How much do writers make?
Every figure on this page is the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics' own wage estimate, computed straight from the May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) release. Nothing here is estimated or averaged by us.
Source: BLS OEWS May 2025, retrieved 2026-07-13.
BLS tracks 3 distinct writing occupations, together employing185,130 people in wage-and-salary jobs nationally. Half of all writers and authors earn more than $76,910 a year; the bottom tenth earn under $44,310, while the top tenth clear $139,870. The full distribution for each occupation is below.
| Occupation | Employment | 10th pct | Median | 90th pct |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Editors (27-3041) | 91,690 | $41,250 | $77,920 | $153,700 |
| Technical Writers (27-3042) | 45,500 | $57,440 | $90,390 | $145,270 |
| Writers and Authors (27-3043) | 47,940 | $44,310 | $76,910 | $139,870 |
Where writers are paid the most
The tables below rank states by their median wage for writers and authors. A state's median moves with its writer employment count, shown in the explorer, so read the two together.
| 1 | District of Columbia | $129,300 |
| 2 | Maryland | $104,330 |
| 3 | Connecticut | $98,460 |
| 4 | Vermont | $94,430 |
| 5 | Louisiana | $89,520 |
| 43 | Arkansas | $47,970 |
| 42 | Kentucky | $48,780 |
| 41 | Wyoming | $49,650 |
| 40 | North Dakota | $50,860 |
| 39 | South Carolina | $51,920 |
Explore the full distribution
Pick an occupation and a state to see the national percentile bars and the state median, all from the same May 2025 data.
National annual wage percentiles, Writers and Authors
National employment: 47,940 jobs. Mean wage: $86,090 a year ($41.39/hour).
Methodology and what these numbers leave out
The data is the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 estimates, retrieved 2026-07-13 (Retrieved 2026-07-13 via the BLS Public Data API (api.bls.gov, OE survey series, latest=true, year 2025). Wages are annual/hourly USD; employment excludes self-employed workers.). The following caveats travel with every figure on this page:
- OEWS covers wage and salary employment only; self-employed freelancers are not counted.
- Technical Writers (27-3042) baked at national level only.
- States where BLS suppresses an estimate are omitted or carry null fields.
The self-employed exclusion matters more for writing than for most fields, because a large share of working writers freelance. If you freelance, pair this report with thefreelance writing rates calculator, which is built on the Editorial Freelancers Association's published rate chart rather than BLS wages. Where BLS suppresses a state estimate, this report shows "not published" rather than guessing.
Occupation source pages: Editors (27-3041), Technical Writers (27-3042), Writers and Authors (27-3043).
Frequently asked questions
How much do writers make on average?
Across the writing occupations the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics surveys, the median wages sit between $76,910 and $90,390 a year (OEWS, May 2025). These are wage-and-salary figures; self-employed and freelance writers are not counted.
Do these figures include freelance writers?
No. The OEWS survey covers wage-and-salary employment only, so self-employed and freelance writers are excluded. For freelance earnings, the freelance writing rates calculator uses the Editorial Freelancers Association rate chart instead.
How current is this data?
These are the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS May 2025 estimates, retrieved 2026-07-13 via the BLS Public Data API. BLS releases OEWS estimates annually, so the figures are refreshed when the next release lands.
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