How much do technical writers make?
Technical writing is one of the few writing jobs with its own Bureau of Labor Statistics occupation code, so it has a genuine national wage figure. The estimates below are the government's national wage-and-salary numbers for the occupation.
The short answer
The median wage for technical writers is $90,390 a year (27-3042), with the middle half of the field between $70,880 and $115,510. The bottom tenth earn under $57,440; the top tenth clear $145,270.
Source: U.S. BLS OEWS May 2025, retrieved 2026-07-13. Wage-and-salary jobs only; the self-employed are excluded.
The full national wage distribution
45,500 people are employed as technical writers in wage-and-salary jobs nationally. The annual wage percentiles below are the BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates.
| 10th percentile | $57,440 |
| 25th percentile | $70,880 |
| Median (50th) | $90,390 |
| 75th percentile | $115,510 |
| 90th percentile | $145,270 |
Methodology
Data: 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 caveats that travel with every figure:
- 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.
Thinking about the career itself? See how to become a technical writer.
Frequently asked questions
How much do technical writers make?
The median wage is $90,390 a year for Technical Writers (27-3042), per the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS May 2025 estimates. The middle of the field runs from $70,880 to $115,510, with the top tenth clearing $145,270. These are wage-and-salary figures and exclude the self-employed.
Is there state-by-state pay data for technical writers?
Not on this page. The national estimates for technical writers were the figures baked into the data file; state breakdowns were not included, so this page reports the national wage distribution only.
Do technical writers earn more than other writers?
The percentile table shows the technical-writing distribution on its own terms. Compare it against the other writing occupations on the state-of-writing-income report rather than relying on a single average.
The writer's edit
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