Proofreader
Proofreader Salary
$28.5K - $34K
9% of jobs
$34K - $39.5K
12% of jobs
$41.4K is the 25th percentile. Wages below this are outliers.
$39.5K - $45K
9% of jobs
$45K - $50.5K
7% of jobs
The median wage is $55K / yr.
$50.5K - $56K
15% of jobs
$56K - $61.5K
16% of jobs
$65.7K is the 75th percentile. Wages above this are outliers.
$61.5K - $67K
8% of jobs
$67K - $72.5K
9% of jobs
$72.5K - $78K
7% of jobs
$78K - $83.5K
3% of jobs
$83.5K - $89K
4% of jobs
$28.5K
$56.5K
$91K
$57,520
/year
$27.65
/hour
Proofreader Salary Comparison by Location
Nationwide
United States
$57,520
Columbus
Ohio
$55,558
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How much does a Proofreader make?
As of Jun 12, 2026, the average annual pay for a 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 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 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 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 Proofreader salaries.
To estimate the most accurate annual salary range for Proofreader jobs, ZipRecruiter continuously scans its database of millions of active jobs published locally throughout America.
Find your next high paying job as a Proofreader on ZipRecruiter today.
What are Top 10 Highest Paying Cities for Proofreader Jobs
We've identified 10 cities where the typical salary for a Proofreader job is above the national average. Topping the list is San Mateo County, CA, , with Scotts Valley, CA, 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 Proofreader appears to be exceedingly fruitful.
However, another factor to consider is the average salary for these top 10 cities varies modestly at 18% between San Mateo County, CA, and Berkeley, CA, , 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 Proofreader role.
City | Annual Salary | Hourly Wage |
|---|---|---|
San Mateo County, CA | $84,667 | $40.71 |
Scotts Valley, CA | $74,436 | $35.79 |
Pennington County, SD | $73,206 | $35.20 |
Carmel Valley, CA | $72,481 | $34.85 |
Nome, AK | $71,353 | $34.30 |
Chatham, NJ | $71,234 | $34.25 |
Cupertino, CA | $70,964 | $34.12 |
Mercer Island, WA | $70,446 | $33.87 |
Melville, NY | $70,445 | $33.87 |
Berkeley, CA | $70,429 | $33.86 |
What are Top 0 Best Paying Related Proofreader Jobs in the U.S.
Analyzing some similar jobs related to the Proofreader job category, we found that related job jobs have average salaries similar than Proofreader jobs.
Job Title | Annual Salary | Hourly Wage |
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About Our Data
ZipRecruiter salary estimates, histograms, trends and comparisons are derived from both employer job postings and third party data sources.
