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Salary Survey: Freelance Data
Below are mediabistro.com's Freelancer Salary Survey results, which reports on freelancers' 2004 taxable income by Region, Metropolitan Area, Expertise, Industry, Client Type, Years of Experience and Annual Earnings.
| Salaries By Category | 25th Percentile (25% Earn Less) |
50th Percentile (50% Earn Less) |
75th Percentile (75% Earn Less) |
Number Responding |
| TOTAL | $17,400 |
$35,000 |
$60,000 |
3179 |
Region |
||||
| Northeast | $20,000 |
$40,000 |
$65,000 |
1613 |
| West | $18,000 |
$39,000 |
$60,000 |
673 |
| South | $10,000 |
$28,000 |
$50,000 |
457 |
| Midwest | $10,000 |
$30,000 |
$55,000 |
241 |
Metro Area |
||||
| New York-Newark-Edison, NY-NJ-PA | $24,000 |
$40,000 |
$65,000 |
1293 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Santa Ana, CA | $20,000 |
$40,000 |
$70,000 |
286 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $30,000 |
$40,000 |
$65,000 |
124 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | $20,000 |
$38,000 |
$53,760 |
123 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Joliet, IL-IN-WI | $15,000 |
$35,000 |
$55,000 |
111 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Quincy, MA-NH | $10,000 |
$30,000 |
$49,000 |
89 |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD | $14,000 |
$35,000 |
$70,000 |
73 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | $16,000 |
$40,000 |
$54,000 |
55 |
| Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Marietta, GA | $5,000 |
$22,000 |
$34,000 |
43 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | $15,000 |
$35,000 |
$55,000 |
39 |
| Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, CT | $13,000 |
$42,000 |
$52,000 |
30 |
| Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Miami Beach, FL | $22,000 |
$30,000 |
$70,000 |
29 |
| Baltimore-Towson, MD | $5,500 |
$28,000 |
$50,000 |
26 |
| San Diego-Carlsbad-San Marcos, CA | $5,000 |
$25,000 |
$50,000 |
21 |
| Houston-Baytown-Sugar Land, TX | $9,500 |
$20,000 |
$34,000 |
20 |
| Denver-Aurora, CO | $18,000 |
$35,000 |
$56,000 |
18 |
| Portland-Vancouver-Beaverton, OR-WA | $10,000 |
$20,000 |
$24,000 |
16 |
| Detroit-Warren-Livonia, MI | $9,000 |
$43,000 |
$60,000 |
15 |
| Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ | $10,000 |
$50,000 |
$76,000 |
15 |
| Orlando, FL | $20,000 |
$35,000 |
$60,000 |
13 |
| New Haven-Milford, CT | $10,400 |
$25,000 |
$42,000 |
12 |
| New Orleans-Metairie-Kenner, LA | $2,000 |
$8,000 |
$22,000 |
11 |
| Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro, TN | $2,600 |
$13,000 |
$20,100 |
11 |
| Las Vegas-Paradise, NV | $5,000 |
$25,000 |
$72,000 |
11 |
| Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL | $5,000 |
$25,000 |
$33,000 |
11 |
| Austin-Round Rock, TX | $12,000 |
$25,000 |
$36,000 |
11 |
| Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI | $400 |
$10,000 |
$45,000 |
10 |
| Madison, WI | $2,400 |
$20,500 |
$50,000 |
10 |
| Boulder, CO | $6,000 |
$30,000 |
$55,000 |
10 |
Expertise |
||||
| Account Manager | $30,000 |
$50,000 |
$80,000 |
66 |
| Art Director | $40,000 |
$70,000 |
$90,000 |
78 |
| Book Author | $20,000 |
$40,000 |
$60,000 |
73 |
| Cameraperson | $4,000 |
$26,000 |
$75,000 |
13 |
| Content Editor (online) | $25,000 |
$45,000 |
$50,000 |
27 |
| Coordinator (production) | $27,000 |
$40,000 |
$60,000 |
29 |
| Coordinator (PR/marketing) | $12,000 |
$30,000 |
$43,000 |
21 |
| Copy Editor | $15,000 |
$26,000 |
$40,000 |
143 |
| Copywriter | $22,000 |
$40,000 |
$75,000 |
123 |
| Designer | $25,000 |
$40,000 |
$65,000 |
39 |
| Director | $25,000 |
$70,000 |
$95,000 |
27 |
| Editor | $25,000 |
$40,000 |
$61,000 |
176 |
| Editor (photo, picture) | $30,000 |
$40,000 |
$64,000 |
32 |
| Editor (video, film) | $32,000 |
$60,000 |
$78,000 |
39 |
| Fact-Checker | $15,000 |
$35,000 |
$41,000 |
26 |
| Graphic Designer | $25,000 |
$40,000 |
$55,000 |
133 |
| Illustrator | $25,000 |
$35,000 |
$85,000 |
12 |
| Photographer | $15,000 |
$27,000 |
$45,000 |
75 |
| Producer (new media) | $50,000 |
$72,000 |
$110,000 |
26 |
| Producer (television) | $35,000 |
$50,000 |
$78,000 |
206 |
| Production (print) | $27,000 |
$50,000 |
$72,000 |
29 |
| Promotions | $25,000 |
$40,000 |
$65,000 |
57 |
| Publisher | $40,000 |
$56,000 |
$105,000 |
10 |
| Reporter | $11,660 |
$25,000 |
$45,000 |
236 |
| Researcher | $7,200 |
$10,000 |
$39,000 |
17 |
| Sales Person | $12,000 |
$38,000 |
$48,000 |
10 |
| Technical Writer | $20,000 |
$40,000 |
$78,000 |
53 |
| Web Designer | $13,000 |
$35,000 |
$62,000 |
43 |
| Web Developer | $8,000 |
$50,000 |
$60,000 |
15 |
| Writer | $10,000 |
$30,000 |
$50,000 |
1032 |
| Other | $20,000 |
$40,000 |
$70,000 |
275 |
Industry |
||||
| Advertising: agency | $33,000 |
$50,000 |
$72,000 |
131 |
| Advertising: client side | $20,000 |
$40,000 |
$85,000 |
34 |
| Advertising - other | $25,000 |
$40,000 |
$60,000 |
47 |
| Association publication | $18,000 |
$35,000 |
$50,000 |
22 |
| Book publishing: consumer | $16,000 |
$35,000 |
$60,000 |
146 |
| Book publishing: trade/B2B | $20,000 |
$36,000 |
$55,000 |
74 |
| Book publishing - other | $15,000 |
$35,000 |
$48,000 |
79 |
| Cable: entertainment (national) | $40,000 |
$60,000 |
$80,000 |
73 |
| Cable: news (national) | $30,000 |
$45,000 |
$65,000 |
19 |
| Film: documentary | $15,000 |
$40,000 |
$50,000 |
23 |
| Film: independent | $10,000 |
$30,000 |
$48,000 |
33 |
| Film: mainstream | $10,000 |
$35,000 |
$70,000 |
26 |
| Magazine: large consumer/national | $25,000 |
$40,000 |
$60,000 |
575 |
| Magazine: local/regional | $5,100 |
$20,000 |
$30,000 |
194 |
| Magazine: trade magazines/B2B pub. | $20,000 |
$35,000 |
$55,000 |
206 |
| Marketing (firm): Fortune 1000 clients | $7,000 |
$37,000 |
$75,000 |
18 |
| Marketing (firm): small/mid-sized clients | $25,000 |
$38,000 |
$95,000 |
25 |
| Marketing (in-house): Fortune 1000 | $31,000 |
$66,000 |
$80,000 |
23 |
| Marketing (in-house): small/mid-sized | $15,000 |
$30,000 |
$48,000 |
29 |
| Newsletter: consumer | $5,000 |
$30,000 |
$60,000 |
12 |
| Newsletter: trade | $9,000 |
$30,000 |
$36,000 |
28 |
| Newspaper: community | $2,000 |
$10,000 |
$20,000 |
30 |
| Newspaper: local/regional | $3,000 |
$13,000 |
$25,000 |
173 |
| Newspaper: national | $12,500 |
$35,000 |
$50,000 |
89 |
| Print - other | $18,000 |
$35,000 |
$55,000 |
103 |
| Online/new media | $15,000 |
$35,000 |
$56,000 |
219 |
| PR (firm): Fortune 1000 clients | $36,000 |
$75,000 |
$83,000 |
11 |
| PR (firm): small/mid-sized clients | $30,000 |
$45,000 |
$65,000 |
31 |
| PR (in-house): small/mid-sized | $15,000 |
$35,000 |
$50,000 |
16 |
| Pr/marketing - other | $30,000 |
$50,000 |
$75,000 |
94 |
| Professional journal | $10,000 |
$30,000 |
$51,000 |
24 |
| Radio: entertainment (national) | $1,200 |
$15,000 |
$18,000 |
11 |
| TV: entertainment (local) | $12,000 |
$30,000 |
$32,000 |
11 |
| TV: entertainment (national) | $30,000 |
$50,000 |
$75,000 |
134 |
| TV: news (local) | $15,000 |
$32,000 |
$55,000 |
23 |
| TV: news (national) | $38,000 |
$65,000 |
$83,000 |
45 |
| Broadcasting - other | $20,000 |
$35,000 |
$50,000 |
34 |
| Wire Service | $12,000 |
$27,000 |
$42,000 |
15 |
| Other | $16,000 |
$40,000 |
$70,000 |
245 |
Client Type |
||||
| Local/Regional | $10,000 |
$24,500 |
$40,000 |
982 |
| National | $25,000 |
$40,000 |
$65,000 |
1742 |
| International | $25,000 |
$45,000 |
$70,000 |
454 |
Years of Experience |
||||
| Entry Level | $1,000 |
$10,000 |
$25,000 |
136 |
| 1-2 Years | $5,000 |
$18,000 |
$33,000 |
269 |
| 3-5 Years | $15,000 |
$30,000 |
$47,000 |
618 |
| 6-10 Years | $20,000 |
$40,000 |
$60,000 |
874 |
| 11-15 Years | $25,000 |
$50,000 |
$75,000 |
526 |
| 15+ Years | $25,000 |
$48,000 |
$75,000 |
965 |
Annual Earnings |
||||
| 2003 Earnings | $10,000 |
$30,000 |
$52,000 |
3179 |
| 2004 Earnings | $17,400 |
$35,000 |
$60,000 |
3179 |
| 2005 Earnings (projected), compared to 2004: | ||||
More than 2004 |
2045 |
|||
Less than 2004 |
235 |
|||
Same as 2004 |
899 |
|||
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