Editors Salary
In Trenton-Princeton, NJ, editors earn $86,870 at the median, or about $41.77 an hour. The range runs from $57K at the entry level to $132K for experienced workers. Adjusted for local prices (RPP 103.18), that's roughly $84,193 in purchasing power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $1,950/month, about 35.7% of take-home, which is tight.
Where the paycheck goes
What $87K actually covers in Trenton-Princeton, month by month
Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by Trenton-Princeton’s Regional Price Parity (103.18). 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 Trenton-Princeton
Trenton-Princeton sits well above the national pay line for editors, local pay runs about 11% higher than the U.S. median of $78K. The catch: housing math doesn't keep up. A 2-bedroom at the HUD median rents for $1,950/month, which is 35.4% of the median worker's take-home, past the 30% guideline most planners use. Cost of living (RPP 103.18) is near the national average, so spending patterns here track the typical American budget fairly closely. The pay premium is real, but so are the offsets.
Compared to nearby metros
Median pay for editors in metros near Trenton-Princeton, adjusted for local cost of living.
| Metro | Median pay | COL-adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| Atlantic City-Hammonton | $73K | $74K |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City | $102K | $91K |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington | $75K | $73K |
| Pittsburgh | $63K | $66K |
COL-adjusted = median salary ÷ (BEA Regional Price Parity ÷ 100). Expresses purchasing power in national-average dollars.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Trenton-Princeton, NJ
Entry-level editors (10th percentile) start around $57K. Mid-career wages sit at $87K. Top earners bring in $132K or more, a $74K 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 annually. We'll email you when Trenton-Princeton numbers change.
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Quick answers
The stuff people actually ask about this job
Can a editor afford a 2BR apartment alone in Trenton-Princeton?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $87K, rent takes 35.4% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,950/month. The 30% guideline puts the comfortable ceiling at roughly $1,700/month in rent — so roommates or a 1-bedroom would ease the math significantly.
What’s the entry-level salary for editors in Trenton-Princeton?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new editors typically earn — is $57K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $3,869/month. At HUD’s $1,950/month FMR, rent would take 50% 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 Trenton-Princeton?
Local pay is 11% above the national median — $87K here vs. $78K nationally.
How does Trenton-Princeton compare to the national average for editors?
Trenton-Princeton pays $87K median vs. the U.S. average of $78K — that’s +11%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 103.18), the purchasing-power equivalent is $84K — still ahead of the national median.
How much do editors make in Trenton-Princeton, NJ?
The median is $86,870 a year, that works out to about $42 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $57,330, and experienced editors can clear $131,680. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $87K enough to live in Trenton-Princeton?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $5,508/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,950/month, which eats 35.4% 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 Trenton-Princeton?
Trenton-Princeton has a Regional Price Parity of 103.18 (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 $84,193 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.