Proofreaders and Copy Markers: salary, outlook & degrees
Read transcript or proof type setup to detect and mark for correction any grammatical, typographical, or compositional errors. Excludes workers whose primary duty is editing copy. Includes proofreaders of braille.
Middle half $41,170–$62,390. 4,580 jobs.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025
86% hold a bachelor's or higher.
Census ACS 2020-2024 microdata, workers with at least a high school diploma; EducationGuide calculation
About 1,100 openings a year, including replacements.
BLS Employment Projections 2025-35
Considerable preparation (usually a bachelor's).
BLS; O*NET 31.0 job zone
Degrees that lead to this career
What workers ages 25-34 in this job studied, among those with a bachelor's or higher. This is what people actually did, not a requirement.
| Field of bachelor's degree | Share | Degree pages |
|---|---|---|
| English Language And Literature | 23% | English |
| Psychology | 11% | Psychology |
| Communications | 6% | Communications · Communication, Journalism, and Related Programs, Other |
| Music | 6% | Music |
| Composition And Rhetoric | 5% | Writing |
| Journalism | 5% | Journalism |
| Business Management And Administration | 4% | Business Administration |
| Computer Science | 3% | Computer Science |
| Film Video And Photographic Arts | 3% | Film and Photography |
| Communication Technologies | 3% | Graphic Communications |
Census ACS 2020-2024 microdata (ages 25-34, employed, bachelor's or higher; top 10 fields); EducationGuide calculation.
Education workers say the job requires
O*NET 31.0 survey of workers (“required level of education”); small samples, so treat shares as approximate.
Pay by state and metro
| State | Median wage |
|---|---|
| District of Columbia | $68,120 |
| New York | $59,740 |
| California | $57,490 |
| Massachusetts | $57,160 |
| New Jersey | $56,700 |
| Ohio | $55,560 |
| Maryland | $53,920 |
| Washington | $53,890 |
| Missouri | $52,920 |
| Kansas | $51,160 |
| Illinois | $50,060 |
| Minnesota | $49,450 |
| Georgia | $49,200 |
| Virginia | $48,090 |
| Pennsylvania | $47,510 |
| Kentucky | $46,380 |
| North Carolina | $46,140 |
| Iowa | $44,680 |
| Wisconsin | $43,630 |
| South Carolina | $42,900 |
| Utah | $42,840 |
| Texas | $41,990 |
| Indiana | $40,920 |
| West Virginia | $36,730 |
| Florida | $35,610 |
| Michigan | $35,530 |
Florida metro areas
- Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach$52,440
- Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater$35,240
Virginia metro areas
- Washington-Arlington-Alexandria$55,360
California metro areas
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim$66,620
- San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont$49,920
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025: median annual wage, all workers in the job. Metro areas: the largest by employment.
What the work takes
Top skills
- Reading Comprehension
- Writing
- Speaking
- Active Listening
- Critical Thinking
Knowledge used
- English Language
- Communications and Media
- Computers and Electronics
- Administrative
- Administration and Management
Work styles
- Attention to Detail
- Dependability
- Cautiousness
- Perseverance
- Achievement Orientation
People in this job tend to have Conventional (organizing), Artistic (creative) interests.
O*NET 31.0 (U.S. Department of Labor, CC BY 4.0): skills and knowledge by importance; work styles; interest high points.
Proofreaders and Copy Markers: questions
How much do proofreaders and Copy Markers make?
Proofreaders and Copy Markers earn a U.S. median $51,120 a year; the middle half earn $41,170 to $62,390 (BLS, May 2025). Workers ages 25-34 in this job earn a median $40,610 (Census ACS 2020-2024).
Is proofreaders and Copy Markers a growing field?
BLS projects a decline of 0.9% from 2025 to 2035, with about 1,100 openings a year, including replacements.
What degree do you need to be a proofreaders and Copy Marker?
BLS lists the typical entry education as bachelor's degree. In O*NET's survey, 47% of workers say a bachelor's or higher is required. Among workers ages 25-34 with a bachelor's, the most common field of degree is english Language And Literature (23%).
How much do proofreaders and Copy Markers make in Florida?
The median in Florida is $35,610 a year (BLS, May 2025), compared with $51,120 nationally.
Sources: Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35); O*NET 31.0 (U.S. Department of Labor, CC BY 4.0); U.S. Census Bureau ACS microdata. SOC 43-9081. Method
Data: JSON · Markdown · all careers
Cite this: “Proofreaders and Copy Markers: salary, outlook and degrees,” EducationGuide.com, https://educationguide.com/careers/proofreaders-and-copy-markers.