occupation · 27-3043 · detailed
Writers and Authors — wages and employment
Writers and Authors earned a median annual wage of $72,270 in the United States in May 2024, with 47,800 people employed, according to the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics.
What stands out
Writers and Authors earned a median annual wage of $72,270 in the United States in May 2024, with 47,800 people employed, according to the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics. The lowest-paid tenth earned $41,080 or less, the best-paid tenth $133,680 or more. Since May 2023 the median moved from $73,690 to $72,270, -1.9 %. The best-paying state is District of Columbia at $121,160; the lowest Puerto Rico at $37,190. Among metropolitan areas, San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA pays the highest median, $107,810. Wages are as published by BLS for May of each year; '≥ $239,200' is BLS's top code. Every value links to its fact record.
United States, year by year
Annual wages at the median, mean and four percentiles; employment is the May estimate.
| Reference | Employment | Median | Mean | 10th | 25th | 75th | 90th | Median hourly | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 2024 | 47,800 | $72,270 | $85,780 | $41,080 | $52,890 | $98,320 | $133,680 | $34.75 | evidence → |
| May 2023 | 49,450 | $73,690 | $87,590 | $40,900 | $52,660 | $100,990 | $148,240 | $35.43 | evidence → |
By state
Median annual wage, May 2024, highest first. Each state has its own record with the full series.
| State | Median annual | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| District of Columbia | $121,160 | 1,240 |
| Maryland | $107,540 | 620 |
| Washington | $86,170 | 900 |
| Vermont | $86,040 | 60 |
| Virginia | $80,990 | 1,630 |
| Connecticut | $80,950 | 640 |
| California | $80,470 | 8,950 |
| Massachusetts | $78,440 | 1,260 |
| Oregon | $77,830 | 850 |
| New Jersey | $75,640 | 1,610 |
| New Mexico | $73,790 | 60 |
| Texas | $71,650 | 2,100 |
| Louisiana | $70,810 | 380 |
| Ohio | $67,580 | 960 |
| West Virginia | $66,970 | 100 |
| Illinois | $66,180 | 2,010 |
| Minnesota | $65,900 | 980 |
| Florida | $65,830 | 2,440 |
| Idaho | $65,450 | 100 |
| Maine | $65,000 | — |
| Nebraska | $64,150 | 200 |
| Georgia | $64,070 | 1,200 |
| North Carolina | $63,720 | 2,170 |
| Arizona | $62,640 | 580 |
| Wisconsin | $62,450 | 620 |
| Indiana | $62,080 | 510 |
| Michigan | $61,800 | 860 |
| Utah | $61,020 | 630 |
| New Hampshire | $60,690 | 230 |
| Montana | $59,990 | 90 |
| Rhode Island | $59,550 | 200 |
| Kansas | $59,440 | 190 |
| Missouri | $59,040 | 550 |
| South Dakota | $58,740 | 40 |
| Tennessee | $58,620 | 1,220 |
| Pennsylvania | $58,170 | 1,360 |
| Delaware | $57,310 | 40 |
| Alabama | $57,120 | 170 |
| Iowa | $54,990 | 280 |
| Oklahoma | $52,720 | — |
| Nevada | $52,700 | 200 |
| North Dakota | $51,970 | 70 |
| South Carolina | $51,850 | 470 |
| Mississippi | $51,230 | 130 |
| Arkansas | $46,490 | 280 |
| Kentucky | $43,450 | 340 |
| Puerto Rico | $37,190 | 120 |
Highest-paying metropolitan areas
Top 20 by median annual wage.
| Metro area | Median annual | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $107,810 | 390 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | $106,340 | 2,310 |
| Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD | $100,550 | 290 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $97,680 | 1,330 |
| San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA | $96,240 | 40 |
| Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA | $96,120 | 60 |
| Waterbury-Shelton, CT | $92,280 | 80 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | $90,320 | 720 |
| Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA | $84,520 | 580 |
| Charlottesville, VA | $83,090 | 50 |
| New Haven, CT | $82,280 | 80 |
| Norwich-New London-Willimantic, CT | $80,950 | 50 |
| Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA | $80,470 | 360 |
| Trenton-Princeton, NJ | $80,350 | 140 |
| Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT | $79,340 | 130 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | $79,080 | 4,460 |
| Worcester, MA | $79,080 | 50 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | $78,870 | 1,070 |
| Hagerstown-Martinsburg, MD-WV | $77,710 | 40 |
| Baton Rouge, LA | $77,640 | 110 |
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