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The national median salary for Technical Writers is $91,666 per year ($44.07/hr) according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2024. The middle 50% of earners make between $68,640 and $102,752 annually. Top earners at the 90th percentile reach $130,437 per year. There are approximately 55,530 technical writers employed in the United States.
About This Role
BLS Standard Occupational Classification 2018
Write technical materials, such as equipment manuals, appendices, or operating and maintenance instructions. May assist in layout work.
Career Outlook
BLS Employment Projections · 2024-2034
10-year growth
+0.9%
Little or no change
Annual openings
5K
per year, on avg
Workforce today
56K
as of 2024
Why those openings exist
1% from new growth99% from people leaving the role
Most openings come from replacement, not growth. Retention matters more than recruiting here.
Typical entry requirements
Education
Bachelor's degree
Experience
Less than 5 years
On-the-job training
Short-term on-the-job training
Industry Wage Breakdown
Top 5 industries by employment · median annual wage, sector-specific
Industry
Workforce
Median Pay
Computer Systems Design and Related Services
NAICS 541500
7K
$89,990
Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services
NAICS 541600
4K
$85,420
Employment Services
NAICS 561300
3K
$96,240
Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services
NAICS 541300
3K
$80,010
Scientific Research and Development Services
NAICS 541700
3K
$100,870
Wage range across top 5 industries: $80,010 to $100,870 (26% spread)
Wage Percentiles
Hourly & annualized (2,080 hours)
Percentile
Hourly Rate
Annual Salary
P10
$26.16
$54,413
P25
$33.00
$68,640
P50MEDIAN
$44.07
$91,666
P75
$49.40
$102,752
P90
$62.71
$130,437
Market Context Signal
JOLTS · professional sector
Cooling
Openings Rate
4.2%
Quits Rate
2.0%
Professional & Business Services openings tumbled 318K in March -- the largest single-sector drop in this release. Openings rate fell from 5.5% to 4.2%. Layoffs jumped to 527K (+99K). White-collar demand has cooled abruptly.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the average technical writers salary?
The national median salary for Technical Writers is $91,666 per year ($44.07/hr) according to BLS OEWS May 2024 data. The middle 50% earn between $68,640 and $102,752 annually.
How much do top-earning technical writers make?
The 90th percentile salary for Technical Writers is $130,437 per year ($62.71/hr). The 75th percentile is $102,752 per year.
What is the entry-level salary for technical writers?
Entry-level Technical Writers (10th percentile) earn approximately $54,413 per year ($26.16/hr). The 25th percentile is $68,640 per year.
Wage figures on this page come from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2024 release. OEWS surveys roughly 1.1 million establishments annually. It is the most comprehensive employer-reported wage dataset in the United States.
P10 through P90 percentiles represent the wage distribution across all surveyed employers (not self-reported by workers). Geographic adjustments use BLS-derived cost multipliers calibrated from regional wage variation.
Wages are estimates. Individual compensation depends on experience, education, employer size, industry, and negotiation. Use this as benchmark context, not absolute ground truth.
CompSignal is a free labor market intelligence tool built for HR, compensation, and talent acquisition teams. We make BLS data, the same primary source Mercer and Radford cross-reference in their paid surveys, searchable and actionable without an enterprise subscription.
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