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Investigative Journalist Salary in the United States

How much does an Investigative Journalist make in the United States? The salary range for an Investigative Journalist job is from $42,114 to $53,434 per year in the United States. Click on the filter to check out Investigative Journalist job salaries by hourly, weekly, biweekly, semimonthly, monthly, and yearly.

Average base salary
updated at April 01, 2025
$47,701
Per Year
The average salary for an Investigative Journalist is $47,701
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
$42,114
$47,701
Medium
$53,434

Highest Paying Cities for Investigative Journalist in the United States

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

States with Higher Salaries for Investigative Journalist

The five states where Investigative 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 an Investigative 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 Investigative 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 Investigative Journalist jobs, and the job title of Investigative 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 Investigative Journalist, start to view Investigative Journalist-related jobs you are interested in.
Journalist
Average salary
United States
$61,841
per Year
Investigative Reporter
Average salary
United States
$67,303
per Year
Investigative Analyst
Average salary
United States
$79,507
per Year
Investigative Assistant
Average salary
United States
$47,371
per Year
Investigative Specialist
Average salary
United States
$74,484
per Year
Investigative Consultant
Average salary
United States
$109,317
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 an Investigative Journalist Do?

An investigative journalist typically works for a newspaper, website, magazine, radio station, or television station.

December 17, 2021

Investigative journalists working in global and international journalism research, investigate, and write stories regarding news and current affairs.

December 15, 2021

Once assigned a topic, investigative journalists will reach out to sources and experts on the topic to arrange interviews.

December 11, 2021

Individuals interested in the process of how to become an investigative journalist can benefit from learning about potential career options in the field.

November 05, 2021

Becoming an investigative journalist most often includes earning an undergraduate degree in a field like journalism or attending a program like.

November 04, 2021

Most Common Benefits for Investigative Journalist

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

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about salaries for an Investigative Journalist
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An investigative journalist typically works for a newspaper, website, magazine, radio station, or television station.
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Explore our personal salary report to know the Investigative Journalist market value in the United States. And find out if any places are having a higher Investigative Journalist salary.
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The highest Investigative Journalist salary is $53,434, while the lowest is $42,114 in the United States.
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