Hourly Wage for Reporter Salary in the United States

What is the hourly salary range of Reporter?

As of July 01, 2026, the average hourly rate for a Reporter in the United States is $30, which translates to an annual salary of about $61,810.

However, the hourly wage can vary significantly based on several factors. Here’s a detailed look at the typical pay range per hour:

  • Top Earners (90th percentile): $36 per hour
  • Majority Range (25th-75th percentile): $27 to $33 per hour
  • Entry-Level (10th percentile): $25 per hour
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View as table View as graph 25% $27 10% $25 90% $36 75% $33 $30 50%(Median) Didn’t find job title? Click

Reporter Salaries by Percentile

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
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Key Factors That Influence Reporter Salaries

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
$60,020 0 yr
$60,996 < 2 yrs
$62,884 2-4 yrs
$65,354 5-8 yrs
$65,569 > 8 yrs
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What Am I Worth?

Top Paying Cities for Reporters

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

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%
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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
Startup1~50$56,425
Growth Stage51~500$59,654
Established501~5000$64,323
Enterprise5000+$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$39.030%

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
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%
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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.

Last Updated on July 01, 2026

Salary Trends for Reporter

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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Common company salaries for Reporter

Here are companies hiring for Reporter and their salaries, click below for more details.

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FAQ about Reporter

1. 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.

2. 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.

3. What are the skills of Reporter

Specify the abilities and skills that a person needs in order to carry out the specified job duties. Each competency has five to ten behavioral assertions that can be observed, each with a corresponding performance level (from one to five) that is required for a particular job.

1.)

Storytelling: Planning, creating and presenting stories or narratives to achieve diverse personal and business goals.

2.)

News Reporting: 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.

3.)

Public Relations: 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.

Where Does Our Salary Data Come From?

Salary.com salary estimates, histograms, trends, and comparisons are derived from both employer job postings and third-party data sources. We also provide multiple percentiles of salary information for your reference, click here to know Why the Salary Midpoint Formula Is Crucial to Getting Pay Equity Right. With more online, real-time compensation data than any other website, Salary.com helps you determine your exact pay target.

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