Top 10
- News analysts, reporters and journalists held about 47,100 jobs in the United States in 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
- Editors outnumber reporters in the JournalistLabs count: 42.7% of 127,602 editorial profiles at 8,800 outlets carry an editor title and 36.1% a reporter title.
- BLS projects that employment of news analysts, reporters and journalists will fall 6% from 2025 to 2035, while it projects 3% growth for all occupations.
- Northwestern's Medill School counts nearly 42,000 journalists in the United States; 29% of them worked at newspapers in 2024, down from 71% of reporters in 2005.
- The BBC has 1.89 reporters per editor on file; The New York Times has 0.55.
- The U.S. newspaper industry had an estimated 78,800 jobs in December 2025, about 6,900 fewer than a year earlier, an 8% drop, based on preliminary BLS data.
- About 50 million Americans, one in seven, live with limited or no access to local news.
- CPJ recorded 129 journalists and media workers killed in 2025, the most in a year since it began collecting data more than three decades ago.
- 28% of Americans trust newspapers, TV and radio a great deal or a fair amount to report the news fully, accurately and fairly, the lowest share Gallup has recorded, down from 40% five years earlier.
- 19 of the 12,094 UK-based journalist profiles on file carry a job title that names the royals; 2 carry one that names cybersecurity.
How many journalists are there
- 1
News analysts, reporters and journalists held about 47,100 jobs in the United States in 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2026 [1]
- 2
Northwestern's Medill School counts nearly 42,000 journalists in the United States; 29% of them worked at newspapers in 2024, down from 71% of reporters in 2005.
Source: Medill School, Northwestern University, State of Local News 2025, 2025 [2]
- 3
39 U.S. states have fewer than 1,000 journalists left, according to Medill's 2025 State of Local News report.
Source: Medill School, Northwestern University, State of Local News 2025, 2025 [2]
- 4
Local TV news employed 26,458 full-time staff in the United States in 2025, down 2.2% from 2024 and the second yearly drop in a row.
Source: RTDNA/Newhouse School Survey, 2026, 2026 [3]
- 5
689 U.S. TV stations produced original local news in 2025, down from 695 the year before.
Source: RTDNA/Newhouse School Survey, 2026, 2026 [3]
- 6
The 2021 census counted 54,690 journalists in reporting and editing jobs in England and Wales: 30,060 editors and 24,630 journalists and reporters.
Source: ONS Census 2021, reported by Press Gazette, 2023 [4]
- 7
An estimated 52,400 journalists worked in the UK in 2025, based on the ONS Annual Population Survey; the figure excludes editors.
Source: ONS Annual Population Survey, reported by BuzzStream, 2026 [5]
Are journalism jobs growing or shrinking
- 8
BLS projects that employment of news analysts, reporters and journalists will fall 6% from 2025 to 2035, while it projects 3% growth for all occupations.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2026 [1]
- 9
BLS still projects about 3,400 openings a year for news analysts, reporters and journalists over the decade to 2035.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2026 [1]
- 10
U.S. newspapers employed 91,550 people across all jobs in 2024, 7% fewer than in 2023.
Source: Medill School, Northwestern University, State of Local News 2025, 2025 [2]
- 11
The U.S. newspaper industry had an estimated 78,800 jobs in December 2025, about 6,900 fewer than a year earlier, an 8% drop, based on preliminary BLS data.
Source: Chris Mooney, analysis of BLS newspaper-industry job counts, 2026 [6]
- 12
Press Gazette counted at least 3,444 journalism job cuts in the UK and US in 2025, 11% fewer than in 2024.
Source: Press Gazette, journalism job cuts 2025 tracked, 2026 [7]
- 13
Press Gazette counted at least 3,875 journalism job cuts in the UK and US in 2024 and about 6,000 in 2023.
Source: Press Gazette, journalism job cuts 2026 tracked, 2026 [8]
- 14
Nearly 15,000 U.S. media jobs were cut in 2024, according to Challenger, Gray & Christmas.
Source: Challenger, Gray & Christmas, reported by EMARKETER, 2025 [9]
- 15
43.7% of U.S. journalists said their newsroom had shrunk in the previous year, and 29.3% said it had grown (2022 survey).
Source: The American Journalist study, 2022, 2022 [10]
How much do journalists earn
- 16
The median annual wage for news analysts, reporters and journalists was $62,200 in May 2025; the median for all U.S. workers was $50,980.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2026 [1]
- 17
The lowest-paid 10% of news analysts, reporters and journalists earned less than $36,240 in May 2025, and the highest-paid 10% earned more than $144,140.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2026 [1]
- 18
The median salary of full-time U.S. journalists was $74,010 in 2021, and women earned $396 less than men.
Source: The American Journalist study, 2022, 2022 [10]
- 19
Business journalists who answered the Reynolds Center's 2026 salary survey reported a median salary of $92,500; editors and managers reported $109,375.
Source: Reynolds Center, business journalist salary survey 2026, 2026 [11]
- 20
Salary was the reason local newsroom employees cited most often for leaving a job (61.8%), ahead of work-life balance (50%) and burnout (38.2%).
Source: RTDNA/Newhouse School Survey, 2026, 2026 [3]
Who journalists are: age, gender, background, politics
- 21
Women made up 40.9% of U.S. journalists in 2022, up from 37.5% in 2013.
Source: The American Journalist study, 2022, 2022 [10]
- 22
The median age of U.S. journalists is 47, five years above the median age of the U.S. workforce (42).
Source: The American Journalist study, 2022, 2022 [10]
- 23
Minority journalists made up 18% of full-time U.S. journalists in 2022, up from 10.8% in 2013.
Source: The American Journalist study, 2022, 2022 [10]
- 24
Only 3.6% of full-time U.S. journalists do not have a bachelor's degree.
Source: The American Journalist study, 2022, 2022 [10]
- 25
3.4% of U.S. journalists said they were Republicans in 2022, down from 18% in 2002; about 36% said they were Democrats and most called themselves independents.
Source: The American Journalist study, 2022, 2022 [10]
- 26
39% of UK journalists were over 50 in 2023, up from 34% in 2015; their median age was 45.
Source: Reuters Institute, UK Journalists in the 2020s, 2024 [12]
- 27
Among UK journalists with up to five years in the job, 65% are women; among those with more than 30 years, 66% are men.
Source: Reuters Institute, UK Journalists in the 2020s, 2024 [12]
- 28
90% of UK journalists in the Reuters Institute's 2023 survey came from a White background.
Source: Reuters Institute, UK Journalists in the 2020s, 2024 [12]
What 127,602 journalist job titles show
- 29
Editors outnumber reporters in the JournalistLabs count: 42.7% of 127,602 editorial profiles at 8,800 outlets carry an editor title and 36.1% a reporter title.
- 30
Magazines on file have 4.54 editors per reporter; wire agencies have 0.65 and broadcasters 0.89.
- 31
The BBC has 1.89 reporters per editor on file; The New York Times has 0.55.
- 32
Sports is the beat most often named in journalist job titles: 6,533 of 127,602 profiles (5.1%). Only 24.9% of titles name any beat.
- 33
19 of the 12,094 UK-based journalist profiles on file carry a job title that names the royals; 2 carry one that names cybersecurity.
Source: JournalistLabs · count of September 15, 2026 · 12,094 UK-located editorial profiles
What journalists say about the job
- 34
77% of U.S. journalists say they would choose their career again.
Source: Pew Research Center, Journalists Sense Turmoil in Their Industry, 2022 [13]
- 35
42% of U.S. journalists said they had been harassed or threatened by someone outside their organisation in the past year; 58% of TV journalists said so.
Source: Pew Research Center, Journalists Sense Turmoil in Their Industry, 2022 [13]
- 36
57% of U.S. journalists are extremely or very concerned about press restrictions being imposed in the United States.
Source: Pew Research Center, Journalists Sense Turmoil in Their Industry, 2022 [13]
- 37
26% of U.S. reporting journalists say they have unknowingly reported a story that later turned out to contain false information.
Source: Pew Research Center, Journalists Sense Turmoil in Their Industry, 2022 [13]
- 38
60.1% of U.S. journalists said journalism was headed in the wrong direction in 2022; 22.2% said the right direction.
Source: The American Journalist study, 2022, 2022 [10]
- 39
38% of news editors, CEOs and digital executives surveyed by the Reuters Institute are confident about the prospects for journalism in 2026, 22 points lower than four years earlier.
Source: Reuters Institute, Journalism, Media and Technology Trends and Predictions 2026, 2026 [14]
- 40
News publishers expect traffic from search engines to fall by more than 40% over the next three years (a forecast).
Source: Reuters Institute, Journalism, Media and Technology Trends and Predictions 2026, 2026 [14]
How many local newspapers and news sources are left
- 41
212 U.S. counties had no local news source at all in 2025, up from 206 a year earlier.
Source: Medill School, Northwestern University, State of Local News 2025, 2025 [2]
- 42
Another 1,525 U.S. counties have one local news source left, usually a weekly newspaper.
Source: Medill School, Northwestern University, State of Local News 2025, 2025 [2]
- 43
About 50 million Americans, one in seven, live with limited or no access to local news.
Source: Medill School, Northwestern University, State of Local News 2025, 2025 [2]
- 44
Close to 3,500 U.S. newspapers have disappeared since 2005.
Source: Medill School, Northwestern University, State of Local News 2025, 2025 [2]
- 45
148 U.S. newspapers disappeared through closures or mergers in the year covered by the 2025 report, a little more than two a week.
Source: Medill School, Northwestern University, State of Local News 2025, 2025 [2]
- 46
Fewer than 1,000 daily print newspapers remain in the United States.
Source: Medill School, Northwestern University, State of Local News 2025, 2025 [2]
How many journalists are killed or jailed
- 47
CPJ recorded 129 journalists and media workers killed in 2025, the most in a year since it began collecting data more than three decades ago.
Source: Committee to Protect Journalists, 2025 killed report, 2026 [15]
- 48
104 of the 129 press members CPJ recorded as killed in 2025 died in conflicts.
Source: Committee to Protect Journalists, 2025 killed report, 2026 [15]
- 49
CPJ recorded 39 drone killings of press members in 2025, up from two in 2023, the first year it documented any.
Source: Committee to Protect Journalists, 2025 killed report, 2026 [15]
- 50
The IFJ counted 128 journalists and media workers killed in 2025, 10 of them women.
Source: International Federation of Journalists, 2025 Killed List, 2025 [16]
- 51
RSF counted 67 journalists killed and 503 detained worldwide in the 12 months to December 2025; China held the most (121).
Source: Reporters Without Borders, 2025 round-up, 2025 [17]
- 52
CPJ counted 330 journalists in prison worldwide at the end of 2025, the fifth year in a row above 300.
Source: Committee to Protect Journalists, 2025 prison census, 2026 [18]
- 53
85% of the journalist killings UNESCO has recorded since 2006 are unresolved.
Source: UNESCO, Director-General's report on the safety of journalists, 2024 [19]
Do people trust journalists and the news
- 54
28% of Americans trust newspapers, TV and radio a great deal or a fair amount to report the news fully, accurately and fairly, the lowest share Gallup has recorded, down from 40% five years earlier.
Source: Gallup, Trust in Media at New Low, 2025 [20]
- 55
56% of U.S. adults said in October 2025 that they have a lot of or some trust in information from national news organisations, 11 points lower than in March 2025.
Source: Pew Research Center, trust in national and local news (October 2025), 2025 [21]
- 56
70% of U.S. adults have at least some trust in information from local news organisations, down from 82% in 2016.
Source: Pew Research Center, trust in national and local news (October 2025), 2025 [21]
- 57
59% of Americans say journalists are extremely or very important to the well-being of society.
Source: Pew Research Center, How Americans View Journalists in the Digital Age, 2025 [22]
- 58
45% of Americans have a great deal or fair amount of confidence in journalists to act in the public's best interests.
Source: Pew Research Center, How Americans View Journalists in the Digital Age, 2025 [22]
- 59
58% of Americans describe most journalists as biased; 63% describe them as intelligent.
Source: Pew Research Center, How Americans View Journalists in the Digital Age, 2025 [22]
- 60
79% of Americans say someone who writes for a newspaper or news website is a journalist; 26% say the same of someone who posts about news on social media.
Source: Pew Research Center, How Americans View Journalists in the Digital Age, 2025 [22]
- 61
21% of U.S. adults regularly get news from news influencers on social media, including 38% of adults aged 18 to 29.
Source: Pew Research Center, News Influencers fact sheet, 2025 [23]
- 62
Overall trust in the news stood at 40% across 48 markets in 2025, unchanged for the third year in a row.
Source: Reuters Institute, Digital News Report 2025, 2025 [24]
- 63
40% of people across 48 markets sometimes or often avoid the news, up from 29% in 2017.
Source: Reuters Institute, Digital News Report 2025, 2025 [24]
- 64
18% of people in 20 richer countries pay for any online news; 20% pay in the United States.
Source: Reuters Institute, Digital News Report 2025, 2025 [24]
Frequently asked questions
How many journalists are there in the United States?
The Bureau of Labor Statistics counts about 47,100 jobs for news analysts, reporters and journalists in 2025. Northwestern's Medill School puts the number of journalists at nearly 42,000, with 29% of them at newspapers. Local TV news alone employed 26,458 full-time staff in 2025, according to the RTDNA/Newhouse survey.
Is the number of journalists going down?
Yes. BLS projects a 6% fall in employment of news analysts, reporters and journalists from 2025 to 2035, though it still expects about 3,400 openings a year. Newspaper industry jobs fell to an estimated 78,800 in December 2025, 8% fewer than a year earlier. Press Gazette counted at least 3,444 journalism job cuts in the UK and US in 2025.
How much do journalists make?
The median annual wage for news analysts, reporters and journalists was $62,200 in May 2025, according to BLS. The lowest-paid 10% earned less than $36,240 and the highest-paid 10% more than $144,140. Business journalists in the Reynolds Center's 2026 survey reported a median of $92,500.
How many journalists are there in the UK?
The 2021 census counted 54,690 journalists and editors in England and Wales. An estimate from the ONS Annual Population Survey puts the number of journalists, not counting editors, at about 52,400 in 2025.
How many journalists were killed in 2025?
The Committee to Protect Journalists recorded 129 journalists and media workers killed in 2025, its highest count. The IFJ counted 128. RSF counted 67 killed in the 12 months to December 2025. The three groups use different rules for which people and which deaths they count.
Do editors outnumber reporters?
In the JournalistLabs count they do: 42.7% of 127,602 editorial profiles carry an editor title and 36.1% a reporter title. The mix differs by outlet. The BBC has 1.89 reporters per editor on file and The New York Times 0.55.
Sources
- [1]U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook. 2026.↑1 ↑8 ↑9 ↑16 ↑17
- [2]Medill School, Northwestern University, State of Local News 2025. 2025.↑2 ↑3 ↑10 ↑41 ↑42 ↑43 ↑44 ↑45 ↑46
- [3]RTDNA/Newhouse School Survey, 2026. 2026.↑4 ↑5 ↑20
- [4]ONS Census 2021, reported by Press Gazette. 2023.↑6
- [5]ONS Annual Population Survey, reported by BuzzStream. 2026.↑7
- [6]Chris Mooney, analysis of BLS newspaper-industry job counts. 2026.↑11
- [7]Press Gazette, journalism job cuts 2025 tracked. 2026.↑12
- [8]Press Gazette, journalism job cuts 2026 tracked. 2026.↑13
- [9]Challenger, Gray & Christmas, reported by EMARKETER. 2025.↑14
- [10]The American Journalist study, 2022. 2022.↑15 ↑18 ↑21 ↑22 ↑23 ↑24 ↑25 ↑38
- [11]Reynolds Center, business journalist salary survey 2026. 2026.↑19
- [12]Reuters Institute, UK Journalists in the 2020s. 2024.↑26 ↑27 ↑28
- [13]Pew Research Center, Journalists Sense Turmoil in Their Industry. 2022.↑34 ↑35 ↑36 ↑37
- [14]Reuters Institute, Journalism, Media and Technology Trends and Predictions 2026. 2026.↑39 ↑40
- [15]Committee to Protect Journalists, 2025 killed report. 2026.↑47 ↑48 ↑49
- [16]International Federation of Journalists, 2025 Killed List. 2025.↑50
- [17]Reporters Without Borders, 2025 round-up. 2025.↑51
- [18]Committee to Protect Journalists, 2025 prison census. 2026.↑52
- [19]UNESCO, Director-General's report on the safety of journalists. 2024.↑53
- [20]Gallup, Trust in Media at New Low. 2025.↑54
- [21]Pew Research Center, trust in national and local news (October 2025). 2025.↑55 ↑56
- [22]Pew Research Center, How Americans View Journalists in the Digital Age. 2025.↑57 ↑58 ↑59 ↑60
- [23]Pew Research Center, News Influencers fact sheet. 2025.↑61
- [24]Reuters Institute, Digital News Report 2025. 2025.↑62 ↑63 ↑64
Method
We searched Google for journalist statistics, journalism statistics, how many journalists are there and number of journalists in the US, read the 27 pages that ranked, and counted how many of them repeat each number. Most of those pages are primary sources (BLS, Pew, Northwestern) rather than lists of statistics, so repeat counts are low. We traced each number to the organisation that produced it and checked it against that page on September 24, 2026. Three numbers come from a secondary page that reports the producer's data (ONS via Press Gazette and BuzzStream, Challenger via EMARKETER), and one from Chris Mooney's reading of BLS newspaper job counts; those are marked. Some figures are from 2021 or 2022 because the surveys that produced them have not been repeated since (the American Journalist study, Pew's survey of journalists, the 2021 census). The JournalistLabs numbers count job titles on public professional profiles at media outlets, fetched July to September 2026; a person whose title names no role or beat is not counted in that role or beat.
All 64 statistics as a CSV: journalist-statistics.csv.
Cite this page
JournalistLabs, “Journalist 2026 Statistics (Updated September)”, updated September 2026, https://journalistlabs.com/research/journalist-statistics/
To cite one number, link its anchor: each statistic has one, for example https://journalistlabs.com/research/journalist-statistics/#stat-1.