Average Proofreader Salary in United States for 2024

In this article, we will look at the average Proofreader salary for 2024 in United States 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 United States dollar. To keep things simple, we are using the USD currency code instead of the currency symbol $.

How Much Does a Proofreader Make in United States?

A Proofreader working in United States will typically earn around 74,000 USD per year, and this can range from the lowest average salary of about 36,800 USD to the highest average salary of 114,600 USD.

Average Annual Salary
74,000 USD
Average Monthly Salary
6,166 USD

Lowest Annual Salary
36,800 USD
Lowest Monthly Salary
3,066 USD

Highest Annual Salary
114,600 USD
Highest Monthly Salary
9,550 USD

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

Proofreader 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 Proofreader Salaries in United States

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

Salary ranges

We already know that a Proofreader can earn between 36,800 USD and 114,600 USD on average in United States. 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 Proofreader in United States is 74,000 USD. This is the middle value in the distribution of salaries.

What this means is that approximately 50% of the population earn less than 74,000 USD, and 50% of the population earn more than 74,000 USD.

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 Proofreader salary in United States, 25% of the population are earning less than 50,500 USD while 75% of the population earn more than 50,500 USD.

75% of the population earn less than 91,700 USD, and 25% of the population earn more than 91,700 USD.

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.

Proofreader Salary by Experience Level in United States

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 proofreader 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 Proofreader in United States that has less than two years of experience can expect to earn somewhere in the region of 45,000 USD.
  • 2 - 5 Years Experience. With two to five years of experience the average Proofreader salary would increase to 56,600 USD.
  • 5 - 10 Years Experience. From five to ten years of experience as a Proofreader, the average salary would be 78,500 USD.
  • 10 - 15 Years Experience. Once you have more than ten years of experience the average salary reaches around 93,800 USD.
  • 15 - 20 Years Experience. A Proofreader with 15 to 20 years of experience can earn an average of 100,900 USD.
  • 20+ Years Experience. For a Proofreader with more than 20 years, the expected average salary increases to 107,700 USD.

Average Salary by Experience Chart

0-2 Years
45,000 USD
2-5 Years +32%
56,600 USD
5-10 Years +34%
78,500 USD
10-15 Years +19%
93,800 USD
15-20 Years +8%
100,900 USD
20+ Years +7%
107,700 USD

Proofreader Salary by Education Level in United States

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 Proofreader in United States 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 Proofreader in United States with a high school education can earn an average salary of 54,100 USD.

  • Certificate or Diploma. A Proofreader in United States with a certificate or diploma education can earn an average salary of 63,900 USD.

  • Bachelor's Degree. A Proofreader in United States with a bachelor's degree education can earn an average salary of 83,700 USD.

  • Master's Degree. A Proofreader in United States with a master's degree education can earn an average salary of 107,700 USD.

Average Salary by Education Chart

High School
54,100 USD
Certificate or Diploma +14%
63,900 USD
Bachelor's Degree +36%
83,700 USD
Master's Degree +26%
107,700 USD

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 United States is around 39,500 to 118,000 USD 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.

Proofreader 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 United States, a male proofreader will earn an average of 72,800 USD, while a female proofreader will earn around 76,000 USD.

This means that a male proofreader earns approximately 4% less than a female proofreader for performing the same job.

Average Salary by Gender Chart in United States

Male
72,800 USD
Female +4%
76,000 USD

Proofreader Average Pay Raise in United States

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 Proofreader in United States is around 10% every 17 months.

The national average pay raise across all professions and industries in United States is around 8% every 16 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 = ( 10 ÷ 17 ) × 12  = 7%

What this means is that a Proofreader in United States can expect to receive an average pay raise of around 7% every 12 months.

Annual Pay Raise by Industry in United States for 2024

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

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

Banking
4%
Energy
8%
Information Technology
3%
Healthcare
7%
Travel
2%
Construction
6%
Education
1%

Proofreader Bonus and Incentive Rates in United States

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 Proofreader is a low bonus based job, with 31% of employees reporting at least one bonus in the last 12 months.

69% 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 0% to 3%.

Received Bonus
31%
No Bonus
69%

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 United States earn approximately 6% more than private sector employees in the same role.

Public Sector
98,800 USD
Private Sector -6%
93,100 USD

Salaries for Jobs Similar to a Proofreader

In the table below, we have salary information for jobs that are similar to a Proofreader in United States.

Job Title Category Salary
Advertising Copywriter Publishing and Printing 90,300 USD
Art Director Publishing and Printing 92,500 USD
Art Supervisor Publishing and Printing 83,000 USD
Artist Publishing and Printing 95,100 USD
Assistant Editor Publishing and Printing 71,700 USD
Associate Content Management Specialist Publishing and Printing 93,200 USD
Associate Editor Publishing and Printing 74,100 USD
Binder and Finisher Publishing and Printing 41,100 USD
Bindery Supervisor Publishing and Printing 55,500 USD
Circulations Director Publishing and Printing 123,000 USD
Color Matcher Publishing and Printing 46,700 USD
Color Technician Publishing and Printing 44,700 USD
Commissioning Editor Publishing and Printing 74,300 USD
Communications Editor Publishing and Printing 76,800 USD
Content Copywriter Publishing and Printing 83,800 USD
Content Management Assistant Publishing and Printing 76,000 USD
Content Publisher Publishing and Printing 71,900 USD
Content Writer Publishing and Printing 87,900 USD
CopyWriter Publishing and Printing 83,000 USD
Corporate Print Center Specialist Publishing and Printing 69,400 USD
Curator Publishing and Printing 71,900 USD
DTP Operator Publishing and Printing 70,600 USD
Editor Publishing and Printing 81,900 USD
Electronic Publisher Publishing and Printing 90,900 USD
Fashion Subeditor Publishing and Printing 85,500 USD
Media Design Manager Publishing and Printing 139,100 USD
Media Planner Publishing and Printing 93,300 USD
Photographer Publishing and Printing 73,700 USD
Planning and Supply Manager Publishing and Printing 158,700 USD
Print Production Coordinator Publishing and Printing 78,900 USD
Print Production Manager Publishing and Printing 148,300 USD
Printing Press Operator Publishing and Printing 64,800 USD
Production Editor Publishing and Printing 78,900 USD
Publisher Publishing and Printing 92,400 USD
Publishing and Printing Coordinator Publishing and Printing 67,600 USD
Publishing and Printing Manager Publishing and Printing 142,300 USD
Publishing and Printing Supervisor Publishing and Printing 119,700 USD
Publishing Specialist Publishing and Printing 105,200 USD
Reporter Publishing and Printing 105,200 USD
Technical Writer Publishing and Printing 83,800 USD
Technical Writing Manager Publishing and Printing 123,000 USD

Salary Comparison by City

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

City Average Salary
Atlanta 70,500 USD
Austin 78,700 USD
Baltimore 76,000 USD
Boston 74,600 USD
Bristol 61,700 USD
Chicago 82,200 USD
Cincinnati 61,700 USD
Cleveland 65,800 USD
Dallas 81,400 USD
Denver 75,000 USD
Detroit 74,600 USD
Honolulu 60,700 USD
Houston 87,400 USD
Indianapolis 74,700 USD
Iowa City 57,400 USD
Jacksonville 80,500 USD
Kansas City 71,600 USD
Kent 61,400 USD
Las Vegas 74,700 USD
Long Beach 67,800 USD
Los Angeles 85,400 USD
Memphis 76,000 USD
Miami 69,400 USD
Minneapolis 66,200 USD
New Orleans 65,200 USD
New York 92,900 USD
Oakland 71,700 USD
Oklahoma City 74,900 USD
Orlando 58,000 USD
Philadelphia 79,500 USD
Phoenix 87,000 USD
Sacramento 71,200 USD
San Antonio 84,800 USD
San Diego 78,400 USD
San Francisco 80,400 USD
San Jose 83,800 USD
Seattle 72,300 USD
Tampa 65,500 USD
Vancouver 63,200 USD
Washington D.C. 78,700 USD

Salary Comparison by State

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

City Average Salary
Alabama 71,900 USD
Alaska 64,300 USD
Arizona 82,300 USD
Arkansas 73,500 USD
California 83,400 USD
Colorado 74,500 USD
Connecticut 68,200 USD
Delaware 70,000 USD
District of Columbia 65,700 USD
Florida 83,800 USD
Georgia 79,600 USD
Hawaii 66,100 USD
Idaho 71,400 USD
Illinois 83,000 USD
Indiana 79,800 USD
Iowa 71,800 USD
Kansas 68,200 USD
Kentucky 69,600 USD
Louisiana 76,000 USD
Maine 70,800 USD
Maryland 75,900 USD
Massachusetts 74,600 USD
Michigan 76,000 USD
Minnesota 79,800 USD
Mississippi 72,400 USD
Missouri 74,900 USD
Montana 67,800 USD
Nebraska 65,800 USD
Nevada 72,300 USD
New Hampshire 68,200 USD
New Jersey 80,800 USD
New Mexico 68,800 USD
New York 78,500 USD
North Carolina 74,200 USD
North Dakota 67,900 USD
Ohio 79,600 USD
Oklahoma 73,500 USD
Oregon 71,600 USD
Pennsylvania 78,500 USD
Rhode Island 68,400 USD
South Carolina 74,700 USD
South Dakota 67,400 USD
Tennessee 74,700 USD
Texas 78,500 USD
Utah 74,000 USD
Vermont 66,100 USD
Virginia 81,200 USD
Washington 75,800 USD
West Virginia 68,900 USD
Wisconsin 80,800 USD
Wyoming 67,800 USD

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