Technical Writers
Median $90,390
Occupation · SOC 27-3041
Editors: pay and where the jobs are
What editors earn in the U.S., how pay varies across workers and states, and tools to plan around it.
National pay, May 2025
$77,920 median annual wage
- Mean (average) annual wage
- $90,060
- Median hourly wage
- $37.46
- Mean hourly wage
- $43.30
- Employment
- 91,690
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 27-3041.
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Use these numbers
How much do editors make?
The median annual wage for editors was $77,920 in May 2025, so half of workers earned more and half earned less. The lowest-paid 10% earned less than $41,250 and the highest-paid 10% more than $153,700. As an hourly rate, the median is $37.46. About 91,690 people work in this occupation nationwide. The highest state medians are in New York ($101,480), California ($98,030) and Connecticut ($85,950). New York also comes out on top after taxes and local prices.
Pay ladder
What each step of the pay range for editors looks like per month. Take-home here includes federal tax, Social Security and Medicare for a single filer; add your state in the paycheck calculator.
| Step | Annual | Hourly | Monthly gross | Monthly after federal tax & FICA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $41,250 | $19.83 | $3,438 | $2,944 |
| 25th percentile | $57,300 | $27.55 | $4,775 | $4,018 |
| Median | $77,920 | $37.46 | $6,493 | $5,304 |
| 75th percentile | $106,100 | $51.01 | $8,842 | $6,956 |
| 90th percentile | $153,700 | $73.90 | $12,808 | $9,693 |
Editors: pay by state
51 states and territories have a published median, sorted from highest to lowest. The last two columns are our estimates: the median after 2026 federal and state taxes, and that take-home restated in national-average prices.
1
$69,339 take-home in national prices
2
$64,711 take-home in national prices
3
$62,628 take-home in national prices
Where a median editor paycheck goes furthest after 2026 taxes and BEA price levels.
| State | Employment | Median | 10th pct. | 90th pct. | Median after tax* | In national prices† |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York | 16,800 | $101,480 | $57,910 | $179,370 | $74,831 | $69,339 |
| California | 14,830 | $98,030 | $52,510 | $173,590 | $71,648 | $64,711 |
| Connecticut | 1,050 | $85,950 | $47,020 | $145,340 | $64,889 | $62,628 |
| District of Columbia | 3,310 | $83,920 | $64,440 | $170,460 | $63,703 | $57,964 |
| Massachusetts | 3,100 | $83,170 | $47,320 | $136,360 | $63,019 | $59,589 |
| New Jersey | 2,120 | $81,680 | $53,150 | $138,610 | $62,745 | $57,668 |
| Virginia | 2,720 | $80,590 | $45,760 | $144,810 | $61,705 | $61,031 |
| Rhode Island | 340 | $77,960 | $50,900 | $102,890 | $60,511 | $59,162 |
| Colorado | 1,830 | $77,870 | $44,570 | $115,940 | $60,551 | $58,758 |
| Washington | 1,860 | $77,850 | $50,320 | $128,630 | $62,518 | $58,421 |
| Georgia | 1,920 | $76,650 | $46,080 | $124,000 | $59,677 | $61,974 |
| Illinois | 4,560 | $76,060 | $46,410 | $107,850 | $58,718 | $58,743 |
| Maryland | 1,850 | $75,550 | $46,740 | $124,990 | $58,757 | $55,981 |
| Delaware | 170 | $75,020 | $41,770 | $106,420 | $57,696 | $57,807 |
| Florida | 3,790 | $73,950 | $43,230 | $121,380 | $60,854 | $58,845 |
| North Carolina | 1,870 | $73,740 | $44,050 | $103,990 | $58,273 | $61,778 |
| Nevada | Not published | $72,510 | $42,520 | $104,370 | $59,841 | $59,853 |
| Ohio | 1,800 | $72,160 | $37,440 | $124,730 | $58,054 | $62,575 |
| Oregon | 1,110 | $71,540 | $44,660 | $111,390 | $53,911 | $52,158 |
| Vermont | 240 | $66,860 | $48,320 | $143,630 | $53,957 | $55,082 |
| New Hampshire | 250 | $66,510 | $47,870 | $113,570 | $55,620 | $53,396 |
| Utah | 590 | $65,040 | $40,470 | $119,680 | $51,903 | $52,499 |
| Wisconsin | 1,510 | $64,270 | $39,470 | $102,530 | $51,514 | $54,747 |
| New Mexico | 230 | $64,250 | $38,390 | $116,640 | $51,951 | $56,338 |
| Alaska | 60 | $63,630 | $43,030 | $106,250 | $53,036 | $51,813 |
| Pennsylvania | 3,240 | $63,460 | $37,240 | $114,560 | $51,177 | $52,451 |
| Alabama | 530 | $63,330 | $35,600 | $103,890 | $50,410 | $56,753 |
| Arizona | 820 | $63,090 | $42,360 | $109,090 | $51,689 | $51,342 |
| Michigan | 1,690 | $63,090 | $33,230 | $99,980 | $50,442 | $52,425 |
| Minnesota | 1,970 | $62,650 | $43,370 | $102,270 | $49,507 | $50,199 |
| South Carolina | 500 | $62,000 | $39,380 | $119,660 | $50,202 | $53,549 |
| Kansas | 500 | $61,920 | $35,690 | $107,140 | $49,277 | $54,711 |
| Montana | 200 | $61,750 | $32,190 | $122,940 | $49,651 | $52,460 |
| Missouri | 880 | $61,620 | $36,060 | $104,680 | $49,733 | $54,762 |
| North Dakota | 200 | $60,520 | $30,660 | $92,930 | $50,808 | $57,114 |
| Tennessee | 1,390 | $59,550 | $37,600 | $105,010 | $50,028 | $54,456 |
| Kentucky | 490 | $59,430 | $39,040 | $149,990 | $47,970 | $53,206 |
| Louisiana | 330 | $58,860 | $36,680 | $97,740 | $48,094 | $54,525 |
| Iowa | 900 | $57,200 | $38,050 | $108,820 | $46,618 | $53,119 |
| South Dakota | 140 | $56,730 | $47,770 | $79,180 | $47,763 | $53,917 |
| West Virginia | 260 | $56,630 | $28,180 | $100,910 | $45,958 | $51,352 |
| Indiana | 830 | $56,440 | $30,860 | $99,380 | $45,894 | $49,174 |
| Hawaii | 100 | $55,070 | $32,930 | $107,200 | $43,764 | $39,803 |
| Mississippi | 290 | $54,380 | $28,440 | $83,200 | $44,431 | $51,098 |
| Oklahoma | 500 | $50,780 | $31,550 | $85,730 | $41,242 | $46,950 |
| Arkansas | 260 | $50,180 | $28,840 | $76,950 | $41,131 | $47,311 |
| Maine | 300 | $50,180 | $33,170 | $121,320 | $40,539 | $41,772 |
| Wyoming | 110 | $46,710 | $29,590 | $82,920 | $39,711 | $42,843 |
| Nebraska | 360 | $46,320 | $32,280 | $72,740 | $38,170 | $42,363 |
| Texas | 6,460 | $45,950 | $29,040 | $105,440 | $39,101 | $40,286 |
| Puerto Rico | 300 | $39,640 | $28,370 | $77,640 | — | — |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 27-3041. *Our estimate for a single filer paid biweekly with no pre-tax deductions or local tax, 2026 federal and state rules. †Take-home ÷ BEA Regional Price Parity × 100 (2024 price levels).
Sources
- OEWS May 2025 (oesm25nat.zip) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Accessed 2026-10-09.
- OEWS May 2025 (oesm25st.zip) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Accessed 2026-10-09.