Does Crain Communications pay their employees well?

According to anonymously submitted Glassdoor reviews, Crain Communications employees rate their compensation and benefits as 3.1 out of 5. Find out more about salaries and benefits at Crain Communications. This rating has decreased by 3% over the last 12 months.

How satisfied are employees working at Crain Communications?

39% of Crain Communications employees would recommend working there to a friend based on Glassdoor reviews . Employees also rated Crain Communications 3.1 out of 5 for work life balance, 2.5 for culture and values and 2.6 for career opportunities.

What are the top reviewed jobs at Crain Communications?

Reporter (19) , Editor (10) , Manager (10) , Account Executive (6) , Director (5) , Marketing (5) , Editorial (4) , Intern (4) , Journalist (4) , Senior Reporter (4) , Business Analyst (3) , Editorial Intern (3) , Project Manager (3) , Sales (3) , Ad Sales Director (2)

What are the pros of working at Crain Communications according to real employee reviews?

"great people to work with" ((in 25 reviews)); "Good income and benefits for someone starting their career in the business world." ((in 19 reviews)); "Great bosses and coworkers!" ((in 11 reviews)); "Good work life balance." ((in 11 reviews)); "Approachable colleagues and superiors" ((in 10 reviews))

What are the cons of working at Crain Communications according to real employee reviews?

"Dying industry and poor management" ((in 22 reviews)); "Low pay and no chance for advancement" ((in 11 reviews)); "There are way too many managers to report to so there's a weird reporting structure." ((in 9 reviews)); "Morale is a bit low with recent layoffs, but the teams have stuck together." ((in 8 reviews)); "Bad decisions and bad leadership are resulting in closing of brands, cutting of benefits, and major layoffs." ((in 7 reviews))

What are employees saying about Crain Communications layoffs in 2026?

Explore Glassdoor’s employee reviews to understand what current and former employees are saying about Crain Communications layoffs and their outlook for job security at Crain Communications in 2026.

What are the top reviewed Crain Communications locations?

Detroit , New York , Chicago , Conway , Akron , Cleveland , Grand Rapids , Houston , Cuyahoga Falls , Mountain View , Farmington Hills , United States Coast Guard - Air Station Sacramento

Crain Communications reviews

2.8

39% would recommend to a friend

(292 total reviews)

KC Crain

45% approve of CEO

39% positive business outlook

Ratings by demographic groups

Race / Ethnicity

Gender

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Disability

Parent or family caregiver

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Crain Communications has an employee rating of 2.8 out of 5 stars, based on 292 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have an average working experience there. The Crain Communications employee rating is 25% below average for employers within the Media & Communication industry (3.7 stars).

Reviews by job title

292 reviews

3.0

Mar 24, 2015

This once-great B2B publishing company is confronting the digital challenge and losing ground.

Reporter

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

I was thrilled when I got hired at Crain. For years, I had known of its reputation as a solid, family-owned company that treated workers well and paid them fairly. It was a great day when Crain hired me, or so I thought.

Cons

As Crain struggles to compete in the digital-media world, the company's traditional print pubs are taking a hit. Crain New York Business, for example, just laid off 40% of its staff. 40%! And CNYB is not the only pub that is downsizing. There have been layoffs all over the company, and what used to be a happy workplace now has a dark cloud of fear hanging over it.

Crain Communications Response

11y

Actually, Crain publications have been an active participant in the reinvention of the media space; diversifying our platforms with a broader portfolio mix, including Web, mobile, data, research, events and print. Not to mention the award-winning custom content work our publications have produced over the last three years. As our publications continue to diversify their portfolio mix and launch into new markets, the technology and talent of our publications need to change as well. Crain’s New York Business is no exception to this evolution and proactively chose to make staffing changes that would align with its long-term business strategies. While these reductions were nowhere near 40% of staff, we recognize that ANY reduction has a cultural impact and have responded with greater transparency and frequency of our communications, keeping our team members in the know and excited about their future with us.

4.0

Jun 26, 2014

A once great company that is slowly losing steam due to the sinking print industry.

Anonymous employee

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

A few really great coworkers and managers. Most upper management is easily approachable and friendly. Salary is competitive, given the industry. Very little micro-management if you can prove your capabilities. Opportunities for growth if you're willing to go the extra mile and put in (unpaid) overtime.

Cons

No comradery or culture within the company. Horrible communication at every level of the company (ironic, given the name). Very easy to plateau at a certain level because everyone is in their own world. Working for corporate is not appealing at all due to typical business politics. Hard to get noticed by upper management. Older staff has no clue how to use technology or adapt to the transition to digital. Many hard workers, but also a lot of dead weight employees dragging them down. No 401K matching, and profit sharing is very little.

3.0

Feb 20, 2014

Good place to advance journalism career, though management could be improved

Reporter

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Colleagues are really smart and really know the industries they are covering. Salaries are also decent. Offices are also quite nice.

Cons

Some of the upper level editors are very stuck in their ways and are not amenable to listening to other ideas, points of view.

Viewing 109 - 111 of 292 Reviews

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