U-S Journalist Employment And Pay Fell In 2021

Houston Chronicle newsroom

The number of journalists employed in the United States fell by at least 2,500 last year, according to the Press-Gazette citing new statistics from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics. Average journalist pay also fell by nearly $3,000 between 2020 and 2021.

According to America’s latest occupational employment and wage statistics, there were 39,080 “news analysts, reporters, and journalists” employed across the US in May 2021. This is down from 41,580 in May 2020, and 44,100 in May 2019. 

The mean annual wage for this category of worker was $63,230 in May 2021, down from $66,000 the year before.

The total number of journalists in the US will be greater than these figures suggest. They do not include self-employed people. And, for the purposes of this article, Press Gazette has focused on “news analysts, reporters and journalists” and disregarded other job categories that will include journalists.

For example, in May 2021, there were 88,780 editors employed in the United States with a mean annual wage of $76,400. But this would include editors working in the book publishing, movie, advertising, and PR industries.

Other relevant job categories not included in this article are broadcast announcers and DJs, technical writers, writers and authors, audio and video technicians, broadcast technicians, photographers, and camera operators.

Last year, the Pew Research Center estimated – based on 2020 figures – that there were 85,000 newsroom employees in the US.

The number of journalists, reporters, and news analysts working in radio and television broadcasting was 16,510 in May 2021. This was down slightly from 16,700 in 2020. Average salaries were $68,480 in 2021, down from $72,880.

The US Bureau of Labor Statistics figures also break down occupations by location. New York, California, and Texas were the three states with the most employed journalists.