Fashion magazines wouldn't attract the attention they do without talented editors to coordinate shoots, capture the essence of styles and arrange photos and written content in an entertaining manner. These professionals also target gender, age and income groups through advertising and promotions, and manage the work of freelance writers, photographers and other contributors. If you want to become a fashion magazine editor, you need a college education. After you gain some experience as an editor, you can expect to earn an above-average income compared with other occupations.

Salary and Qualifications

Although top fashion magazine editors for magazines like Vogue and Glamour may make millions of dollars each year, the average annual salary for a fashion magazine editor was $53,000 in 2013, according to the job website Indeed.com. Most of these editors have bachelor's degrees in English, journalism or communications. Some publishers might hire you with a bachelor's in liberal arts or fashion design. You also need to be creative and detail-oriented in this field, and you must have excellent interpersonal and decision-making skills.

Salary by City

Average salaries for fashion magazine editors vary significantly by city. In 2013, editors earned the highest annual salaries - among those listed - in New York City, according to Indeed.com - $68,000 per year. If you work in Boston or Atlanta, you could earn a relatively high salary of $61,000 or $60,000 per year, respectively. Fashion magazine editors earned $57,000 annually in Dallas and Chicago, $55,000 in Los Angeles and $47,000 in Columbus.

Salary Based on Many Factors

Large fashion magazines with high circulations usually pay the most because they have higher revenues to support higher salaries. These premier publications also offer high salaries to attract the most experienced editors. A fashion magazine editor's salary is directly related to experience in the industry. Your experience will also help you get better jobs in fashion editing. You might receive annual increases with the same employer, but the biggest salary increases will come when - and if - you move from publications in smaller markets to ones in larger cities. For example, you would likely make more working as a fashion editor for New York Magazine than you would working for a smaller town fashion publication.

Career Outlook

Jobs for editors, including fashion magazine editors, are expected to barely grow in the next decade, according to U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. This is primarily due to the ongoing decline in print publications. However, more people are reading online fashion magazines and blogs on fashion trends and styles, and most major fashion magazines have online versions, which could create some job opportunities. Other job opportunities will occur as current fashion magazine editors retire or move to other publications. If you want a career as a fashion editor, keep up to date on the fashion publishing industry and be aware of when job transitions are occurring.