Your Guide to Industry Salaries

Those executives in custom/special interest and university press publishing report the lowest average compensation ($77,300 and $78,500, respectively).

Which Regions of the Country Pay the Highest Salaries?
The Northeast ranks above all other regions of the country with an average total compensation of $93,700. The South came in as the second-highest-paying region (with an average total compensation of $81,500), beating out the West, which dropped to the lowest-paying region this year, with an average of $74,200 in total compensation.

Which Jobs Pay the Big Bucks?
The average total compensation among respondents who indicated their position is president, CEO, COO or CFO was $120,300—not surprisingly, the highest of all positions surveyed. Lowest on the pay scale are editorial staff ($48,100 average compensation), creative/art director ($52,700), marketing management ($63,800) and editorial management ($81,200).

The charts below will give you an idea where your salary falls compared to your peers’.

For each job position, average total compensation is listed, as well as the percentage of each group that is earning below a certain amount. For example, in the first chart, 25 percent of executives in the president, CEO, COO or CFO position reported earning below $66,300; 50 percent of respondents’ salaries fall below $102,000; and 75 percent are below $147,500. The 50-percent figure represents the value that lies at the middle of all respondents, so exactly half of respondents are above that figure and half fall below it; this number represents what a “typical” person in that position makes.

(Certain positions, including those in digital media and rights management, are not provided due to insufficient survey response for a legitimate estimate for those positions.)