Technical Writing Jobs: Salary Information
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Interesting reading: United States Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment Statistics (OES) (free and available to the public) about how technical writers are paid. This provides some interesting reading for anyone wishing to determine where their state ranks regarding salaries or job availability. There’s a lot of information available, so explore the site and crunch the numbers as you wish.
| Your Writing Dept is a Sacramento-based writing firm that specializes in developing technical manuals and user guides. We’re the leaders in technical communications in Northern California. Email us for more information about our services at info@yourwritingdept.com. |
Highlights
- Number of tech writers:
Total in US, 47,460
Highest state: California with 6,760
Lowest state: North Dakota with 50- Percentage increase/decrease in salary: Portland, OR: +16% and Chicago -6.9%
- Median salary for all technical writers across all industries in 2008 was $61,620.
- California ranks as the state with the highest salaries—median: $75,680, 90th percentile: $109,740; however, Peabody, MA was the Combined Statistical Area (CSA) with the highest average annual wage of $110,900.
- States with the most technical writers are California, Texas, Massachusetts, Virginia, Michigan and Maryland.
- States with the most positive growth in numbers of technical writers in 2008 were New Jersey and Michigan. Those that suffered the most losses were Texas, Virginia, North Carolina, Utah, Colorado, and Missouri.
- Highest paying states include: Washington, California, New Mexico, and Massachusetts.
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6:31 am on October 10th, 2009
Interesting article. Too bad the first sentence uses the contraction “it’s” rather than the possessive “its”
7:11 am on October 10th, 2009
I have no idea what you’re talking about. Just kidding. Thanks for the edit. That’s one I usually never get wrong.
4:27 am on October 16th, 2009
It would be great if the data was available for all countries so, for example, people could compare the US with Canada and Europe with Australasia.
10:19 am on October 16th, 2009
Haitham,
I would agree. As we are moving toward a more global economy, it would be nice to now what the salary standards are for other countries (especially those with competent technical writers). In the United States, labor information has been collected for 125 years by the Bureau of Labor Statistics for the purpose of better understanding our labor market and how it impacts our economy.
Do note that the BLS site (http://www.bls.gov) has a link to international information. Perhaps you find more information there.
Best regards and we appreciate your comments,
Ron