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 27 reviews)); "Good income and benefits for someone starting their career in the business world." ((in 18 reviews)); "Great colleagues; attractive work environment; well respected media outlet; ability to work independently." ((in 12 reviews)); "Great bosses and coworkers!" ((in 11 reviews)); "Good work life balance." ((in 10 reviews))

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

"Dying industry and poor management" ((in 19 reviews)); "Low pay and no chance for advancement" ((in 12 reviews)); "There are way too many managers to report to so there's a weird reporting structure." ((in 9 reviews)); "Continued cuts and layoffs across the board, though faring better than a lot of other news/trade pubs" ((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

Company ratings over time

Ratings trend for the last 6 months (292 reviews)

Ratings by demographic groups

Race / Ethnicity

Gender

Sexual orientation

Disability

Parent or family caregiver

Veteran status

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

Apr 2, 2016

Solid Corporation

Freelance graphic design

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Crain Communications is a highly professional and complex organization which offers many opportunities for expansion and advancement. There are so many divisions within Crain, there is bound to be a new area that suits your talents. I had great luck working with very professional and intelligent people at Crain's New York Business.

Cons

Because Crain Communications is a complex organization it can suffer from disconnection between the various departments. And once and a while there are radical reshuffling of people that leave a few very alienated. (This might be unavoidable.)

2.0

Feb 17, 2016

not so great

Anonymous employee

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Great teams, strong work ethic, tries to be creative and have journalistic integrity

Cons

Entrenched bureaucracy, employees seem expendable. Some don't have solid grasp of journalistic ethics. Poor benefits and pay.

Crain Communications Response

10y

Thank you for your review. We are happy to hear that you were able to be part of a passionate, hard-working Crain team on a personal level. We also take very seriously your comments about the journalistic ethics of some. Journalistic integrity has been a hallmark of Crain for 100 years. We value honesty and excellence and work hard to attract and retain people who display these values every day. We welcome and appreciate feedback for areas of improvement and will continue to learn from our past as we grow. We are listening.

4.0

Feb 8, 2016

In transition. In a good way

Manager

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Crain never took a short-cut on real journalism and editorial quality. This has earned them #1 brand position in virtually every vertical market they serve. The company is in transition to new executive leadership which is focused on developing beyond print legacy. Crain is making a huge investment in talent, technology and the like.

Cons

Transitional times are hard and usually chaotic - and it shows. Also, it's hard to identify a solid career track for employees. So far, most work for one brand and are necessarily able to move to another part of the company - either lateral move or promotion.

Crain Communications Response

10y

Integrity is one of our core values and we love seeing the positive changes our strong brands are making based upon that legacy! The opportunity to build a longterm career within Crain depends on our ability to transition talent across locations, brands, and roles. We are working to better broadcast our open positions internally and retain our talent!

Viewing 241 - 243 of 292 Reviews

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