Average Publishing Specialist Salary in Washington D.C., United States for 2025

In this article, we will look at the average Publishing Specialist salary for 2025 in Washington D.C. 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 Publishing Specialist Make in Washington D.C.?

A Publishing Specialist working in Washington D.C. will typically earn around 109,000 USD per year, and this can range from the lowest average salary of about 55,300 USD to the highest average salary of 163,500 USD.

Average Annual Salary109,000 USD
Average Monthly Salary9,083 USD
Average Lowest Salary55,300 USD
Lowest Monthly Salary4,608 USD
Average Highest Salary163,500 USD
Highest Monthly Salary13,625 USD

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

Publishing Specialist 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 Publishing Specialist Salaries in Washington D.C.

So we've looked at the average salaries a Publishing Specialist will earn in Washington D.C.. The next interesting data point is the distribution of salaries.

Salary ranges

We already know that a Publishing Specialist can earn between 55,300 USD and 163,500 USD on average in Washington D.C.. 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 Publishing Specialist in Washington D.C. is 100,700 USD. This is the middle value in the distribution of salaries.

What this means is that approximately 50% of the population earn less than 100,700 USD, and 50% of the population earn more than 100,700 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 Publishing Specialist salary in Washington D.C., 25% of the population are earning less than 70,700 USD while 75% of the population earn more than 70,700 USD.

75% of the population earn less than 123,800 USD, and 25% of the population earn more than 123,800 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.

Publishing Specialist Salary by Experience Level in Washington D.C.

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 Publishing Specialist 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 Publishing Specialist in Washington D.C. that has less than two years of experience can expect to earn somewhere in the region of 64,400 USD.
  • 2 - 5 Years Experience. With two to five years of experience the average Publishing Specialist salary would increase to 81,000 USD.
  • 5 - 10 Years Experience. From five to ten years of experience as a Publishing Specialist, the average salary would be 114,900 USD.
  • 10 - 15 Years Experience. Once you have more than ten years of experience the average salary reaches around 134,100 USD.
  • 15 - 20 Years Experience. A Publishing Specialist with 15 to 20 years of experience can earn an average of 148,300 USD.
  • 20+ Years Experience. For a Publishing Specialist with more than 20 years, the expected average salary increases to 157,600 USD.

Average Salary by Experience Chart

0-2 Years-
64,400 USD
2-5 Years+23%
81,000 USD
5-10 Years+42%
114,900 USD
10-15 Years+17%
134,100 USD
15-20 Years+10%
148,300 USD
20+ Years+6%
157,600 USD

Publishing Specialist Salary by Education Level in Washington D.C.

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 Publishing Specialist in Washington D.C. 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 Publishing Specialist in Washington D.C. with a high school education can earn an average salary of 80,800 USD.
  • Certificate or Diploma. A Publishing Specialist in Washington D.C. with a certificate or diploma education can earn an average salary of 89,400 USD.
  • Bachelor's Degree. A Publishing Specialist in Washington D.C. with a bachelor's degree education can earn an average salary of 117,100 USD.
  • Master's Degree. A Publishing Specialist in Washington D.C. with a master's degree education can earn an average salary of 157,600 USD.

Average Salary by Education Chart

High School-
80,800 USD
Certificate or Diploma+13%
89,400 USD
Bachelor's Degree+31%
117,100 USD
Master's Degree+32%
157,600 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.

Publishing Specialist 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 Washington D.C., a male publishing specialist will earn an average of 107,300 USD, while a female publishing specialist will earn around 103,600 USD.

This means that a male publishing specialist earns approximately 4% more than a female publishing specialist for performing the same job.

Average Salary by Gender Chart in Washington D.C.

Male-
107,300 USD
Female-4%
103,600 USD

Publishing Specialist Average Pay Raise in Washington D.C.

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 Publishing Specialist in Washington D.C. is around 11% every 18 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 = ( 11 ÷ 18 ) × 12  = 7%

What this means is that a Publishing Specialist in Washington D.C. can expect to receive an average pay raise of around 7% every 12 months.

Annual Pay Raise by Industry in Washington D.C. for 2025

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%

Publishing Specialist Bonus and Incentive Rates in Washington D.C.

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 Publishing Specialist is a low bonus based job, with 34% of employees reporting at least one bonus in the last 12 months.

66% 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 4%.

Received Bonus-
34%
No Bonus-
66%

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 Publishing Specialist

In the table below, we have salary information for jobs that are similar to a Publishing Specialist in Washington D.C..

Job TitleCategorySalary
Advertising CopywriterPublishing and Printing90,300 USD
Art DirectorPublishing and Printing92,500 USD
Art SupervisorPublishing and Printing83,000 USD
ArtistPublishing and Printing95,100 USD
Assistant EditorPublishing and Printing71,700 USD
Associate Content Management SpecialistPublishing and Printing93,200 USD
Associate EditorPublishing and Printing74,100 USD
Binder and FinisherPublishing and Printing41,100 USD
Bindery SupervisorPublishing and Printing55,500 USD
Circulations DirectorPublishing and Printing123,000 USD
Color MatcherPublishing and Printing46,700 USD
Color TechnicianPublishing and Printing44,700 USD
Commissioning EditorPublishing and Printing74,300 USD
Communications EditorPublishing and Printing76,800 USD
Content CopywriterPublishing and Printing83,800 USD
Content Management AssistantPublishing and Printing76,000 USD
Content PublisherPublishing and Printing71,900 USD
Content WriterPublishing and Printing87,900 USD
CopyWriterPublishing and Printing83,000 USD
Corporate Print Center SpecialistPublishing and Printing69,400 USD
CuratorPublishing and Printing71,900 USD
DTP OperatorPublishing and Printing70,600 USD
EditorPublishing and Printing81,900 USD
Electronic PublisherPublishing and Printing90,900 USD
Fashion SubeditorPublishing and Printing85,500 USD
Media Design ManagerPublishing and Printing139,100 USD
Media PlannerPublishing and Printing93,300 USD
PhotographerPublishing and Printing73,700 USD
Planning and Supply ManagerPublishing and Printing158,700 USD
Print Production CoordinatorPublishing and Printing78,900 USD
Print Production ManagerPublishing and Printing148,300 USD
Printing Press OperatorPublishing and Printing64,800 USD
Production EditorPublishing and Printing78,900 USD
ProofreaderPublishing and Printing74,000 USD
PublisherPublishing and Printing92,400 USD
Publishing and Printing CoordinatorPublishing and Printing67,600 USD
Publishing and Printing ManagerPublishing and Printing142,300 USD
Publishing and Printing SupervisorPublishing and Printing119,700 USD
ReporterPublishing and Printing105,200 USD
Technical WriterPublishing and Printing83,800 USD
Technical Writing ManagerPublishing and Printing123,000 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.

CityAverage Salary
Atlanta92,900 USD
Austin111,700 USD
Baltimore98,000 USD
Boston105,800 USD
Bristol80,000 USD
Chicago121,800 USD
Cincinnati83,900 USD
Cleveland83,100 USD
Dallas109,000 USD
Denver102,700 USD
Detroit103,600 USD
Honolulu83,300 USD
Houston114,600 USD
Indianapolis109,000 USD
Iowa City78,700 USD
Jacksonville107,700 USD
Kansas City92,100 USD
Kent84,800 USD
Las Vegas103,600 USD
Long Beach97,400 USD
Los Angeles114,900 USD
Memphis105,200 USD
Miami94,300 USD
Minneapolis88,300 USD
New Orleans92,100 USD
New York121,800 USD
Oakland90,600 USD
Oklahoma City99,600 USD
Orlando83,800 USD
Philadelphia119,700 USD
Phoenix116,400 USD
Sacramento97,600 USD
San Antonio114,300 USD
San Diego114,600 USD
San Francisco109,000 USD
San Jose105,800 USD
Seattle105,800 USD
Tampa87,000 USD
Vancouver88,600 USD

Salary Comparison by State

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

StateAverage Salary
Alabama99,900 USD
Alaska91,700 USD
Arizona102,700 USD
Arkansas97,900 USD
California109,000 USD
Colorado103,600 USD
Connecticut92,600 USD
Delaware92,900 USD
District of Columbia84,800 USD
Florida111,700 USD
Georgia116,400 USD
Hawaii92,900 USD
Idaho96,800 USD
Illinois109,700 USD
Indiana108,200 USD
Iowa94,300 USD
Kansas100,700 USD
Kentucky100,400 USD
Louisiana105,200 USD
Maine92,300 USD
Maryland107,700 USD
Massachusetts103,600 USD
Michigan111,700 USD
Minnesota101,400 USD
Mississippi97,300 USD
Missouri99,700 USD
Montana94,300 USD
Nebraska91,200 USD
Nevada96,800 USD
New Hampshire90,600 USD
New Jersey109,000 USD
New Mexico92,400 USD
New York112,700 USD
North Carolina102,700 USD
North Dakota90,000 USD
Ohio116,400 USD
Oklahoma97,300 USD
Oregon105,200 USD
Pennsylvania109,700 USD
Rhode Island92,600 USD
South Carolina99,700 USD
South Dakota92,200 USD
Tennessee105,200 USD
Texas114,300 USD
Utah93,800 USD
Vermont91,200 USD
Virginia105,800 USD
Washington109,700 USD
West Virginia92,900 USD
Wisconsin105,800 USD
Wyoming83,000 USD

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