Average Journalist Salary in Canada for 2024

In this article, we will look at the average Journalist salary for 2024 in Canada and how that compares to other countries and professions. We'll also look at interesting salary data points like median salary, 25th and 75th percentile salaries, salary amounts based on experience, bonus ranges and more!

The data in this article has been compiled using official government salary data, salary surveys, and other sources such as job postings which contain salary information.

All salary information is in the local currency, which is the Canadian dollar. To keep things simple, we are using the CAD currency code instead of the currency symbol $.

How Much Does a Journalist Make in Canada?

A Journalist working in Canada will typically earn around 138,700 CAD per year, and this can range from the lowest average salary of about 65,100 CAD to the highest average salary of 213,800 CAD.

Average Annual Salary
138,700 CAD
Average Monthly Salary
11,558 CAD

Lowest Annual Salary
65,100 CAD
Lowest Monthly Salary
5,425 CAD

Highest Annual Salary
213,800 CAD
Highest Monthly Salary
17,816 CAD

These are average salaries for a Journalist in Canada and include benefits such as housing and transport. It's also possible for a Journalist to earn more or less than the average salaries shown above.

Journalist salaries will vary a lot based on your experience, location, skills, and gender. Keep reading below to research more data on each of these areas.

Distribution of Journalist Salaries in Canada

So we've looked at the average salaries a Journalist will earn in Canada. The next interesting data point is the distribution of salaries.

Salary ranges

We already know that a Journalist can earn between 65,100 CAD and 213,800 CAD on average in Canada. This is known as the range in statistics.

The difference between the maximum and minimum values is a good indicator of variability in salaries, and can be used by employers to figure out how much they can expect to pay, and for employees to know how much they can earn.

Median salary

The median salary for a Journalist in Canada is 140,200 CAD. This is the middle value in the distribution of salaries.

What this means is that approximately 50% of the population earn less than 140,200 CAD, and 50% of the population earn more than 140,200 CAD.

If you are earning more than the median salary, that's a good indicator that you are being paid well.

If you're not earning more than the median salary, your objective should be to increase your earnings to be at least as high as the median salary (which you can do by asking for a pay rise, looking for a better paying job, etc).

Percentiles

Percentiles are similar to the median salary, but instead of looking at the middle value, they look at the values in the top and bottom half of the distribution.

For the average Journalist salary in Canada, 25% of the population are earning less than 93,300 CAD while 75% of the population earn more than 93,300 CAD.

75% of the population earn less than 184,700 CAD, and 25% of the population earn more than 184,700 CAD.

Like the median salary, the 25th and 75th percentile salaries can be used to determine which quartile you fall into so that you know whether you are being paid well enough compared to others in your profession and location.

The difference between a median and an average salary

The median and average salary are both indicators you can use to see if you are being paid fairly based on the overall population.

  • If your salary is higher than the average and the median salary, you are earning well compared to others.
  • If your salary is lower than the average and the median salary, it could indicate you are not being paid well enough.
  • If you are somewhere in between then it's tricky to determine if you are being paid well enough and you might need to research more closely.

Journalist Salary by Experience Level in Canada

The most important factor in determining your salary after the specific profession is the number of years experience you have. It stands to reason that more years of experience will result in a higher wage.

We have researched the average journalist salary based on years of experience to give you an idea of how the average changes once you've worked for a certain amount of time.

  • 0 - 2 Years Experience. A Journalist in Canada that has less than two years of experience can expect to earn somewhere in the region of 75,900 CAD.
  • 2 - 5 Years Experience. With two to five years of experience the average Journalist salary would increase to 109,700 CAD.
  • 5 - 10 Years Experience. From five to ten years of experience as a Journalist, the average salary would be 142,300 CAD.
  • 10 - 15 Years Experience. Once you have more than ten years of experience the average salary reaches around 175,200 CAD.
  • 15 - 20 Years Experience. A Journalist with 15 to 20 years of experience can earn an average of 185,900 CAD.
  • 20+ Years Experience. For a Journalist with more than 20 years, the expected average salary increases to 205,400 CAD.

Average Salary by Experience Chart

0-2 Years
75,900 CAD
2-5 Years +42%
109,700 CAD
5-10 Years +31%
142,300 CAD
10-15 Years +23%
175,200 CAD
15-20 Years +6%
185,900 CAD
20+ Years +10%
205,400 CAD

Journalist Salary by Education Level in Canada

As well as experience in a job, your education plays a big role in how much you can earn. A lot of higher paying positions require a high level of education, but how much can a degree increase your salary?

In our research we have compared the salaries of employees in the same job and career level with different levels of education to see how much more you can earn at each education level.

The salary you can earn based on your education is very specific to both your location and the career path you choose.

In our research, we looked at the average salary for a Journalist in Canada based on the education level of the employees in order to find out whether a better education level would increase your salary.

  • High School. A Journalist in Canada with a high school education can earn an average salary of 94,400 CAD.

  • Certificate or Diploma. A Journalist in Canada with a certificate or diploma education can earn an average salary of 108,200 CAD.

  • Bachelor's Degree. A Journalist in Canada with a bachelor's degree education can earn an average salary of 160,600 CAD.

  • Master's Degree. A Journalist in Canada with a master's degree education can earn an average salary of 197,600 CAD.

Average Salary by Education Chart

High School
94,400 CAD
Certificate or Diploma +16%
108,200 CAD
Bachelor's Degree +46%
160,600 CAD
Master's Degree +23%
197,600 CAD

How Much is a Master's Degree or MBA Program?

The approximate cost of a master's degree or post-graduate program like an MBA in Canada is around 49,800 to 149,000 CAD and takes two years to complete.

As you can see above, there are financial benefits from reaching master's degree level, but don't expect to see much of a salary increase until you have completed the degree.

It's common for people to pursue an MBA or other post-graduate program in order to switch to a a job that pays more. On average, you can expect to earn around 10% more when switching to a new company.

Whether you decide to pursue a master's degree depends on many factors. If you are able to afford it, the numbers suggest that the return on investment is worth it and you could recover the costs in a few years from the salary increase you would receive.

Journalist Salary Compared by Gender

In the modern age, we know that there should never be a pay gap between men and women. Unfortunately, in many professions, there is still a significant difference between the salaries earned by men when compared to the salary of women in the same job.

In Canada, a male journalist will earn an average of 141,000 CAD, while a female journalist will earn around 134,100 CAD.

This means that a male journalist earns approximately 5% more than a female journalist for performing the same job.

Average Salary by Gender Chart in Canada

Male
141,000 CAD
Female -5%
134,100 CAD

Journalist Average Pay Raise in Canada

In many countries, an annual pay raise is often given to employees to reward their service with a salary increase.

From our research, we can see that the average pay raise for a Journalist in Canada is around 13% every 15 months.

The national average pay raise across all professions and industries in Canada is around 9% every 15 months.

In this case, we can see that the number of months between the average pay raise is higher than the typical 12 months.

To make the data more meaningful, we can calculate what the approximate annual pay raise would be using a simple formula:

Annual Increase = ( Increase Rate ÷ Months ) × 12

So for this example, it would be:

Annual Increase = ( 13 ÷ 15 ) × 12  = 10%

What this means is that a Journalist in Canada can expect to receive an average pay raise of around 10% every 12 months.

Annual Pay Raise by Industry in Canada for 2024

In the chart below, you can see the average annual pay raise percentages for each of the major industries in Canada.

You will see that companies in bigger and more lucrative industries tend to have the higher annual pay raises.

Banking
2%
Energy
4%
Information Technology
6%
Healthcare
8%
Travel
1%
Construction
3%
Education
5%

Journalist Bonus and Incentive Rates in Canada

Another part of your overall compensation in a job is how much bonus you receive. Some job roles will be more likely to pay a bonus than others and also more likely to have higher bonus rates.

Generally speaking, jobs that are more involved with direct revenue generation will receive higher bonuses based on the performance towards revenue goals.

A Journalist is a moderate bonus based job, with 60% of employees reporting at least one bonus in the last 12 months.

40% reported that they had not received any bonuses in the previous 12 months.

For the employees that did receive a bonus in the previous 12 months, the reported bonuses ranged from 3% to 6%.

Received Bonus
60%
No Bonus
40%

What are the Types of Bonus?

There are a number of difference types of bonus you can receive in a job. Including:

  • Individual performance bonus - This is a bonus that is awarded to an individual employee for general performance in the job. It's the most common type of bonus.
  • Company performance bonus - This is a bonus that is awarded to a company employees to share profit with the staff.
  • Goal based bonus - This is a bonus that is awarded to an individual employee (or a team) for achieving specific goals, objectives, or milestones.
  • Holiday bonus - This type of bonus is usually paid around the holidays, often the end of the year, and is a token of appreciation for the hard work throughout the year.

Government vs Private Sector Salaries

Another commonly asked question is whether you get paid a higher salary working in the public (government) sector or the private sector.

Public sector employees in Canada earn approximately 6% more than private sector employees in the same role.

Public Sector
123,000 CAD
Private Sector -6%
115,600 CAD

Salaries for Jobs Similar to a Journalist

In the table below, we have salary information for jobs that are similar to a Journalist in Canada.

Job Title Category Salary
3D Artist Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 107,700 CAD
3D Designer Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 100,700 CAD
3D Generalist Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 92,900 CAD
3D Visualization Specialist Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 109,700 CAD
Acrobatic Rigger Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 72,300 CAD
Actor Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 140,200 CAD
Art Administrator Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 116,400 CAD
Art Director Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 147,900 CAD
Art Lead Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 139,100 CAD
Associate Media Director Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 127,700 CAD
Associate Producer Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 150,100 CAD
Broadcast and Sound Engineer Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 98,100 CAD
Broadcast Associate Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 74,600 CAD
Broadcast News Analyst Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 108,200 CAD
Broadcast Technician Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 65,500 CAD
Broadcasting Journalist Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 140,700 CAD
Broadcasting Presenter Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 138,700 CAD
Camera Equipment Repairer Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 72,700 CAD
Camera Operator Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 66,200 CAD
Cartoonist / Animator Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 102,700 CAD
CAS Engineer Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 111,700 CAD
Censorship Executive Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 125,400 CAD
Choreographer Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 97,600 CAD
Colorist Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 58,200 CAD
Communications Manager Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 160,700 CAD
Correspondent Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 123,800 CAD
Dance Director Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 114,600 CAD
Dancer Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 93,100 CAD
Director of Photography Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 114,600 CAD
Disc Jockey Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 73,700 CAD
Editorial Assistant Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 63,200 CAD
Events Manager Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 109,000 CAD
Graphic Designer Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 70,600 CAD
Illustrator Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 83,000 CAD
Industrial Designer Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 69,700 CAD
Instructional Designer Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 74,100 CAD
Makeup Artist Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 73,300 CAD
Media Design Manager Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 193,200 CAD
Media Equipment Operator Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 59,100 CAD
Media Operations Manager Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 146,900 CAD
Media Planner Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 105,800 CAD
Media Producer Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 134,100 CAD
Media Product Development Manager Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 187,500 CAD
Media Production Manager Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 192,600 CAD
Media Program Director Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 201,000 CAD
Media Relation Executive Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 197,600 CAD
Media Relations Manager Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 197,600 CAD
Media Sales Manager Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 212,500 CAD
Movement and Dance Coordinator Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 115,600 CAD
Multimedia Coordinator Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 73,200 CAD
Multimedia Designer Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 75,500 CAD
Music Consultant Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 103,600 CAD
Musician Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 80,200 CAD
News Associate Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 105,800 CAD
News Reporter Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 130,500 CAD
Post Production Assistant Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 69,100 CAD
Producer Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 183,900 CAD
Product Designer Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 71,200 CAD
Product Planner Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 101,400 CAD
Production Artist Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 100,700 CAD
Production Assistant Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 69,600 CAD
Production Director Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 153,800 CAD
Production Technician Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 67,000 CAD
Program Researcher Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 124,500 CAD
Promotion Coordinator Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 97,200 CAD
Sound Engineer Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 95,100 CAD
Sound Engineering Technician Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 55,200 CAD
Stage Technician Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 56,100 CAD
Sub Editor Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 64,200 CAD
Television Executive Producer Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 216,300 CAD
Transmission Engineer Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 105,200 CAD
Video Editor Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 85,800 CAD
Video Producer Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 107,700 CAD
Videographer Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 95,600 CAD
Visual Designer Media / Broadcasting / Arts / Entertainment 105,800 CAD

Salary Comparison by City

If you want to compare salaries with different cities in Canada, you can use the links below to explore the data for each specific city we have researched.

City Average Salary
Brampton 132,000 CAD
Calgary 146,900 CAD
Edmonton 148,300 CAD
Gatineau 124,500 CAD
Halifax 130,500 CAD
Hamilton 134,700 CAD
Kitchener 128,400 CAD
Markham 130,500 CAD
Mississauga 140,700 CAD
Montreal 142,300 CAD
Ottawa 141,000 CAD
Quebec 134,700 CAD
Regina 118,900 CAD
Richmond 124,500 CAD
Saskatoon 119,700 CAD
Surrey 137,100 CAD
Toronto 148,300 CAD
Vancouver 146,900 CAD
Vaughan 127,700 CAD
Windsor 123,800 CAD
Winnipeg 140,700 CAD

Salary Comparison by State

The table below includes links to the average salary for each state in Canada.

City Average Salary
Alberta 146,900 CAD
British Columbia 151,800 CAD
Manitoba 142,300 CAD
New Brunswick 130,500 CAD
Newfoundland-Labrador 127,600 CAD
Northwest Territories 140,200 CAD
Nova Scotia 132,000 CAD
Nunavut 148,300 CAD
Ontario 158,900 CAD
Prince Edward Island 123,000 CAD
Quebec 153,700 CAD
Saskatchewan 134,700 CAD
Yukon 125,400 CAD

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