Writers and Authors Salary - BLS OEWS Wage Benchmarks
SOC 27-3043 · National · May 2024 OEWS Data
Median Annual Salary
$72,280
$34.75/hr
Verified BLS OEWS data · Updated Apr 3, 2025
Source: BLS OEWS · Published Apr 2, 2025
Next refresh: May 15, 2026
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The national median salary for Writers and Authors is $72,280 per year ($34.75/hr) according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2024. The middle 50% of earners make between $52,894 and $98,322 annually. Top earners at the 90th percentile reach $133,682 per year. There are approximately 47,800 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
Advertising, Public Relations, and Related Services
NAICS 541800
7K
$68,200
Newspaper, Periodical, Book, and Directory Publishers
NAICS 513100
6K
$62,370
Independent Artists, Writers, and Performers
NAICS 711500
4K
N/A
Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services
NAICS 541600
4K
$65,280
Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools
NAICS 611300
2K
$73,930
Wage range across top 5 industries: $62,370 to $73,930 (19% spread)
Wage Percentiles
Hourly & annualized (2,080 hours)
Percentile
Hourly Rate
Annual Salary
P10
$19.75
$41,080
P25
$25.43
$52,894
P50MEDIAN
$34.75
$72,280
P75
$47.27
$98,322
P90
$64.27
$133,682
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 $72,280 per year ($34.75/hr) according to BLS OEWS May 2024 data. The middle 50% earn between $52,894 and $98,322 annually.
How much do top-earning writers and authors make?
The 90th percentile salary for Writers and Authors is $133,682 per year ($64.27/hr). The 75th percentile is $98,322 per year.
What is the entry-level salary for writers and authors?
Entry-level Writers and Authors (10th percentile) earn approximately $41,080 per year ($19.75/hr). The 25th percentile is $52,894 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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