Salaries

• The average salary of a political correspondent was $36,000 a year as of 2011, reports Simply Hired. The average salary for all correspondents, including those specializing in political events, was $43,780 as of 2010, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Salaries ranged from less than $19,970 in the 10th percentile to over $75,230 in the 90th percentile.
  
  

Media Outlet

• The largest employer of correspondents, including political correspondents, as of 2010 was newspaper, periodical, book and directory publishers, where the BLS reports the average salary was $38,420 a year. In radio and television broadcasting the average was higher at $53,590 as was the average in cable and other subscription programming at $59,800. Colleges, universities and professional schools employed correspondents at an average salary of $47,930 a year, and those working in the industry of other information services earned an average of $62,050 annually.
  
  

Location

• The District of Columbia had both the highest concentration of political and other correspondents and the highest salary average for the profession at $69,570 as of 2010, reports the BLS. New Jersey and Massachusetts also offered higher than average salaries at $61,890 and $60,590 respectively, while Edison, New Jersey was the country's highest paying urban area with an average of $88,300 a year, and southwestern New Hampshire was the highest paying rural area with an average of $45,000.
  
  

Outlook

• The BLS predicts a decline of 6 percent in the employment rate of correspondents, including political correspondents, between 2008 and 2018. However, those with training in news media, such as online newspapers and magazines and websites, will enjoy more opportunities. Those with a bachelor's degree in journalism, communications and/or political science will have the best chances in the job market.