Build a Career You'll Love

Freelance Journalist Salary in the United States

How much does a Freelance Journalist make in the United States? The salary range for a Freelance Journalist job is from $54,315 to $66,832 per year in the United States. Click on the filter to check out Freelance Journalist job salaries by hourly, weekly, biweekly, semimonthly, monthly, and yearly.

Average base salary
updated at April 01, 2025
$60,469
Per Year
The average salary for a Freelance Journalist is $60,469
per Year in the United States.
Individually reported data submitted by users of our website

HOW SHOULD YOU USE THIS DATA?

Employees: Use this as a guide for salary expectations, but be aware that responsibilities can change across companies for the same job title, so there may be differences between this data, other free site and our subscription products bought by employers.

Employers: This data could be used as reference point in your market pricing, but not the only source, due to differences across jobs locations, and sizes of companies.Consider additional sources like our Employer reported data.

Base Salary
$54,315
$60,469
Medium
$66,832

Highest Paying Cities for Freelance Journalist in the United States

Freelance Journalist salaries in the United States will pay differently by cities. Below following are the eight cities with the highest income for Freelance Journalist jobs in the United States. The city with the highest salary is San Jose. Click on the Freelance Journalist salary in cities you are interested in to view detailed job salary information.

States with Higher Salaries for Freelance Journalist

The five states where Freelance Journalist jobs get higher salaries in the United States are: District of Columbia, California, Massachusetts, Washington, and New Jersey. Compared with the average salary of a Freelance Journalist in the United States, the state of District of Columbia with the highest job income for this job. The second and third states are California and Massachusetts respectively. The high or low salary paid to Freelance Journalist by the US has a greater relationship with the demand for jobs and the cost of living.

How Much Do Similar Professions Get Paid in the United States?

There are some different titles for Freelance Journalist jobs, and the job title of Freelance Journalist will vary in different companies. The job title has a lot to do with the department and responsibilities, and the same job title will vary in different departments. The following list is the salary of jobs similar to Freelance Journalist, start to view Freelance Journalist-related jobs you are interested in.
Journalist
Average salary
United States
$57,066
per Year
Multimedia Journalist
Average salary
United States
$48,806
per Year
Brand Journalist
Average salary
United States
$57,675
per Year
Data Journalist
Average salary
United States
$79,450
per Year
Digital Journalist
Average salary
United States
$61,868
per Year
Music Journalist
Average salary
United States
$51,381
per Year

How Much Should You Be Earning?

Get an estimated calculation of how much you should be earning and insight into your career options.

What Does a Freelance Journalist Do?

As the union and industry advocate for Australia’s journalists, MEAA launched Freelance Pro so freelance journalist members of MEAA can demonstrate their high standards with a specialist banner under which they can work and market themselves.

December 21, 2021

For a career as a freelance journalist, consider earning an associate's degree or bachelor's degree in English, journalism, communications or marketing.

December 20, 2021

To help level the playing field for freelance journalists, MEAA has developed a specialist suite of professional services as part of dedicated membership category: Freelance Pro.

December 20, 2021

Freelance journalists rely heavily on self-promotion to build their business, get assignments and earn money.

December 15, 2021

It's important that journalists and freelance journalists avoid purposefully sensationalizing reports.

December 12, 2021

Most Common Benefits for Freelance Journalist

Social Security
Healthcare
401(k)
Pension
Disability
Time Off (days)

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about salaries for a Freelance Journalist
Get a personal salary report to know your salary based on location, education, experience, and other influence factors.
Is this information useful?
Thank you!
As the union and industry advocate for Australia’s journalists, MEAA launched Freelance Pro so freelance journalist members of MEAA can demonstrate their high standards with a specialist banner under which they can work and market themselves.
Is this information useful?
Thank you!
Check the below career pages for detailed pay ranges for similar professions to Freelance Journalist:
Is this information useful?
Thank you!
Explore our personal salary report to know the Freelance Journalist market value in the United States. And find out if any places are having a higher Freelance Journalist salary.
Is this information useful?
Thank you!
The highest Freelance Journalist salary is $66,832, while the lowest is $54,315 in the United States.
Is this information useful?
Thank you!

Career Insights

What is Pay-for-Performance Compensation?
pay and salary
What is Pay-for-Performance Compensation?
What Is a Salary Grading Scale?
pay and salary
What Is a Salary Grading Scale?
The Gender Pay Gap in America in 2022
pay and salary
Understanding the Gender Pay Gap in America