Journalism graduate employment statistics show two different parts of the pathway into media work. In the United Kingdom, 83.2% of media, journalism and communications graduates were in further study, sustained employment or both one year after graduation, rising to 84.0% five years after graduation. In the United States, the related news analysts, reporters and journalists occupation had 45,020 jobs in May 2023, with a projected 6% decline from 2025 to 2035. The measures cover different countries, populations, definitions and periods, so they should be read as complementary evidence rather than one combined employment rate.
Contents
- Graduate employment outcomes in the UK
- Journalism graduate earnings over time
- U.S. wage distribution for journalism-related work
- Where journalism-related workers are employed
- Geographic concentration of journalism jobs
- Employment outlook and entry-level context
Graduate employment outcomes in the UK
The UK graduate figures come from the Department for Education’s Graduate outcomes (LEO): Employment and earnings outcomes of higher education graduates by subject studied and graduate characteristics in 2017 to 2018. They describe UK-domiciled first-degree graduates from English providers who studied media, journalism and communications. The outcome measure combines further study, sustained employment, or both; it is not a measure of journalism-only jobs.
The one-year result was 83.2% for the 2015/16 cohort, measured one year after graduation in tax year 2017/18. For the 2013/14 cohort, 83.7% met the same outcome definition three years after graduation. The five-year result was 84.0% for the 2011/12 cohort, measured in tax year 2017/18. For the 2006/07 cohort, 83.1% met the measure ten years after graduation.
| Graduate cohort | Follow-up point | Further study, sustained employment, or both |
|---|---|---|
| 2015/16 | One year | 83.2% |
| 2013/14 | Three years | 83.7% |
| 2011/12 | Five years | 84.0% |
| 2006/07 | Ten years | 83.1% |
Source: Department for Education, Graduate outcomes (LEO), 2017 to 2018. The figures are reported outcomes for the named cohorts and measurement period; they do not independently verify later labor-market conditions.
These results give a stable-looking range of 83.1% to 84.0% across the four follow-up points, but the cohorts are different. The one-year figure belongs to graduates from 2015/16, while the ten-year figure belongs to graduates from 2006/07. The tax-year reference is 2017/18 for all four values, which matters when comparing the follow-up labels: the statistics are not a single cohort tracked through ten years.
The category is also broader than the keyword “journalism.” Media, journalism and communications graduates may enter journalism, media production, communications, public information, digital publishing or further education, but the supplied measure does not identify the individual destination of each graduate. Accordingly, the percentages are best used to describe broad post-graduation activity rather than the share becoming reporters or editors.
Journalism graduate earnings over time
The same Department for Education source reports median earnings for media, journalism and communications graduates. Median earnings were £16,800 one year after graduation for the 2015/16 cohort, £20,400 three years after graduation for the 2013/14 cohort, £23,700 five years after graduation for the 2011/12 cohort, and £27,700 ten years after graduation for the 2006/07 cohort. Each figure is tied to tax year 2017/18 and to its own graduation cohort.
| Follow-up point | Cohort | Median earnings |
|---|---|---|
| One year | 2015/16 | £16,800 |
| Three years | 2013/14 | £20,400 |
| Five years | 2011/12 | £23,700 |
| Ten years | 2006/07 | £27,700 |
Source: Department for Education, Graduate outcomes (LEO), 2017 to 2018.
The figures are medians, not starting-salary guarantees and not a journalism-only wage series. They also should not be interpreted as inflation-adjusted career earnings: the source reports different cohorts at the same tax-year reference, while the graduation years differ. The useful comparison is therefore the reported earnings level at each follow-up point, with the cohort and period kept visible.
For readers evaluating a journalism or media degree, this distinction is important. A graduate-outcome percentage answers a participation question—whether graduates were in further study or sustained employment, or both—while the median earnings statistic answers an income question for the broader subject group. Neither statistic says how many graduates held a newsroom role, worked freelance, or moved into a neighboring communications occupation.
U.S. wage distribution for journalism-related work
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics uses the occupation “news analysts, reporters and journalists” as a journalism-related benchmark. In May 2023, the occupation included 45,020 employed people. Its mean hourly wage was $48.76 and its mean annual wage was $101,430.
The annual wage distribution shows a wide spread. The 10th-percentile annual wage was $31,550, the 25th-percentile wage was $38,160, the median was $57,500, the 75th-percentile wage was $91,890, and the 90th-percentile wage was $160,360.
| May 2023 wage point | Annual wage |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $31,550 |
| 25th percentile | $38,160 |
| Median | $57,500 |
| 75th percentile | $91,890 |
| 90th percentile | $160,360 |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2023.
The mean of $101,430 is higher than the median of $57,500, while the upper-percentile values reach $91,890 and $160,360. This is a description of the reported distribution, not a prediction of what a journalism graduate will earn. The measure covers an occupation in the United States, whereas the UK earnings figures cover a broader subject group of graduates.
The more recent Occupational Outlook Handbook reports a median annual wage of $62,200 in May 2025. It also reports that the lowest 10% earned less than $36,240 and the highest 10% earned more than $144,140. Those 2025 thresholds belong to a different reference year and source presentation than the May 2023 wage percentiles, so they should not be blended into one percentile table.
Where journalism-related workers are employed
The May 2023 BLS occupation data identify several U.S. industries employing news analysts, reporters and journalists. Newspaper, periodical, book and directory publishers employed 17,310 people at a mean annual wage of $56,090. Media streaming distribution services, social networks and other media networks and content providers employed 12,910 at a mean annual wage of $112,060. Radio and television broadcasting stations employed 10,660 at a mean annual wage of $99,130.
The same table lists 1,350 workers in motion picture and video industries, without a supplied mean annual wage for that industry in the cited facts. Colleges, universities and professional schools employed 510 people at a mean annual wage of $61,010.
The industry counts and wages indicate that “journalism employment” is not one uniform workplace category. The largest supplied employment count is in publishing, while the supplied mean wage for media streaming, social networks and other media networks and content providers is higher than the supplied publishing and broadcasting means. These are industry-level occupation figures, not a ranking of individual employers or a guarantee that a graduate will enter any one sector.
The Occupational Outlook Handbook gives a separate 2025 distribution of jobs by work setting: newspaper publishers accounted for 28% of U.S. news analyst, reporter and journalist jobs; media streaming distribution services, social networks and other media networks and content providers accounted for 21%; television broadcasting stations accounted for 18%; self-employed workers accounted for 17%; and radio broadcasting stations accounted for 4%.
Source: BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, News Analysts, Reporters, and Journalists. These percentages are for 2025, while the detailed employment counts and industry mean wages above are for May 2023.
Geographic concentration of journalism jobs
In May 2023, New York had the largest state employment level among the supplied BLS figures, with 5,960 news analysts, reporters and journalists. California had 4,920 jobs, Florida had 3,100, Texas had 2,580, and the District of Columbia had 2,480.
The location quotient gives a different view from the job count. The District of Columbia had the highest state location quotient at 11.91. New York’s was 2.14, Montana’s was 2.13, Nebraska’s was 1.93, and South Dakota’s was 1.71. The location quotient measures concentration relative to the broader U.S. employment mix; it is not the number of jobs.
The supplied state mean wages also vary. The District of Columbia had the highest state annual mean wage at $138,590. California’s annual mean wage was $130,570, Connecticut’s was $94,620, Nevada’s was $84,670, and Georgia’s was $83,810. These wage figures and the job counts are all May 2023 measures.
The largest supplied metropolitan employment level was in New York-Newark-Jersey City, with 6,130 jobs. Washington-Arlington-Alexandria had 2,970; Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim had 2,220; San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward had 1,250; Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach had 1,210; Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue had 1,050; Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell had 1,030; Chicago-Naperville-Elgin had 910; Boston-Cambridge-Nashua had 700; and Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington had 640.
Employment outlook and entry-level context
The Occupational Outlook Handbook estimates that U.S. news analysts, reporters and journalists held about 47,100 jobs in 2025. It projects 44,300 jobs in 2035, a projected loss of 2,800 jobs and a 6% decline from 2025 to 2035. The same forecast projects about 3,400 openings per year on average from 2025 to 2035.
The 3,400 annual openings figure is an openings forecast, while the projected 2,800-job loss describes the change in total employment between 2025 and 2035. They are different measures and should not be treated as contradictory. The forecast is also explicitly U.S.-based and concerns the occupation “news analysts, reporters and journalists,” not all media or communications roles.
For pay context, the BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook reports a $62,200 median annual wage in May 2025. The lowest 10% earned less than $36,240 annually, and the highest 10% earned more than $144,140. The source facts supplied here do not include a separate quantified education requirement or a percentage of openings requiring a journalism degree, so no entry requirement rate is stated.
Taken together, the statistics support a careful reading of journalism employment. UK subject-level graduate outcomes show a broad post-study activity measure in the low-to-mid 80% range for the named cohorts. U.S. occupation data show substantial wage dispersion, concentration in particular industries and places, and a forecast decline in total jobs alongside thousands of projected annual openings. The figures are most useful when their geography, occupation or subject definition, measurement date and forecast status remain explicit.