Writers and Authors Salary - BLS OEWS Wage Benchmarks
SOC 27-3043 · National · May 2025 OEWS Data
Median Annual Salary
$76,918
$36.98/hr
Verified BLS OEWS data · Updated May 18, 2026
Source: BLS OEWS · Published May 15, 2026
Next refresh: May 2027
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The national median salary for Writers and Authors is $76,918 per year ($36.98/hr) according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2025. The middle 50% of earners make between $58,240 and $101,941 annually. Top earners at the 90th percentile reach $139,880 per year. There are approximately 47,940 writers and authors employed in the United States.
About This Role
BLS Standard Occupational Classification 2018
Originate and prepare written material, such as scripts, stories, advertisements, and other material.
Career Outlook
BLS Employment Projections · 2024-2034
10-year growth
+3.6%
About as fast as average
Annual openings
13K
per year, on avg
Workforce today
135K
as of 2024
Why those openings exist
4% from new growth96% 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
None
On-the-job training
Long-term on-the-job training
Industry Wage Breakdown
Top 5 industries by employment · median annual wage, sector-specific
Industry
Workforce
Median Pay
Independent Artists, Writers, and Performers
NAICS 711500
7K
$60,230
Advertising, Public Relations, and Related Services
NAICS 541800
6K
$79,440
Newspaper, Periodical, Book, and Directory Publishers
NAICS 513100
5K
$64,700
Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services
NAICS 541600
4K
$72,370
Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools
NAICS 611300
2K
$76,110
Wage range across top 5 industries: $60,230 to $79,440 (32% spread)
Wage Percentiles
Hourly & annualized (2,080 hours)
Percentile
Hourly Rate
Annual Salary
P10
$21.31
$44,325
P25
$28.00
$58,240
P50MEDIAN
$36.98
$76,918
P75
$49.01
$101,941
P90
$67.25
$139,880
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 writers and authors salary?
The national median salary for Writers and Authors is $76,918 per year ($36.98/hr) according to BLS OEWS May 2025 data. The middle 50% earn between $58,240 and $101,941 annually.
How much do top-earning writers and authors make?
The 90th percentile salary for Writers and Authors is $139,880 per year ($67.25/hr). The 75th percentile is $101,941 per year.
What is the entry-level salary for writers and authors?
Entry-level Writers and Authors (10th percentile) earn approximately $44,325 per year ($21.31/hr). The 25th percentile is $58,240 per year.
Wage figures on this page come from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2025 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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