Average Technical Writer Salary

Salary by State

Annually

Monthly

Hourly

Annual Salary by State

State	10% Annual	25% Annual	Avg. Annual	75% Annual	90% Annual
Alabama	$43,960	$56,520	$70,140	$82,780	$97,970
Alaska	$49,630	$58,030	$72,630	$85,960	$100,960
Arizona	$46,850	$59,330	$73,400	$87,970	$100,710
Arkansas	$40,810	$46,190	$62,870	$74,620	$101,350
California	$52,940	$67,290	$93,830	$117,170	$146,750
Colorado	$48,460	$61,150	$79,370	$93,730	$110,520
Connecticut	$48,270	$61,450	$82,300	$97,310	$120,340
Delaware	$46,510	$55,770	$76,030	$93,640	$114,680
District of Columbia	$61,510	$79,030	$93,910	$108,540	$125,150
Florida	$33,630	$45,250	$62,470	$76,230	$93,690
Georgia	$53,200	$64,180	$75,830	$87,270	$101,750
Hawaii	$40,200	$45,340	$62,980	$62,710	$117,610
Idaho	$40,320	$50,660	$64,540	$77,730	$85,740
Illinois	$40,690	$52,860	$70,270	$87,440	$103,730
Indiana	$41,850	$49,980	$62,000	$73,990	$82,210
Iowa	$40,680	$44,800	$58,950	$67,070	$87,020
Kansas	$40,380	$47,040	$64,070	$77,020	$98,110
Kentucky	$44,440	$52,410	$75,750	$79,570	$114,690
Louisiana	$36,110	$50,570	$70,790	$90,290	$102,340
Maine	$44,360	$53,740	$65,810	$77,310	$93,890
Maryland	$53,050	$65,010	$83,860	$99,950	$120,290
Massachusetts	$55,160	$67,640	$92,350	$107,510	$132,120
Michigan	$38,820	$51,100	$69,180	$87,510	$101,640
Minnesota	$44,270	$53,670	$69,100	$81,320	$99,470
Mississippi	- NA -	- NA -	- NA -	- NA -	- NA -
Missouri	$37,570	$50,070	$62,870	$74,230	$94,860
Montana	$35,650	$48,040	$62,530	$74,580	$93,890
Nebraska	$41,550	$47,740	$63,270	$77,980	$92,330
Nevada	$46,170	$55,770	$70,480	$80,240	$96,450
New Hampshire	$51,560	$60,080	$80,670	$99,930	$122,780
New Jersey	$48,130	$60,440	$82,830	$102,220	$125,790
New Mexico	$35,860	$54,360	$70,840	$80,370	$105,800
New York	$43,310	$56,640	$78,190	$96,200	$117,500
North Carolina	$46,690	$59,640	$77,600	$94,540	$116,960
North Dakota	$40,080	$48,210	$71,530	$91,690	$103,400
Ohio	$39,040	$49,690	$64,380	$77,440	$94,390
Oklahoma	$37,820	$45,640	$61,520	$75,600	$90,670
Oregon	$44,070	$51,780	$71,270	$86,200	$108,570
Pennsylvania	$45,030	$57,440	$73,690	$86,880	$106,710
Rhode Island	$43,230	$50,910	$69,220	$87,190	$102,230
South Carolina	$42,740	$53,090	$68,210	$79,640	$96,690
South Dakota	$31,130	$40,630	$50,390	$60,630	$71,840
Tennessee	$36,020	$46,470	$63,670	$76,350	$90,040
Texas	$44,360	$54,340	$71,680	$85,310	$103,970
Utah	$40,710	$50,810	$65,960	$78,830	$96,470
Vermont	$46,390	$64,990	$84,460	$98,680	$142,680
Virginia	$53,510	$65,860	$85,470	$105,430	$126,150
Washington	$53,030	$68,610	$86,490	$103,370	$127,460
Wisconsin	$43,110	$51,180	$63,020	$74,550	$82,110
Wyoming	$46,640	$55,950	$64,150	$75,350	$81,900
Puerto Rico	$23,920	$26,950	$38,330	$47,680	$62,180

Annual Average Salary: Top 5 States

The top earning state in the field is District of Columbia, where the average salary is $93,910.

These are the top 5 earning states in the field:

District of Columbia - $93,910

California - $93,830

Massachusetts - $92,350

Washington - $86,490

Virginia - $85,470

Monthly Salary by State

State	10% Monthly	25% Monthly	Avg. Monthly	75% Monthly	90% Monthly
Alabama	$3,583	$4,667	$5,833	$6,833	$8,083
Alaska	$4,083	$4,833	$6,000	$7,083	$8,333
Arizona	$3,833	$4,917	$6,083	$7,250	$8,333
Arkansas	$3,333	$3,833	$5,167	$6,167	$8,417
California	$4,333	$5,583	$7,750	$9,750	$12,167
Colorado	$4,000	$5,083	$6,583	$7,750	$9,167
Connecticut	$4,000	$5,083	$6,833	$8,083	$10,000
Delaware	$3,833	$4,583	$6,333	$7,750	$9,500
District of Columbia	$5,083	$6,583	$7,750	$9,000	$10,417
Florida	$2,750	$3,750	$5,167	$6,333	$7,750
Georgia	$4,417	$5,333	$6,250	$7,250	$8,417
Hawaii	$3,333	$3,750	$5,167	$5,167	$9,750
Idaho	$3,333	$4,167	$5,333	$6,417	$7,083
Illinois	$3,333	$4,333	$5,833	$7,250	$8,583
Indiana	$3,417	$4,083	$5,167	$6,083	$6,833
Iowa	$3,333	$3,667	$4,833	$5,583	$7,250
Kansas	$3,333	$3,917	$5,333	$6,417	$8,167
Kentucky	$3,667	$4,333	$6,250	$6,583	$9,500
Louisiana	$3,000	$4,167	$5,833	$7,500	$8,500
Maine	$3,667	$4,417	$5,417	$6,417	$7,750
Maryland	$4,417	$5,417	$6,917	$8,250	$10,000
Massachusetts	$4,583	$5,583	$7,667	$8,917	$11,000
Michigan	$3,167	$4,250	$5,750	$7,250	$8,417
Minnesota	$3,667	$4,417	$5,750	$6,750	$8,250
Mississippi	- NA -	- NA -	- NA -	- NA -	- NA -
Missouri	$3,083	$4,167	$5,167	$6,167	$7,833
Montana	$2,917	$4,000	$5,167	$6,167	$7,750
Nebraska	$3,417	$3,917	$5,250	$6,417	$7,667
Nevada	$3,833	$4,583	$5,833	$6,667	$8,000
New Hampshire	$4,250	$5,000	$6,667	$8,250	$10,167
New Jersey	$4,000	$5,000	$6,833	$8,500	$10,417
New Mexico	$2,917	$4,500	$5,833	$6,667	$8,750
New York	$3,583	$4,667	$6,500	$8,000	$9,750
North Carolina	$3,833	$4,917	$6,417	$7,833	$9,667
North Dakota	$3,333	$4,000	$5,917	$7,583	$8,583
Ohio	$3,250	$4,083	$5,333	$6,417	$7,833
Oklahoma	$3,083	$3,750	$5,083	$6,250	$7,500
Oregon	$3,667	$4,250	$5,917	$7,167	$9,000
Pennsylvania	$3,750	$4,750	$6,083	$7,167	$8,833
Rhode Island	$3,583	$4,167	$5,750	$7,250	$8,500
South Carolina	$3,500	$4,417	$5,667	$6,583	$8,000
South Dakota	$2,583	$3,333	$4,167	$5,000	$5,917
Tennessee	$3,000	$3,833	$5,250	$6,333	$7,500
Texas	$3,667	$4,500	$5,917	$7,083	$8,583
Utah	$3,333	$4,167	$5,417	$6,500	$8,000
Vermont	$3,833	$5,333	$7,000	$8,167	$11,833
Virginia	$4,417	$5,417	$7,083	$8,750	$10,500
Washington	$4,417	$5,667	$7,167	$8,583	$10,583
Wisconsin	$3,583	$4,250	$5,250	$6,167	$6,833
Wyoming	$3,833	$4,583	$5,333	$6,250	$6,750
Puerto Rico	$1,917	$2,167	$3,167	$3,917	$5,167

Monthly Average Salary: Top 5 States

The top earning state in the field is District of Columbia, where the average salary is $7,750.

These are the top 5 earning states in the field:

District of Columbia - $7,750

California - $7,750

Massachusetts - $7,667

Washington - $7,167

Virginia - $7,083

Hourly Salary by State

State	10% Hourly	25% Hourly	Avg. Hourly	75% Hourly	90% Hourly
Alabama	$21.1	$27.1	$33.72	$39.8	$47.1
Alaska	$23.8	$27.9	$34.92	$41.3	$48.5
Arizona	$22.5	$28.5	$35.29	$42.2	$48.4
Arkansas	$19.6	$22.2	$30.22	$35.8	$48.7
California	$25.4	$32.3	$45.11	$56.3	$70.5
Colorado	$23.3	$29.4	$38.16	$45.0	$53.1
Connecticut	$23.2	$29.5	$39.57	$46.7	$57.8
Delaware	$22.3	$26.8	$36.55	$45.0	$55.1
District of Columbia	$29.5	$38.0	$45.15	$52.1	$60.1
Florida	$16.1	$21.7	$30.03	$36.6	$45.0
Georgia	$25.5	$30.8	$36.46	$41.9	$48.9
Hawaii	$19.3	$21.8	$30.28	$30.1	$56.5
Idaho	$19.3	$24.3	$31.03	$37.3	$41.2
Illinois	$19.5	$25.4	$33.78	$42.0	$49.8
Indiana	$20.1	$24.0	$29.81	$35.5	$39.5
Iowa	$19.5	$21.5	$28.34	$32.2	$41.8
Kansas	$19.4	$22.6	$30.80	$37.0	$47.1
Kentucky	$21.3	$25.2	$36.42	$38.2	$55.1
Louisiana	$17.3	$24.3	$34.03	$43.4	$49.2
Maine	$21.3	$25.8	$31.64	$37.1	$45.1
Maryland	$25.5	$31.2	$40.32	$48.0	$57.8
Massachusetts	$26.5	$32.5	$44.40	$51.6	$63.5
Michigan	$18.6	$24.5	$33.26	$42.0	$48.8
Minnesota	$21.2	$25.8	$33.22	$39.0	$47.8
Mississippi	- NA -	- NA -	- NA -	- NA -	- NA -
Missouri	$18.0	$24.0	$30.23	$35.6	$45.6
Montana	$17.1	$23.1	$30.06	$35.8	$45.1
Nebraska	$19.9	$22.9	$30.42	$37.4	$44.3
Nevada	$22.2	$26.8	$33.88	$38.5	$46.3
New Hampshire	$24.7	$28.8	$38.78	$48.0	$59.0
New Jersey	$23.1	$29.0	$39.82	$49.1	$60.4
New Mexico	$17.2	$26.1	$34.06	$38.6	$50.8
New York	$20.8	$27.2	$37.59	$46.2	$56.4
North Carolina	$22.4	$28.6	$37.31	$45.4	$56.2
North Dakota	$19.2	$23.1	$34.39	$44.0	$49.7
Ohio	$18.7	$23.8	$30.95	$37.2	$45.3
Oklahoma	$18.1	$21.9	$29.58	$36.3	$43.5
Oregon	$21.1	$24.8	$34.27	$41.4	$52.2
Pennsylvania	$21.6	$27.6	$35.43	$41.7	$51.3
Rhode Island	$20.7	$24.4	$33.28	$41.9	$49.1
South Carolina	$20.5	$25.5	$32.79	$38.2	$46.4
South Dakota	$14.9	$19.5	$24.22	$29.1	$34.5
Tennessee	$17.3	$22.3	$30.61	$36.7	$43.2
Texas	$21.3	$26.1	$34.46	$41.0	$49.9
Utah	$19.5	$24.4	$31.71	$37.9	$46.3
Vermont	$22.3	$31.2	$40.61	$47.4	$68.5
Virginia	$25.7	$31.6	$41.09	$50.6	$60.6
Washington	$25.5	$32.9	$41.58	$49.7	$61.2
Wisconsin	$20.7	$24.6	$30.30	$35.8	$39.4
Wyoming	$22.4	$26.9	$30.84	$36.2	$39.3
Puerto Rico	$11.5	$12.9	$18.43	$22.9	$29.8

Hourly Average Salary: Top 5 States

The top earning state in the field is District of Columbia, where the average salary is $45.15.

These are the top 5 earning states in the field:

District of Columbia - $45.15

California - $45.11

Massachusetts - $44.40

Washington - $41.58

Virginia - $41.09

Technical Writers: Salary Overview

Technical writers prepare instruction manuals, journal articles, how-to guides, and other documentation that communicate complex information in an easy-to-understand manner.

Their job duties typically include determining the type of users that will read the documentation, studying product samples, working with technical staff to make the instructions and the products easier to read/use, incorporating graphs, illustrations, photographs, and other graphics that may help the readers understand the information.

Some technical writers also work with scientists to write grant proposals for institutions and research projects.

As a technical writer, you will translate the industry jargon in prose for non-technical readers.

You will prepare a wide range of materials from instruction manuals and how-to-guides to content for training, presentations, and other corporate material.

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You can expect to be asked to create diagrams to show how a product works, so having some graphic design skills is a plus.

Your job is to make sense of content and to make it clear and accessible for the public; you have to reorganize and simplify the content, make it easy to understand.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median annual wage for technical writers was $72,850 in May 2019, which means that half of all workers in this occupation earned less than this sum and half earned more.

The median hourly wage for technical writers was $35.03 but rates range between $20-$55 an hour, depending on the writer’s education, expertise, and the industry of employment.

Annual salaries vary based on a wide range of factors and the lowest 10 percent earned less than $44,320 while the top 10 percent made more than $117,250.

However, most technical writers earn a salary that is between $45,000 and $120,000.

Technical Writer Salary by Industry

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, technical writers held approximately 55,700 jobs in the United States in 2018, most of them working in the field of professional, scientific, and technical services or in the manufacturing field.

According to BLS, the average annual wage reported by technical writers who worked in the field of computer system design and related services was $79,060.

Technical writers in the field of management, scientific, and technical consulting services reported an average annual wage of $74,980 while those who worked in the field of employment services earned, on average, $79,920 per year.

The average annual wage was $74,360 for technical writers who worked in the field of scientific research and development services and $84,980 for those employed in the field of scientific research and development services.

The highest average annual wage was reported by technical writers hired by computer and peripheral equipment manufacturers and by those who worked in the field of electric power generation, transmission, and distribution.

The average annual wage earned by technical writers who specialized in writing about computers and peripheral equipment was $109,580 while those who worked in the field of electric power generation, transmission, and distribution reported a mean annual wage of $94,320.

There are many other factors that determine how much a technical writer makes, including his/her education and area of expertise.

If you have a bachelor’s degree in English or a communication-related subject and technical background in the topics you want to cover, your earning prospects may increase.

Applying from certification offered by the Society of Technical Communication or the American Medical Writers may also help you earn a higher salary.

Job Prospects

Job prospects for technical writers are expected to be good over the next decade.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, overall employment for technical writers is projected to grow 8 percent from 2018 to 2028.

This growth is explained, in part, by the development of high-technology and electronics industries which results in a greater need for writers who can create instruction manuals and translate complex technical information to an user-friendly language.

* Based on information from the May 2019 salary report from the BLS. The figures represent accumulated data for all states of employment for Technical Writers. BLS data represents averages and medians for workers at all levels of education and experience. This data doesn't represent starting salaries.

* Employment conditions in your area may vary.