How Much Do Writers Make?

Having a clear understanding of earnings potential is important, especially if you are researching career paths or considering changing jobs. If you're one of those people, and you're curious what kind of salary writers make, you've come to the right place.

Using data from Lightcast,™ the Best Adult Colleges and Careers Guide has compiled rich information about salary for writers and related jobs, including details about average compensation, salary trends and job growth. We've also gathered advertised salaries from actual job postings to provide insight into what employers of writers are offering as compensation.

Keep reading to learn more about how much writers can expect to make in the United States.

At a Glance: Salary & Jobs for Writers

According to data from 2023, there were about 50,432 positions for writers in the United States. In terms of salary, the national median salary for writers was reported to be $73,694. Additionally, when examining job demand, employers across the country posted 45,995 job postings related to positions for writers.

How Much Money Do Writers Make?

Median salary is just one data point. To build a better understanding of how much money writers and related positions can expect to make in the United States, it can be helpful to look at the full range of compensation for those jobs.

Let's look more deeply at data that was reported to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) for detail into the lowest and highest salary earnings for writers.

Annual Salary for Writers

According to the BLS, the lowest earners for writers and related professions earned about $40,914 per year in 2023. Meanwhile, at the other end of the spectrum, the highest earners made about $148,242 annually.

As mentioned previously, the median salary for writers in the United States in 2023 was $73,694.

Hourly Salary for Writers

The BLS also breaks down compensation for writers by hourly salary, and the median average hourly pay for writers in 2023 was $35. Lowest hourly earners took home $20 while the highest reported hourly salaries for writers was $71.

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Advertised Compensation for Writers

Data from the BLS is one way to dig into compensation for writers, but another way to build a more real-time understanding of salary is to look at actual job postings and see what compensation organizations are currently providing to fill open positions for writers.

Keep in mind that salary data is not included in every job posting, so the information compiled here is reflective of the data available through Lightcast.™

Annual Salary from Job Postings for Writers

During a review of 41,783 job postings related to writers, advertised salary was included in 17,499 of them, which was 42%. Based on those postings, the median advertised salary for writers was $43,904 per year.

Hourly Salary from Job Postings for Writers

A similar analysis of job postings provides insight into advertised hourly salary for writers. Based on 38% of postings with advertised compensation, the median hourly salary for open positions for writers in the United States is about $21.

Salary Trend for Writers

If you're thinking about pursuing a career in the field, you may want to understand how compensation has changed over time for writers. The chart below provides a snapshot of advertised salaries over the past three years.

Based on compensation data that was included in job postings for writers dating back to September 2020, advertised salaries for writers have decreased 16%.

What's the Job Growth for Writers?

Another data point that someone thinking about a career path should consider is whether or not jobs are expected to see growth in the future. The chart below looks at projected employment for writers over the next 10 years.

According to the data obtained through Lightcast,™ there were 50,499 jobs for writers in the United States in 2023. By 2033, it is expected that about 4,977 jobs will be added. That's a 9.9% increase over the next 10-year period.

Additional Links

Ready to dig deeper into career information about writers? Visit our other pages focused on salary and education for writers.

What do writers do?
Writers: How do you become one?

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