61,421
Bismarck, ND$61,408
Galveston, TX$61,365
Medford, OR$61,272
Fort Collins, CO$61,248
Concord, NH$61,217
Austin, TX$61,198
Mesa, AZ$61,068
Reading, PA$61,062
Phoenix, AZ$61,056
Dallas, TX$61,037
Saint Cloud, MN$60,978
Madison, WI$60,895
Utica, NY$60,728
Rochester, NY$60,629
Des Moines, IA$60,623
Raleigh, NC$60,617
Atlanta, GA$60,524
Battle Creek, MI$60,506
Salt Lake City, UT$60,487
Lancaster, PA$60,395
Harrisburg, PA$60,308
Kansas City, MO$60,246
Champaign, IL$60,234
Kansas City, KS$60,234
Fort Worth, TX$60,228
Columbus, OH$60,217
Boca Raton, FL$60,203
Pittsburgh, PA$60,178
Richmond, VA$60,153
Indianapolis, IN$60,141
Cleveland, OH$60,135
Las Vegas, NV$60,061
Cincinnati, OH$60,061
Petersburg, VA$59,968
Huntsville, AL$59,875
Lansing, MI$59,834
Lebanon, PA$59,826
Pueblo, CO$59,820
Appleton, WI$59,801
Buffalo, NY$59,776
Dayton, OH$59,758
Racine, WI$59,746
Charlotte, NC$59,739
Saint Louis, MO$59,721
York, PA$59,684
Elkhart, IN$59,684
Gastonia, NC$59,672
Billings, MT$59,657
Beaumont, TX$59,640
Lorain, OH$59,628
Benton Harbor, MI$59,616
Toledo, OH$59,603
Binghamton, NY$59,572
Rock Hill, SC$59,566
Rockford, IL$59,535
Springfield, IL$59,511
Elyria, OH$59,504
Fargo, ND$59,504
Flagstaff, AZ$59,461
Fort Lauderdale, FL$59,424
Duluth, MN$59,387
Miami, FL$59,387
Cheyenne, WY$59,344
Grand Forks, ND$59,344
Bangor, ME$59,208
Cedar Rapids, IA$59,140
Durham, NC$59,114
Louisville, KY$59,109
Grand Rapids, MI$59,097
Hialeah, FL$59,090
Casper, WY$59,004
Scranton, PA$58,930
New Orleans, LA$58,911
Virginia Beach, VA$58,905
Akron, OH$58,874
Peoria, IL$58,794
Sarasota, FL$58,781
Nashville, TN$58,738
Omaha, NE$58,738
Green Bay, WI$58,738
Baton Rouge, LA$58,707
Charleston, SC$58,695
Jamestown, NY$58,664
Davenport, IA$58,664
Tucson, AZ$58,633
Saint Petersburg, FL$58,596
Tampa, FL$58,584
Evansville, IN$58,546
Port Arthur, TX$58,546
Bradenton, FL$58,522
Santa Fe, NM$58,410
Orlando, FL$58,299
Clearwater, FL$58,281
Canton, OH$58,151
La Crosse, WI$58,151
Albuquerque, NM$58,114
Newport News, VA$58,108
High Point, NC$58,089
Ogden, UT$58,064
Corpus Christi, TX$58,015
Norfolk, VA$57,978
Laramie, WY$57,978
Rock Island, IL$57,941
Saginaw, MI$57,928
Jacksonville, FL$57,922
Salisbury, NC$57,910
Boise, ID$57,897
Moline, IL$57,867
Fort Myers, FL$57,848
Memphis, TN$57,836
Tulsa, OK$57,805
Waterloo, IA$57,768
Spartanburg, SC$57,706
Lincoln, NE$57,675
Fort Wayne, IN$57,663
Provo, UT$57,656
Cedar Falls, IA$57,582
San Antonio, TX$57,557
Greensboro, NC$57,533
South Bend, IN$57,527
Savannah, GA$57,459
Muskegon, MI$57,434
Birmingham, AL$57,428
Winston Salem, NC$57,397
Lake Charles, LA$57,248
Anderson, IN$57,236
Lexington, KY$57,218
Augusta, GA$57,199
Greenville, SC$57,199
Lima, OH$57,150
Wichita, KS$57,143
Tuscaloosa, AL$57,143
Columbia, SC$57,088
Springfield, OH$57,075
Asheville, NC$56,976
Bloomington, IN$56,933
Knoxville, TN$56,711
Shreveport, LA$56,704
Wilmington, NC$56,624
Roanoke, VA$56,624
Topeka, KS$56,513
Frankfort, KY$56,506
Oklahoma City, OK$56,463
Chillicothe, OH$56,439
Longview, TX$56,433
Melbourne, FL$56,426
Sioux Falls, SD$56,327
Mobile, AL$56,321
Terre Haute, IN$56,297
Altoona, PA$56,259
Amarillo, TX$56,216
Killeen, TX$56,198
Fayetteville, AR$56,148
Chattanooga, TN$56,130
Sioux City, IA$56,074
Idaho Falls, ID$56,062
Lynchburg, VA$56,012
Gainesville, FL$55,932
Portsmouth, OH$55,901
Little Rock, AR$55,889
Lafayette, LA$55,864
Youngstown, OH$55,864
Daytona Beach, FL$55,827
Clarksville, TN$55,821
Pensacola, FL$55,814
Temple, TX$55,810
Hopkinsville, KY$55,629
Erie, PA$55,617
Florence, SC$55,592
Charleston, WV$55,493
Great Falls, MT$55,462
Macon, GA$55,376
Tallahassee, FL$55,369
Fayetteville, NC$55,357
Waco, TX$55,345
Helena, MT$55,301
Pine Bluff, AR$55,278
Vincennes, IN$55,203
Lubbock, TX$55,178
Alamogordo, NM$55,141
Twin Falls, ID$55,085
Rapid City, SD$55,067
Jackson, MS$54,955
Huntington, WV$54,951
Greenville, MS$54,949
Parkersburg, WV$54,886
Montgomery, AL$54,875
Wichita Falls, TX$54,813
Springfield, MO$54,813
Biloxi, MS$54,782
Monroe, LA$54,720
Johnstown, PA$54,677
Sumter, SC$54,652
Columbus, GA$54,646
Pascagoula, MS$54,529
Abilene, TX$54,529
Kingsport, TN$54,368
Albany, GA$54,368
Gulfport, MS$54,350
Alexandria, LA$54,146
Fort Smith, AR$53,991
El Paso, TX$53,824
Las Cruces, NM$53,546
Harlingen, TX$53,389
Pocatello, ID$53,379
Florence, AL$53,299
Brownsville, TX$53,286
Mcallen, TX$53,157
Dothan, AL$53,070
Columbus, MS$52,703
Altus, OK$52,415
Lawton, OK$52,297
Pierre, SD$52,075
What Skills Can Increase a Reporter's Salary?
Demanded Skills for the Role:
Storytelling (Mentioned in 6.56% Job Postings): Planning, creating and presenting stories or narratives to achieve diverse personal and business goals.
News Reporting (Mentioned in 3.78% Job Postings): News reporting involves discovering all relevant facts, selecting and presenting the important facts and weaving a comprehensive story. Reporting involves hard work, which in turn involves stamina and patience. The main function of journalistic profession is news reporting.
Public Relations (Mentioned in 1.98% Job Postings): Public relations (PR) is the practice of deliberately managing the spread of information between an individual or an organization (such as a business, government agency, or a nonprofit organization) and the public. Public relations may include an organization or individual gaining exposure to their audiences using topics of public interest and news items that do not require direct payment. This differentiates it from advertising as a form of marketing communications. Public relations is the idea of creating coverage for clients for free, rather than marketing or advertising. But now, advertising is also a part of greater PR Activities. An example of good public relations would be generating an article featuring a client, rather than paying for the client to be advertised next to the article. The aim of public relations is to inform the public, prospective customers, investors, partners, employees, and other stakeholders and ultimately persuade them to maintain a positive or favorable view about the organization, its leadership, products, or political decisions. Public relations professionals typically work for PR and marketing firms, businesses and companies, government, and public officials as PIOs and nongovernmental organizations, and nonprofit organizations. Jobs central to public relations include account coordinator, account executive, account supervisor, and media relations manager.
See More Skills
Skills
Demand Percentage
Storytelling
6.56%
News Reporting
3.78%
Public Relations
1.98%
What skills can make your compensation higher?
Mastering certain specialized skills can lead to a significant increase in pay.
Here are examples of skills and the potential impact they can have on a Reporter's salary.
Media Relations: Can increase your salary by up to 20%.
Insight: Can increase your salary by up to 10%.
Public Relations: Can increase your salary by up to 9%.
Skill
Salary
Salary % Increase
Media Relations
$74,172
20%
Insight
$67,991
10%
Public Relations
$67,373
9%
Analysis
$66,755
8%
Verbal Communication
$65,519
6%
Collaboration
$64,901
5%
Get Latest Data
Reporter Salary by Company Size: Startups vs. Enterprise
Reporter salary potential scales significantly with company size.
Data shows that Enterprise companies (5,000+ employees) pay the highest average salary at around $66,570.
While startup companies pay approximate $56,425.
Reporter Salary by Company Size
Company Size
Employees
Average Salary
Startup
1~50
$56,425
Growth Stage
51~500
$59,654
Established
501~5000
$64,323
Enterprise
5000+
$66,570
Reporter Salary by Industry: Top Paying Sectors
For Reporter roles, the industry you choose can impact your earning potential
by as much as 60% (the gap between the highest and lowest paying industries).
Data shows that the highest-paying industry, Media,
offers compensation 30% above the average. Conversely,
Reporter positions in Business Services typically offer lower base pay,
as this sector often view Reporter as a support function rather than a direct revenue driver.
The top paying industry for a Reporter
Industry Sector
Average Annual Salary
Average Hourly Rate
Pay vs.Avg
Media
$80,353
$39.0
30%
How Education impacts a Reporter's Salary?
Your level of education can impact your salary potential.
While many Reporters enter the field with a No Diploma degree,
higher education can lead to more specialized and higher-paying roles.
According to our 100% employer-reported salary data,
the median salary for a Reporter with a No Diploma is between
$53,494
and $56,188).
Reporter Salaries by Degree Level
Typical Education for Reporter
No Diploma0.3%
High School1.7%
Associates3.3%
Bachelors64.8%
Masters28.2%
Doctorate1.7%
view as table
Degree Level
% of user with this level of education
No Diploma
0.3%
High School
1.7%
Associates
3.3%
Bachelors
64.8%
Masters
28.2%
Doctorate
1.7%
view as graph
Reporter Salary: Hourly Rate, Weekly Pay, and Monthly Pay
Understanding how a Reporter's annual salary breaks down can help with budgeting.
Below, you can see the average hourly rate, weekly pay, and monthly pay for this role.
Use the buttons to switch between different pay periods.
Hourly
Monthly
Weekly
Yearly
Table View
Last Updated on July 01, 2026
$56,359
Average$61,810/year
$69,006
$4,697
Average$5,151/month
$5,751
$1,084
Average$1,189/week
$1,327
$27
Average$30/hour
$33
Annual Salary
Monthly Pay
Weekly Pay
Hourly Wage
75th Percentile
$69,006
$5,751
$1,327
$33
Average
$61,810
$5,151
$1,189
$30
25th Percentile
$56,359
$4,697
$1,084
$27
Reporter Salary Growth & Career Path
For a Reporter, the most direct path to higher earnings is advancing to the Digital Content Writer III role.
This promotion typically comes with a significant pay increase, bringing the average annual salary to
$90,189 - a projected growth of
46%
over your current level.
Salaries for a Reporter can change over time,
reflecting shifts in market demand and the overall economy.
The median salary decreased from $67,755 in 2023
to around $67,261 in 2025,
reflecting changes in demand, location, experience, and the wider economy.
For a detailed analysis of Reporter salary trends,
.
Average Annual Salary of Reporter Over Time
2022
$???
2023
$67,755
2024
$67,552
2025
$67,261
2026
$???
2027
$???
Year
Average Annual Salary
2022
View More
2023
$67,755
2024
$67,552
2025
$67,261
2026
View More
2027
View More
Most common benefits for Reporter
Social Security
401(k)
Disability
Healthcare
Pension
Time Off (days)
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Compensation Planning
Common company salaries for Reporter
Here are companies hiring for Reporter and their salaries, click below for more details.
K
$114,295/per year
Kpmg Us LLP
Business Services
the United States
W
$114,096/per year
Warner Bros Discovery
Business Services
the United States
D
$111,927/per year
Dentsu International Ltd
Business Services
the United States
G
$111,873/per year
GroupM Worldwide Inc
Business Services
the United States
C
$111,651/per year
CoWorx Staffing
Business Services
the United States
C
$110,194/per year
Contemporary Services Corp
Business Services
the United States
S
$107,128/per year
Showcase Cinemas
Business Services
the United States
A
$106,429/per year
Amentum Services Inc
Business Services
the United States
A
$106,199/per year
Allied Universal Security Services LLC
Business Services
the United States
S
$106,104/per year
Sodexo USA
Business Services
the United States
J
$105,192/per year
JLL Technologies
Business Services
the United States
I
$104,478/per year
Intact Insurance Group USA LLC
Business Services
the United States
N
$101,619/per year
NielsenIQ
Business Services
the United States
T
$101,470/per year
The Leading Edge Alliance
Business Services
the United States
H
$101,308/per year
Honeywell UOP
Business Services
the United States
R
$97,720/per year
Reeve & Associates
Business Services
the United States
M
$97,584/per year
ManpowerGroup Global Inc
Business Services
the United States
F
$95,980/per year
Financial Sys Nco
Business Services
the United States
A
$95,314/per year
Arrow Global Ltd
Business Services
the United States
C
$94,777/per year
CarMax Enterprise Services LLC
Business Services
the United States
D
$94,479/per year
DZConneX
Business Services
the United States
A
$93,802/per year
Adecco Staffing, USA
Business Services
the United States
R
$92,937/per year
Resource MFG
Business Services
the United States
Z
$92,774/per year
Zachry Brands Inc
Business Services
the United States
G
$88,138/per year
Greystar Worldwide LLC
Business Services
the United States
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FAQ about Reporter
1. Where can a Reporter earn the most?
A Reporter's earning potential can vary widely depending on several factors, including location, industry, experience, education, and the specific employer.
According to the latest salary data by Salary.com, a Reporter earns the most in San Jose, CA, where the annual salary of a Reporter is $77,961.
2. What is the highest pay for Reporter?
The highest pay for Reporter is $75,558.
3. What is the lowest pay for Reporter?
The lowest pay for Reporter is $51,396.
4. What are the responsibilities of Reporter?
Develops, investigates, and writes a variety of news stories. Researches a variety of news stories through interviews, observation, and library and/or online resources. Determines tone and intended audience of story. Organizes the facts and writes the story consistent with an agreed-upon style or standard. Validates news story leads. May require a bachelor's degree. Typically reports to a manager. Occasionally directed in several aspects of the work. Gaining exposure to some of the complex tasks within the job function. Typically requires 2-4 years of related experience.
5. What industry pays the highest salary for Reporter?
The Media industry offers the highest average compensation for Reporter roles,
with salaries approximately 30% above the market median.
Where Does Our Salary Data Come From?
Salary.com provides salary estimates, histograms, trends, and comparisons using data from employer job postings and third-party sources.
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