Business journalists continue to earn an impressive premium over their general-news peers, while demographic data indicate a strong cohort of female business journalists is making its way up the ranks, according to the most recent salary survey conducted by The Reynolds Center for Business Journalism with SABEW’s collaboration.
Front-line business journalists – reporters, correspondents, and freelancers – who responded to the survey, conducted from April 15 to May 1, 2024, reported a median salary of $75,599. That’s $18,099 higher – or 31.5% more – than the median salary published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics for news analysts, reporters, and journalists in May 2023 – the most recent data available at the time of publishing.
“The findings from this latest salary survey reinforce the value and demand for skilled business journalists,” said Jim Nelson, president of the Society for Advancing Business Editing and Writing (SABEW). “Not only do they earn a significant premium over general news reporters, but they are also highly valued in leadership roles within their organizations. As the media landscape continues to evolve, businesses and audiences alike recognize the critical importance of in-depth financial and economic reporting.”
SABEW gave essential support to the Reynolds Center’s survey by distributing the survey among its members. The Reynolds Center is housed alongside SABEW, inside the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University.
Read the full survey results.
