Professional Proofreader

Professional Proofreader Salary

$28.5K

$56.5K

$91K

$57,520

/year

$27.65

/hour

Professional Proofreader Salary Comparison by Location

Nationwide

United States

$57,520

Columbus

Ohio

$55,558

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    How much does a Professional Proofreader make?

    As of Aug 1, 2026, the average annual pay for a Professional Proofreader in the United States is $57,520 a year.

    Just in case you need a simple salary calculator, that works out to be approximately $27.65 an hour. This is the equivalent of $1,106/week or $4,793/month.

    While ZipRecruiter is seeing annual salaries as high as $91,000 and as low as $28,500, the majority of Professional Proofreader salaries currently range between $42,500 (25th percentile) to $70,000 (75th percentile) with top earners (90th percentile) making $84,000 annually across the United States. The average pay range for a Professional Proofreader varies greatly (by as much as 27500), which suggests there may be many opportunities for advancement and increased pay based on skill level, location and years of experience.

    A Professional Proofreader in your area makes on average $55,558 per year, or $1,962 (3.411%) less than the national average annual salary of $57,520. Ohio ranks number 30 out of 50 states nationwide for Professional Proofreader salaries.

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

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

    What are Top 10 Highest Paying Cities for Professional Proofreader Jobs

    We've identified 10 cities where the typical salary for a Professional Proofreader job is above the national average. Topping the list is San Mateo County, CA, , with Bremerton, WA, and Pennington County, SD, close behind in the second and third positions. Pennington County, SD, beats the national average by $15,686 (27.3%), and San Mateo County, CA, furthers that trend with another $27,147 (47.2%) above the $57,520 average.

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

    However, another factor to consider is the average salary for these top 10 cities varies modestly at 20% between San Mateo County, CA, and Milford, CT, , suggesting it may be difficult to see much positive wage advancement. The possibility of a lower cost of living may help determine the balance between location and salary for a Professional Proofreader role.

    City

    Annual Salary

    Hourly Wage

    San Mateo County, CA

    $84,667

    $40.71

    Bremerton, WA

    $75,265

    $36.19

    Pennington County, SD

    $73,206

    $35.20

    Nome, AK

    $71,353

    $34.30

    Chatham, NJ

    $71,234

    $34.25

    Cupertino, CA

    $70,964

    $34.12

    Berkeley, CA

    $70,429

    $33.86

    Redwood City, CA

    $70,424

    $33.86

    Sitka, AK

    $69,293

    $33.31

    Milford, CT

    $69,076

    $33.21

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

    We found a few related jobs that pay more than jobs in the Professional Proofreader category.

    For example Digital Creator jobs pay as much as $40,752 (70.8%) more than the average Professional Proofreader salary of $57,520. If you're qualified, finding work as a Digital Creator may help you make more money than that of the average Professional Proofreader position.

    Job Title

    Annual Salary

    Hourly Wage

    Digital Creator

    $98,272

    $47.25

    Print Project Manager

    $72,695

    $34.95

    Motion Graphics Artist

    $60,546

    $29.11

    Senior Print Designer

    $56,049

    $26.95

    Graphic Designer Marketing

    $55,951

    $26.90

    About Our Data

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

    Infographic detailing Professional Proofreader salary across the United States as of July 2026. Displays a bar chart with salary percentiles, a national average salary of $57,520 per year or $27.65 an hour, and a color-coded map showing state-by-state salary variations.