# Editors

US SOC code 27-3041. Markdown version of https://futurehistory.earth/timeline/27-3041

Also called: Copy editor, Copyeditor, Managing editor, Senior editor, Acquisitions editor.

## In brief

In May 2025, [BLS](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm25nat.zip) counted **91,690** US editors, with median pay of **$77,920** a year. Of the BLS counts since 2003, the highest was **110,010**, in May 2008. The earliest figure here is [an estimate](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_American_journalism) of **25,000** from 1920, not measured the same way as today's count. The last full technology era for editors: Grammarly and AI-assisted style tools, 2009 to 2022.

## What the sources say

### Official outlook

BLS projects employment to decline 1.1% from 2025 to 2035. Source: [BLS Employment Projections 2025-35](https://data.bls.gov/projections/nationalMatrix?queryParams=27-3041&ioType=o).

### AI exposure studies

- **64.7%** of this job's tasks are exposed to large language models. Not a forecast of job losses. [Eloundou and others, 2023](https://github.com/openai/GPTs-are-GPTs/blob/main/data/occ_level.csv)
- **26%** of work tasks in arts, design, entertainment, sports, and media occupations, this job's group, are exposed to automation by AI. Not a forecast of job losses. [Goldman Sachs, 2023](https://www.gspublishing.com/content/research/en/reports/2023/03/27/d64e052b-0f6e-45d7-967b-d7be35fabd16.pdf)
- **0.055** estimated probability that the whole occupation could be computerised, over an unspecified number of years. Not a forecast of job losses. [Frey and Osborne, 2013](https://oms-www.files.svdcdn.com/production/downloads/academic/The_Future_of_Employment.pdf)

### Since the 2013 prediction

In 2013, Frey and Osborne put this job's probability of computerisation at 0.055. BLS counted **98,790** of these jobs in May 2013 and **91,690** in May 2025. The count moved sharply in one step, May 2020 to May 2021, when BLS changed how it estimates these counts, so no change is derived here.

Data as of BLS OEWS May 2025; BLS Employment Projections 2025-35. BLS publishes these counts as yearly survey snapshots and cautions against reading them as a precise trend. In May 2021 BLS changed how it estimates these counts (a model-based method using three years of survey data) and moved fully to the 2018 occupation codes, so part of a change across 2021 can come from the method rather than the work.

## Editors employment and pay by year

- On record since: 1709
- Latest US employment: 91,690 (May 2025). Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 [5]
- Latest US median pay: $77,920 (May 2025). Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 [10]
- Outlook: -1.1% by 2035. Source: BLS Employment Projections 2025-35 [33]

### In other countries

The latest figure each country's statistics agency publishes for this job. Each uses its own occupation definition, survey basis and currency, so the numbers are not directly comparable with each other or with the US figures.

- **Canada** (NOC 51110)
  - Employment, 2020: 13,855. Source: Statistics Canada Census 2021 [8]. Statistics Canada Census of Population 2021: number of persons with employment income in NOC 51110 Editors, Canada, reference year 2020. A recipients basis (anyone with employment income during the year), slightly broader than a point-in-time employed count. Statistics Canada Open Licence.
  - Median pay, 2020: C$60,400. Source: Statistics Canada Census 2021 [16]. Statistics Canada Census of Population 2021 (Table 98-10-0586): median employment income for NOC 51110 Editors, Canada, reference year 2020, full-year full-time workers (the basis comparable to the US OEWS full-time median). Statistics Canada Open Licence.

### All 27 years of cited US data

| Year | US employment | Annual pay (median unless marked) | Source |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1920 | 25,000 (estimate) | n/a | Est., History of American journalism [1] |
| 1950 | 42,000 (estimate) | n/a | Est., IPUMS USA [2] |
| 1980 | 72,000 (estimate) | n/a | Est., BLS Monthly Labor Review [3] |
| 2000 | 104,210 | $38,000 (estimate) | BLS OEWS 2000 (employment) [4]; Est., BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook (pay) [9] |
| 2003 | 108,990 | $41,460 | BLS OEWS May 2003 [5] |
| 2004 | 100,790 | $43,890 | BLS OEWS May 2004 [5] |
| 2005 | 96,270 | $45,510 | BLS OEWS May 2005 [5] |
| 2006 | 100,170 | $46,990 | BLS OEWS May 2006 [5] |
| 2007 | 105,920 | $48,320 | BLS OEWS May 2007 [5] |
| 2008 | 110,010 | $49,990 | BLS OEWS May 2008 [5] |
| 2009 | 105,040 | $50,800 | BLS OEWS May 2009 [5] |
| 2010 | 99,160 | $51,470 | BLS OEWS May 2010 (employment) [5]; BLS OEWS (pay) [11] |
| 2011 | 98,990 | $52,380 | BLS OEWS May 2011 [5] |
| 2012 | 99,040 | $53,880 | BLS OEWS May 2012 [5] |
| 2013 | 98,790 | $54,150 | BLS OEWS May 2013 [5] |
| 2014 | 97,350 | $54,890 | BLS OEWS May 2014 [5] |
| 2015 | 96,690 | $56,010 | BLS OEWS May 2015 [5] |
| 2016 | 97,170 | $57,210 | BLS OEWS May 2016 [5] |
| 2017 | 96,890 | $58,770 | BLS OEWS May 2017 [5] |
| 2018 | 95,750 | $59,480 | BLS OEWS May 2018 [5] |
| 2019 | 95,970 | $61,370 | BLS OEWS May 2019 [5] |
| 2020 | 93,370 | $63,400 | BLS OEWS May 2020 (employment) [5]; BLS OEWS (pay) [11] |
| 2021 | 88,780 | $63,350 | BLS OEWS May 2021 [5] |
| 2022 | 101,430 | $73,080 | BLS OEWS May 2022 [5] |
| 2023 | 95,700 | $75,020 | BLS OEWS May 2023 (employment) [5]; BLS OEWS May 2023 (pay) [12] |
| 2024 | 95,480 | $75,260 | BLS OEWS May 2024 [5] |
| 2025 | 91,690 | $77,920 | BLS OEWS May 2025 [5] |

## Sources (98)

### Employment series

1. [History of American journalism — Wikipedia (journalism professionalization era)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_American_journalism), Wikipedia
2. [IPUMS USA — Occupation and Industry Codes (historical occupational classification reference)](https://usa.ipums.org/usa/volii/occ_ind.shtml), IPUMS / University of Minnesota
3. [BLS Monthly Labor Review — historical occupation series and publishing-industry employment](https://www.bls.gov/opub/mlr/), Bureau of Labor Statistics
4. [BLS OES 2000 national estimates (flat file)](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oes00nat.zip), Bureau of Labor Statistics
5. BLS OEWS, national cross-industry estimates (flat file), Bureau of Labor Statistics. Editions: [2003](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm03nat.zip), [2004](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm04nat.zip), [2005](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm05nat.zip), [2006](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm06nat.zip), [2007](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm07nat.zip), [2008](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm08nat.zip), [2009](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm09nat.zip), [2010](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm10nat.zip), [2011](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm11nat.zip), [2012](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm12nat.zip), [2013](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm13nat.zip), [2014](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm14nat.zip), [2015](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm15nat.zip), [2016](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm16nat.zip), [2017](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm17nat.zip), [2018](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm18nat.zip), [2019](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm19nat.zip), [2020](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm20nat.zip), [2021](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm21nat.zip), [2022](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm22nat.zip), [2023](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm23nat.zip), [2024](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm24nat.zip), [2025](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm25nat.zip)
6. [Statistics Canada, Census of Population 2006, Table 97-563-XCB2006069 (Wage and salary statistics by occupation, NOC-S 2006), income reference year 2005](https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2006/dp-pd/tbt/Rp-eng.cfm?LANG=E&PID=96285), Statistics Canada
7. [Statistics Canada, Census of Population 2016, Table 98-400-X2016356 (Occupation by employment income statistics, NOC 2016), income reference year 2015](https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/en/catalogue/98-400-X2016356), Statistics Canada
8. [Statistics Canada, Census of Population 2021, Table 98-10-0586 (Employment income statistics by occupation unit group, NOC 2021), income reference year 2020](https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/t1/tbl1/en/tv.action?pid=9810058601), Statistics Canada

### Wage series

9. [BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook — Editors historical wage context; BLS Monthly Labor Review](https://www.bls.gov/opub/mlr/), Bureau of Labor Statistics
10. BLS OEWS, national cross-industry estimates (flat file), Bureau of Labor Statistics. Editions: [2003](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm03nat.zip), [2004](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm04nat.zip), [2005](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm05nat.zip), [2006](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm06nat.zip), [2007](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm07nat.zip), [2008](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm08nat.zip), [2009](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm09nat.zip), [2011](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm11nat.zip), [2012](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm12nat.zip), [2013](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm13nat.zip), [2014](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm14nat.zip), [2015](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm15nat.zip), [2016](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm16nat.zip), [2017](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm17nat.zip), [2018](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm18nat.zip), [2019](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm19nat.zip), [2021](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm21nat.zip), [2022](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm22nat.zip), [2025](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm25nat.zip)
11. [BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook — Editors (27-3041) historical wage data](https://www.bls.gov/ooh/media-and-communication/editors.htm), Bureau of Labor Statistics
12. [BLS OEWS May 2023 — National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates (27-3041); median $75,020](https://www.bls.gov/oes/2023/may/oes273041.htm), Bureau of Labor Statistics
13. [BLS OEWS May 2024, national cross-industry estimates (flat file)](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm24nat.zip), U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
14. [Statistics Canada, Census of Population 2006, Table 97-563-XCB2006069 (Wage and salary statistics by occupation, NOC-S 2006), income reference year 2005](https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2006/dp-pd/tbt/Rp-eng.cfm?LANG=E&PID=96285), Statistics Canada
15. [Statistics Canada, Census of Population 2016, Table 98-400-X2016356 (Occupation by employment income statistics, NOC 2016), income reference year 2015](https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/en/catalogue/98-400-X2016356), Statistics Canada
16. [Statistics Canada, Census of Population 2021, Table 98-10-0586 (Employment income statistics by occupation unit group, NOC 2021), income reference year 2020](https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/t1/tbl1/en/tv.action?pid=9810058601), Statistics Canada

### Tool eras

17. [Wikipedia — Blue pencil (editing)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_pencil_%28editing%29), Wikipedia
18. [Wikipedia — History of American journalism](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_American_journalism), Wikipedia
19. [Library of Congress — "The Linotype: The Machine that Revolutionized Movable Type" (Headlines & Heroes blog)](https://blogs.loc.gov/headlinesandheroes/2022/06/the-linotype-the-machine-that-revolutionized-movable-type/), Library of Congress
20. [Wikipedia — Linotype machine](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linotype_machine), Wikipedia
21. [Wikipedia — Harold Ross (The New Yorker founder and editor)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harold_Ross), Wikipedia
22. [Wikipedia — Maxwell Perkins (Scribner's editor)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maxwell_Perkins), Wikipedia
23. [Wikipedia — Phototypesetting (history and newspaper adoption)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phototypesetting), Wikipedia
24. [Wikipedia — Microsoft Word (history section)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsoft_Word), Wikipedia
25. [Wikipedia — WordPerfect (history)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WordPerfect), Wikipedia
26. [Wikipedia — WordPress (history)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WordPress), Wikipedia
27. [Wikipedia — Content management system (history)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Content_management_system), Wikipedia
28. [CNBC — "How Grammarly went from nearly broke to multibillion-dollar AI company" (January 2025)](https://www.cnbc.com/2025/01/28/how-grammarly-went-from-nearly-broke-to-multibillion-dollar-ai-company.html), CNBC
29. [Editorial Freelancers Association — Rate Survey 2024](https://www.the-efa.org/rates/), Editorial Freelancers Association
30. [Anthropic Economic Index, January 2026 report: Arts, Design and Entertainment tasks in 11% of sampled Claude.ai conversations and 6% of first-party API transcripts](https://www.anthropic.com/research/anthropic-economic-index-january-2026-report), Anthropic
31. [Nieman Journalism Lab — "Writing guidelines for the role of AI in your newsroom?" (July 2023)](https://www.niemanlab.org/2023/07/writing-guidelines-for-the-role-of-ai-in-your-newsroom-here-are-some-er-guidelines-for-that/), Nieman Journalism Lab
32. [GPTZero — AI Content Detection for Editors and Publishers](https://gptzero.me/), GPTZero

### Forecasts and exposure studies

33. [BLS Employment Projections 2025-35, National Employment Matrix: 27-3041 Editors (2025: 105.0 thousand; 2035: 103.8 thousand; -1.1%)](https://data.bls.gov/projections/nationalMatrix?queryParams=27-3041&ioType=o), Bureau of Labor Statistics
34. [Eloundou, Manning, Mishkin & Rock (2023), "GPTs are GPTs", occupation-level exposure data occ\_level.csv (O\*NET-SOC 27-3041.00, human-rated β 0.647)](https://github.com/openai/GPTs-are-GPTs/blob/main/data/occ_level.csv), OpenAI
35. [Briggs & Kodnani, "The Potentially Large Effects of Artificial Intelligence on Economic Growth", Goldman Sachs Global Economics Analyst (26 March 2023), Exhibit 5 (US): arts, design, entertainment, sports, and media 26%](https://www.gspublishing.com/content/research/en/reports/2023/03/27/d64e052b-0f6e-45d7-967b-d7be35fabd16.pdf), Goldman Sachs Global Investment Research
36. [Frey & Osborne (2013), "The Future of Employment: How Susceptible Are Jobs to Computerisation?", Appendix (SOC 27-3041 Editors: probability 0.055, rank 140 of 702)](https://oms-www.files.svdcdn.com/production/downloads/academic/The_Future_of_Employment.pdf), Oxford Martin School, University of Oxford

### Historical notes

37. [Wikipedia — The Tatler (1709 journal)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Tatler_%281709_journal%29), Wikipedia
38. [Wikipedia — Maxwell Perkins](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maxwell_Perkins), Wikipedia
39. [Wikipedia — American Society of News Editors](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Society_of_News_Editors), Wikipedia
40. [Wikipedia — Harold Ross](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harold_Ross), Wikipedia
41. [Wikipedia — Ben Bradlee (Pentagon Papers decision)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ben_Bradlee), Wikipedia
42. [Pew Research Center — "U.S. newsroom employment has fallen 26% since 2008" (July 2021)](https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2021/07/13/u-s-newsroom-employment-has-fallen-26-since-2008/), Pew Research Center
43. [Wikipedia — Clarkesworld Magazine (AI submission closure, February 2023)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clarkesworld_Magazine), Wikipedia

### Predecessors & successors

44. [Wikipedia — History of American journalism (printer-editor era)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_American_journalism), Wikipedia
45. [Wikipedia — American Society of News Editors (founding context)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Society_of_News_Editors), Wikipedia
46. [Wikipedia — Maxwell Perkins (transition from reporting/writing to editing)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maxwell_Perkins), Wikipedia

### Present-day analysis

- [BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook — Editors, 2024-25](https://www.bls.gov/ooh/media-and-communication/editors.htm), accessed 2026-05-23
- [O\*NET 30.3 — Editors (27-3041.00)](https://www.onetonline.org/link/summary/27-3041.00), accessed 2026-05-23
- [Eloundou et al. 2024 — GPTs are GPTs (Science)](https://arxiv.org/abs/2303.10130), accessed 2026-05-23
- [Goldman Sachs — The Potentially Large Effects of AI on Economic Growth, 2023](https://www.goldmansachs.com/insights/articles/generative-ai-could-raise-global-gdp-by-7-percent.html), accessed 2026-05-23
- [Editorial Freelancers Association — Rate Survey 2024](https://www.the-efa.org/rates/), accessed 2026-05-23
- [Nieman Lab — AI and the Newsroom, 2025-2026](https://www.niemanlab.org/collection/artificial-intelligence/), accessed 2026-05-23
- [Publishers Weekly — AI in Publishing Roundup 2025](https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/technology/article/96048-publishers-weekly-ai-report.html), accessed 2026-05-23
- [Grammarly Business — AI Writing and Editing Suite](https://www.grammarly.com/business), accessed 2026-05-23
- [ProWritingAid — AI Editing for Teams](https://prowritingaid.com/), accessed 2026-05-23
- [DeepL for Business — Translation Quality and Editing Workflows](https://www.deepl.com/en/enterprise), accessed 2026-05-23
- [Originality.ai — AI Content Detection for Publishers](https://originality.ai/), accessed 2026-05-23
- [GPTZero — AI Detection for Editors and Publishers](https://gptzero.me/), accessed 2026-05-23

How to read these figures: https://futurehistory.earth/methodology. Every figure links to its own source; gaps stay gaps.