Salary by Category:
Circulation Director or Top Circulation Executive
Salaries for circulation directors or top circulation executives fell from the 2012 survey, but at $91,200, remained close to recent averages.
Revenue continues to be the most significant determinant of pay for circulation executives. Those working for companies with over $10 million in revenue or publications with over $3 million in revenue earned roughly 40-percent more than their counterparts falling below those thresholds. The disparity used to be bigger. In 2011, it was about 50-percent more.
The geography gap is also shrinking, though it’s still a major factor in compensation. The difference in pay for those in and outside of New York City reached a 5-year low at $42,400 (it had been as high as $70,600 in 2011).
Salary patterns have been more volatile on a regional level, but the difference between the highest- (the Northeast) and lowest- (the Midwest) paying areas was in line with historical averages at $44,900 for 2013.
Not all gaps shrunk. After two years of declines, gender reemerged as a meaningful differentiator in pay. Male circulation executives earned almost $24,000 more—23 percent—than women in the same role.
Other trends reversed themselves entirely. Those who have been with a company or in a specific position for at least nine years are now paid less than (relative) newcomers. Overall industry experience is still highly valued—circulation execs with more than 20 years in publishing were paid 22-percent more than those falling under that benchmark—but the trend line since 2009 favors new talent. 