What are Top 5 Best Paying Related Columnist Jobs in the United States?

We found several jobs related to Columnist in the United States that pay more on average. Topping the list is Showrunner at $9,430 (11.7%) above Columnist. Job Title Annual Salary Monthly Pay Weekly Pay Hourly Wage Showrunner $70,857 $5,904 $1,362 $34.07 News Assignment Editor $64,796 $5,399 $1,246 $31.15 Publications Editor $64,166 $5,347 $1,233 $30.85 Beast $46,472 $3,872 $893 $22.34 Part Time News Reporter $46,013 $3,834 $884 $22.12

What are the top 10 cities with the highest pay for Columnist?

We've identified 10 cities in the United States where Columnist jobs typically pay above the area average. Topping the list is San Mateo, CA (56.1% above average), followed by Walnut Creek, CA and Lexington Park, MD. City Annual Salary Monthly Pay Weekly Pay Hourly Wage San Mateo, CA $125,334 $10,444 $2,410 $60.26 Walnut Creek, CA $117,136 $9,761 $2,252 $56.32 Lexington Park, MD $113,999 $9,499 $2,192 $54.81 Andover, MA $109,324 $9,110 $2,102 $52.56 Lawrence, MA $108,541 $9,045 $2,087 $52.18 Wenatchee, WA $108,497 $9,041 $2,086 $52.16 Berkeley Heights, NJ $107,427 $8,952 $2,065 $51.65 McMinnville, OR $106,890 $8,907 $2,055 $51.39 Blaine, MN $106,845 $8,903 $2,054 $51.37 Marietta, PA $105,502 $8,791 $2,028 $50.72

Columnist

Columnist Salary

Q: How much does a Columnist make?

The average annual pay for a columnist in the United States is $80,287 a year — that works out to approximately $38.60 an hour. The middle 80% of Columnists earn between $37,000 (10th percentile) and $141,000 (90th percentile) per year, depending on experience and employer.

$25K

$77K

$163.5K

$80,287

/year

$38.60

/hour

Columnist Salary Comparison by Location

Nationwide

United States

$80,287

Columbus

Ohio

$77,549

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How much does a Columnist make?

As of Aug 26, 2026, the average annual pay for a Columnist in the United States is $80,287 a year.

Just in case you need a simple salary calculator, that works out to be approximately $38.60 an hour. This is the equivalent of $1,543/week or $6,690/month.

While ZipRecruiter is seeing annual salaries as high as $163,500 and as low as $25,000, the majority of Columnist salaries currently range between $41,500 (25th percentile) to $103,000 (75th percentile) with top earners (90th percentile) making $141,000 annually across the United States. The average pay range for a Columnist varies greatly (by as much as 61500), which suggests there may be many opportunities for advancement and increased pay based on skill level, location and years of experience.

A Columnist in your area makes on average $77,549 per year, or $2,738 (3.410%) less than the national average annual salary of $80,287. Ohio ranks number 30 out of 50 states nationwide for Columnist salaries.

To estimate the most accurate annual salary range for Columnist jobs, ZipRecruiter continuously scans its database of millions of active jobs published locally throughout America.

Find your next high paying job as a Columnist on ZipRecruiter today.

What are Top 10 Highest Paying Cities for Columnist Jobs

We've identified 10 cities where the typical salary for a Columnist job is above the national average. Topping the list is San Mateo, CA, , with Walnut Creek, CA, and Lexington Park, MD, close behind in the second and third positions. Lexington Park, MD, beats the national average by $33,712 (42.0%), and San Mateo, CA, furthers that trend with another $45,047 (56.1%) above the $80,287 average.

With these 10 cities having average salaries higher than the national average, the opportunities for economic advancement by changing locations as a Columnist appears to be exceedingly fruitful.

Finally, another factor to consider is the average salary for these top 10 cities varies very little at 17% between San Mateo, CA, and Marietta, PA, , reinforcing the limited potential for much wage advancement. The possibility of a lower cost of living may be the best factor to use when considering location and salary for a Columnist role.

City	Annual Salary	Monthly Pay	Weekly Pay	Hourly Wage
San Mateo, CA	$125,334	$10,444	$2,410	$60.26
Walnut Creek, CA	$117,136	$9,761	$2,252	$56.32
Lexington Park, MD	$113,999	$9,499	$2,192	$54.81
Andover, MA	$109,324	$9,110	$2,102	$52.56
Lawrence, MA	$108,541	$9,045	$2,087	$52.18
Wenatchee, WA	$108,497	$9,041	$2,086	$52.16
Berkeley Heights, NJ	$107,427	$8,952	$2,065	$51.65
McMinnville, OR	$106,890	$8,907	$2,055	$51.39
Blaine, MN	$106,845	$8,903	$2,054	$51.37
Marietta, PA	$105,502	$8,791	$2,028	$50.72

What are Top 5 Best Paying Related Columnist Jobs in the U.S.

Analyzing some similar jobs related to the Columnist job category, we found that Showrunner jobs have average salaries similar than Columnist jobs.

Job Title	Annual Salary	Monthly Pay	Weekly Pay	Hourly Wage
Showrunner	$70,857	$5,904	$1,362	$34.07
News Assignment Editor	$64,796	$5,399	$1,246	$31.15
Publications Editor	$64,166	$5,347	$1,233	$30.85
Beast	$46,472	$3,872	$893	$22.34
Part Time News Reporter	$46,013	$3,834	$884	$22.12

About Our Data

ZipRecruiter salary estimates, histograms, trends and comparisons are derived from both employer job postings and third party data sources.

Infographic detailing Columnist salary across the United States as of August 2026. Displays a bar chart with salary percentiles, a national average salary of $80,287 per year or $38.60 an hour, and a color-coded map showing state-by-state salary variations.

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