Writers and Authors Salary: $99,513 Median Pay (2026 stats)
TL;DR
About 47,800 writers and authors nationally earn a mean of $99,513. Projections imply about 1.4% annual growth; much hiring sits in professional, scientific, and technical services.
Key Statistics
Writers and Authors: what the data shows
Common questions about writers and authors careers, answered from BLS OEWS and O*NET in this repository.
What is a writers and authors?
Writers and Authors is tracked by the Bureau of Labor Statistics under SOC 27-3043.
U.S. employment in our OEWS extract is about 47,800 workers.
What does a writers and authors do?
O*NET work activities rated highest for this occupation include Getting Information, Communicating with People Outside the Organization, Selling or Influencing Others, Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates, Thinking Creatively, Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships, and related tasks. See Work Activities for the full list.
How much does a writers and authors make?
BLS national median annual wage: $72,270 (May 2024 in our extract).
Mean annual wage in our occupational extract: $99,513 — higher than the median, which often reflects top earners in the distribution.
Wage percentiles below are from the California OEWS extract (not national unless noted).
| Wage percentile | Annual wage |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $47,127 |
| 25th percentile | $59,751 |
| Median (50th) | $82,657 |
| 75th percentile | $114,643 |
| 90th percentile | $167,615 |
What education do you need?
For Writers and Authors, O*NET incumbent surveys in our extract most often report: Some college (29%), High School or Equivalent (27%), Bachelors Degree (22%).
These are education levels of current workers, not minimum legal requirements.
What skills do you need?
O*NET ratings for this occupation emphasize skills such as Writing, Reading Comprehension, Active Listening, Speaking, Time Management, Critical Thinking, and knowledge areas including English Language, Sales and Marketing, Communications and Media, Customer and Personal Service. See Education & Skills for detail.
Is writers and authors in demand?
Historical employment trend in our series implies about 1.4% annual growth (compound rate in the extract).
Five-year projected employment change: 7.3%.
Ten-year projected employment change: 15.2%.
Current U.S. headcount: 47,800.
We report federal series only—compare wages, growth, and openings against your target market.
Where do writers and authorss work?
Top industries by employment share in our OEWS industry extract:
| Industry | Employment | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Cross-industry | 47,800 | 20.0% |
| Cross-industry, Private Ownership only | 44,800 | 18.8% |
| Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 14,380 | 6.0% |
| Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 14,380 | 6.0% |
| Information | 12,010 | 5.0% |
| Advertising, Public Relations, and Related Services | 7,080 | 3.0% |
See Industry for charts.
What degrees lead to this career?
Common majors for Writers and Authors in O*NET:
See Related degrees.
What careers are related?
Other occupations linked through shared degree pathways in our mapping:
| Occupation | U.S. employment | Median wage |
|---|---|---|
| Public Relations Specialists | 280,590 | $69,780 |
| Editors | 95,480 | $75,260 |
| Interpreters and Translators | 53,360 | $59,440 |
| Gambling and Sports Book Writers and Runners | 7,600 | $30,460 |
| Technical Writers | 55,530 | $91,670 |
| Credit Authorizers, Checkers, and Clerks | 11,960 | $49,130 |
| Film and Video Editors | 28,860 | $70,980 |
Employment
Employment and salary information for the Writers and Authors workforce.
Employment Over Time
47,800 Workforce in 2023
The Writers and Authors workforce has been growing over time.
Historical employment trends for Writers and Authors.
Yearly Wage Ranking
$99,513 Average Wage
In 2023, Writers and Authors earned an average of $99,513.
Wage ranking compared to other occupations.
Wage Distribution
This chart shows the distribution of average salaries by income buckets for Writers and Authors.
Salary distribution for Writers and Authors.
Employment Growth Projections
1.4% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR)
36,421 Projected Employment (5 years)
Projected growth: 7.3%
39,084 Projected Employment (10 years)
Projected growth: 15.2%
This occupation is projected to grow at 1.4% annually, indicating strong future demand.
Historical employment trends and future projections for Writers and Authors.
Industry
Information on the industries that employ Writers and Authors and on wages for those in the field.
Occupations by Industries
This graphic shows the share of Writers and Authors employed by various industries.
Industry distribution for Writers and Authors.
Wage Trends by Industry
-4.0% Average Annual Wage Growth Rate
Historical wage growth trends by industry for Writers and Authors.
Geographic Distribution
Employment and wage information by geographic location for Writers and Authors.
State employment and wages are from the U.S. BLS OEWS May 2024 state extract. Metropolitan areas use the national MSA file when available.
Top States by Employment
Top States by Employment:
- CA: 8,950 employees, $96,880 avg wage
- NY: 5,980 employees, N/A avg wage
- FL: 2,440 employees, $79,820 avg wage
- NC: 2,170 employees, $69,370 avg wage
- TX: 2,100 employees, $82,840 avg wage
- IL: 2,010 employees, $73,530 avg wage
- VA: 1,630 employees, $87,920 avg wage
- NJ: 1,610 employees, $79,770 avg wage
- CO: 1,540 employees, N/A avg wage
- PA: 1,360 employees, $73,600 avg wage
Top 10 states by employment for Writers and Authors.
Top Metropolitan Areas
Top Metropolitan Areas:
- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ: 6,240 employees, N/A avg wage
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA: 4,460 employees, $98,080 avg wage
- Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV: 2,310 employees, $115,400 avg wage
- Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN: 1,590 employees, $73,760 avg wage
- San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA: 1,330 employees, $112,310 avg wage
- Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH: 1,070 employees, $92,200 avg wage
- Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO: 970 employees, $71,130 avg wage
- Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX: 790 employees, N/A avg wage
- Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI: 780 employees, $75,350 avg wage
- Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA: 720 employees, $95,870 avg wage
Top 10 metropolitan statistical areas by employment for Writers and Authors.
Diversity
Demographic information on Writers and Authors in the US.
Gender and Age
The workforce of Writers and Authors in 2023 was 47,800 people, with 62.0% women and 38.0% men.
Gender and age distribution for Writers and Authors.
Races
Racial and ethnic shares when present in the career dataset. If the chart area shows a notice instead, occupational race/ethnicity fields are not yet populated for this extract.
Race and ethnicity distribution for Writers and Authors.
Education & Skills
Data on higher education choices and required skills for Writers and Authors.
Majors
The most common majors achieved by Writers and Authors in 2023 were Business Administration, Communications, Journalism.
Common majors for Writers and Authors.
Education Levels
The main educational levels achieved by Writers and Authors workers.
Education level distribution for Writers and Authors.
Skills
Writers and Authors need many skills, but most especially Writing, Reading Comprehension, Active Listening, Speaking, Time Management.
Required skills for Writers and Authors.
Knowledge & Abilities
Knowledge areas and abilities required for Writers and Authors.
Knowledge Areas
The most important knowledge areas for Writers and Authors include English Language, Sales and Marketing, Communications and Media, Customer and Personal Service, Computers and Electronics.
Knowledge areas required for Writers and Authors.
Abilities
Key abilities needed for Writers and Authors include Written Expression, Written Comprehension, Oral Comprehension, Oral Expression, Originality.
Required abilities for Writers and Authors.
Work Activities
Common work activities performed by Writers and Authors.
Daily Activities
Writers and Authors spend their time on activities such as Getting Information, Communicating with People Outside the Organization, Selling or Influencing Others, Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates, Thinking Creatively.
Most important work activities for Writers and Authors.
About
Writers and Authors
The average yearly wage for Writers and Authors was $99,513 in 2023.
SOC Code
27-3043 - Writers and Authors
Insights and Analysis
Compensation snapshot: Writers and Authors reports an average salary of $99,513.
Labor market presence: The current workforce is approximately 47,800 workers, indicating sustained demand.
Forward outlook: Projected annual growth is 1.4%, which should inform long-term career planning.
Data Sources
This page uses data from the following sources:
- College Scorecard - U.S. Department of Education
- Institutional characteristics, costs, completion rates, and earnings data
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: collegescorecard.ed.gov
- Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)
- Employment and wage data by occupation
- Latest data: May 2024
- Source: bls.gov/oes
- O*NET Online - U.S. Department of Labor
- Occupational skills, knowledge, abilities, and work activities
- Database version: 28.0 (August 2023)
- Source: onetcenter.org
- IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) - National Center for Education Statistics
- Institutional data, completions, enrollment, and financial aid
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: nces.ed.gov/ipeds
- Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS)
- Demographic and workforce data
- Latest data: 2023 ACS 5-Year Estimates
- Source: census.gov/acs
Data Processing: All data has been processed, cleaned, and aggregated for presentation. Where specific data points are unavailable, estimates are based on available data and clearly marked.
Last Updated: Data reflects the most recent available information as of January 2025.
Methodology
Data for this profile is sourced from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS), and O*NET Online.
All wage figures represent annual averages and may vary by location, industry, and experience level.