Editors
Median $77,920
Occupation · SOC 27-3043
Writers and Authors: pay and where the jobs are
What writers and authors earn in the U.S., how pay varies across workers and states, and tools to plan around it.
National pay, May 2025
$76,910 median annual wage
- Mean (average) annual wage
- $86,090
- Median hourly wage
- $36.98
- Mean hourly wage
- $41.39
- Employment
- 47,940
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 27-3043.
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See where your pay falls among writers and authors nationally and in your state. Nothing you type leaves your browser.
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Use these numbers
How much do writers and authors make?
The median annual wage for writers and authors was $76,910 in May 2025, so half of workers earned more and half earned less. The lowest-paid 10% earned less than $44,310 and the highest-paid 10% more than $139,870. As an hourly rate, the median is $36.98. About 47,940 people work in this occupation nationwide. The highest state medians are in District of Columbia ($129,300), Maryland ($104,330) and Connecticut ($98,460). District of Columbia also comes out on top after taxes and local prices.
Pay ladder
What each step of the pay range for writers and authors 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 | $44,310 | $21.31 | $3,693 | $3,149 |
| 25th percentile | $58,230 | $28.00 | $4,853 | $4,081 |
| Median | $76,910 | $36.98 | $6,409 | $5,245 |
| 75th percentile | $101,950 | $49.01 | $8,496 | $6,713 |
| 90th percentile | $139,870 | $67.25 | $11,656 | $8,906 |
Writers and Authors: pay by state
44 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
$83,366 take-home in national prices
2
$78,801 take-home in national prices
3
$73,896 take-home in national prices
Where a median writers and author paycheck goes furthest after 2026 taxes and BEA price levels.
| State | Employment | Median | 10th pct. | 90th pct. | Median after tax* | In national prices† |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| District of Columbia | 1,050 | $129,300 | $74,990 | $172,480 | $91,621 | $83,366 |
| Maryland | 540 | $104,330 | $59,560 | $165,050 | $77,560 | $73,896 |
| Connecticut | 480 | $98,460 | $52,250 | $153,560 | $72,939 | $70,398 |
| Vermont | 110 | $94,430 | $73,290 | $132,810 | $71,533 | $73,024 |
| Louisiana | 480 | $89,520 | $29,740 | $114,810 | $69,508 | $78,801 |
| California | 8,390 | $86,480 | $56,730 | $193,080 | $64,747 | $58,478 |
| Washington | 770 | $85,700 | $50,600 | $129,480 | $67,931 | $63,479 |
| Massachusetts | 1,350 | $85,260 | $58,910 | $138,950 | $64,375 | $60,871 |
| Virginia | 1,530 | $85,000 | $44,190 | $131,040 | $64,554 | $63,849 |
| New Jersey | 1,180 | $81,590 | $49,770 | $128,820 | $62,688 | $57,615 |
| Oregon | 950 | $80,540 | $46,180 | $158,190 | $59,562 | $57,625 |
| Pennsylvania | 1,080 | $77,410 | $40,270 | $178,490 | $60,857 | $62,372 |
| Colorado | 1,300 | $76,830 | $42,810 | $132,630 | $59,870 | $58,097 |
| Indiana | 450 | $75,820 | $51,640 | $128,640 | $59,962 | $64,248 |
| Georgia | 820 | $74,710 | $38,460 | $133,540 | $58,409 | $60,658 |
| Minnesota | 720 | $72,810 | $50,700 | $103,890 | $56,304 | $57,091 |
| New Hampshire | 180 | $71,830 | $43,200 | $132,870 | $59,362 | $56,989 |
| Rhode Island | 110 | $70,190 | $42,060 | $130,000 | $55,421 | $54,186 |
| Texas | 2,320 | $69,990 | $49,070 | $125,240 | $58,068 | $59,829 |
| Illinois | 2,640 | $68,220 | $41,830 | $134,400 | $53,591 | $53,613 |
| Florida | 3,010 | $68,080 | $41,650 | $102,540 | $56,724 | $54,852 |
| Alabama | 180 | $66,950 | $39,830 | $115,210 | $53,117 | $59,801 |
| Ohio | 830 | $65,930 | $40,190 | $101,710 | $53,785 | $57,974 |
| Kansas | 240 | $65,840 | $30,920 | $92,660 | $52,208 | $57,965 |
| Nebraska | 240 | $65,470 | $44,230 | $93,600 | $52,686 | $58,473 |
| Utah | 410 | $64,530 | $36,260 | $101,460 | $51,522 | $52,114 |
| West Virginia | 110 | $64,410 | $24,340 | $103,380 | $51,873 | $57,960 |
| Wisconsin | 710 | $64,370 | $47,410 | $90,880 | $51,589 | $54,826 |
| Nevada | 190 | $63,910 | $40,560 | $83,130 | $53,532 | $53,543 |
| North Carolina | 1,810 | $63,660 | $42,180 | $117,820 | $51,300 | $54,385 |
| Iowa | 290 | $61,010 | $48,260 | $88,560 | $49,535 | $56,442 |
| Tennessee | 1,260 | $58,870 | $38,720 | $100,910 | $49,482 | $53,861 |
| Oklahoma | 220 | $58,770 | $38,230 | $98,230 | $47,303 | $53,849 |
| Missouri | 600 | $58,140 | $42,000 | $98,930 | $47,100 | $51,863 |
| South Dakota | 60 | $56,700 | $45,760 | $68,890 | $47,738 | $53,889 |
| Idaho | 90 | $56,360 | $44,660 | $108,890 | $45,586 | $47,738 |
| Arizona | 600 | $55,990 | $42,300 | $90,990 | $46,162 | $45,852 |
| Mississippi | 130 | $54,180 | $25,820 | $85,550 | $44,278 | $50,922 |
| South Carolina | 520 | $51,920 | $38,210 | $91,140 | $42,771 | $45,623 |
| North Dakota | 80 | $50,860 | $35,000 | $83,920 | $43,046 | $48,389 |
| Wyoming | Not published | $49,650 | $41,170 | $66,510 | $42,074 | $45,391 |
| Kentucky | 350 | $48,780 | $39,580 | $76,010 | $39,785 | $44,128 |
| Arkansas | 270 | $47,970 | $30,560 | $79,350 | $39,437 | $45,362 |
| Puerto Rico | 90 | $43,440 | $30,040 | $66,680 | — | — |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 27-3043. *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.