Editors Salary
In Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater, WA, editors earn $68,830 at the median, or about $33.09 an hour. The range runs from $48K at the entry level to $113K for experienced workers. Adjusted for local prices (RPP 103.67), that's roughly $66,393 in purchasing power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $1,960/month, about 41% of take-home, which is tight.
So what does $69K get you in Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater?
Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater’s Regional Price Parity (103.67). Rent from HUD Fair Market Rents. Taxes estimated for single filer, standard deduction. * Healthcare is the employee-paid share only (premiums + out-of-pocket). Actual costs vary by coverage type: employer-sponsored, ACA marketplace, or uninsured.
About editors
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What this looks like in Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater
Pay for editors in Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater runs about 12% below the U.S. median of $78K. The catch: housing math doesn't keep up. A 2-bedroom at the HUD median rents for $1,960/month, which is 41.4% of the median worker's take-home, past the 30% guideline most planners use. Cost of living (RPP 103.67) is near the national average, so spending patterns here track the typical American budget fairly closely. That combination, below-market pay with high housing costs, makes this a financially demanding market for editorss.
Compared to nearby metros
Median pay for editors in metros near Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater, adjusted for local cost of living.
| Metro | Median pay | COL-adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue | $80K | $72K |
| Spokane-Spokane Valley | $68K | $68K |
| Bremerton-Silverdale-Port Orchard | $73K | $70K |
| Bellingham | $62K | $60K |
COL-adjusted = median salary ÷ (BEA Regional Price Parity ÷ 100). Expresses purchasing power in national-average dollars.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater, WA
Entry-level editors (10th percentile) start around $48K. Mid-career wages sit at $69K. Top earners bring in $113K or more, a $64K spread from bottom to top.
Editors pay across states
Median income ranked highest to lowest, compared to the national figure
View Editors salary in all states
| State | Median salary | vs. national | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York | $101K | +30% | 16,800 |
| California | $98K | +26% | 14,830 |
| Connecticut | $86K | +10% | 1,050 |
| District of Columbia | $84K | +8% | 3,310 |
| Massachusetts | $83K | +7% | 3,100 |
| New Jersey | $82K | +5% | 2,120 |
| Virginia | $81K | +3% | 2,720 |
| Rhode Island | $78K | +0% | 340 |
| Colorado | $78K | -0% | 1,830 |
| Washington | $78K | -0% | 1,860 |
| Georgia | $77K | -2% | 1,920 |
| Illinois | $76K | -2% | 4,560 |
| Maryland | $76K | -3% | 1,850 |
| Delaware | $75K | -4% | 170 |
| Florida | $74K | -5% | 3,790 |
| North Carolina | $74K | -5% | 1,870 |
| Nevada | $73K | -7% | N/A |
| Ohio | $72K | -7% | 1,800 |
| Oregon | $72K | -8% | 1,110 |
| Vermont | $67K | -14% | 240 |
| New Hampshire | $67K | -15% | 250 |
| Utah | $65K | -17% | 590 |
| Wisconsin | $64K | -18% | 1,510 |
| New Mexico | $64K | -18% | 230 |
| Alaska | $64K | -18% | 60 |
| Pennsylvania | $63K | -19% | 3,240 |
| Alabama | $63K | -19% | 530 |
| Arizona | $63K | -19% | 820 |
| Michigan | $63K | -19% | 1,690 |
| Minnesota | $63K | -20% | 1,970 |
| South Carolina | $62K | -20% | 500 |
| Kansas | $62K | -21% | 500 |
| Montana | $62K | -21% | 200 |
| Missouri | $62K | -21% | 880 |
| North Dakota | $61K | -22% | 200 |
| Tennessee | $60K | -24% | 1,390 |
| Kentucky | $59K | -24% | 490 |
| Louisiana | $59K | -24% | 330 |
| Iowa | $57K | -27% | 900 |
| South Dakota | $57K | -27% | 140 |
| West Virginia | $57K | -27% | 260 |
| Indiana | $56K | -28% | 830 |
| Hawaii | $55K | -29% | 100 |
| Mississippi | $54K | -30% | 290 |
| Oklahoma | $51K | -35% | 500 |
| Arkansas | $50K | -36% | 260 |
| Maine | $50K | -36% | 300 |
| Wyoming | $47K | -40% | 110 |
| Nebraska | $46K | -41% | 360 |
| Texas | $46K | -41% | 6,460 |
Showing 1–10 of 50 states with published data
BLS does not publish data for every state when sample sizes are too small
Track editors salary changes
BLS updates this data quarterly. We'll email you when Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater numbers change.
Related careers in Arts & Media
Frequently asked questions
Can a editor afford a 2BR apartment alone in Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $69K, rent takes 41.4% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,960/month. The 30% guideline puts the comfortable ceiling at roughly $1,400/month in rent — so roommates or a 1-bedroom would ease the math significantly.
What’s the entry-level salary for editors in Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new editors typically earn — is $48K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $2,907/month. At HUD’s $1,960/month FMR, rent would take 67% of that take-home — above the 30% guideline, so a 1-bedroom or shared housing is likely necessary starting out.
Is editor a high-paying job in Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater?
Local pay runs 12% below the national median — $69K here vs. $78K nationally.
How does Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater compare to the national average for editors?
Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater pays $69K median vs. the U.S. average of $78K — that’s -12%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 103.67), the purchasing-power equivalent is $66K — below the national median.
How much do editors make in Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater, WA?
The median is $68,830 a year, that works out to about $33 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $48,450, and experienced editors can clear $112,900. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $69K enough to live in Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $4,734/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,960/month, which eats 41.4% of your paycheck. That's above the 30% rule of thumb, housing will be a stretch at the median salary, though you can manage with roommates or a smaller place.
How far does a editors salary go in Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater?
Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater has a Regional Price Parity of 103.67 (100 is the national average). Prices are above average here, so your dollar buys less than the same salary would in a cheaper metro. After cost-of-living adjustment, the median editors salary is worth about $66,393 in national-average purchasing power.
Where do editors get paid the most?
The table above ranks every state by median pay for this role. Keep in mind that the highest-paying states tend to have the highest costs of living, so the top salary doesn't always mean the most money in your pocket.