Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
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Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2020
27-3043 Writers and Authors
Originate and prepare written material, such as scripts, stories, advertisements, and other material. Excludes "News Analysts, Reporters, and Journalists" (27-3023), "Public Relations Specialists" (27-3031), and "Technical Writers" (27-3042).
National estimates for Writers and Authors
Industry profile for Writers and Authors
Geographic profile for Writers and Authors
National estimates for Writers and Authors:
Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for Writers and Authors:
| Employment (1) |
Employment
RSE (3) |
Mean hourly
wage |
Mean annual
wage (2) |
Wage RSE (3) |
| 44,240 |
2.2 % |
$ 37.82 |
$ 78,680 |
1.5 % |
Percentile wage estimates for Writers and Authors:
| Percentile |
10% |
25% |
50%
(Median) |
75% |
90% |
| Hourly Wage |
$ 17.25 |
$ 23.70 |
$ 32.27 |
$ 45.24 |
$ 64.17 |
| Annual Wage (2) |
$ 35,880 |
$ 49,310 |
$ 67,120 |
$ 94,090 |
$ 133,460 |
Industry profile for Writers and Authors:
Industries with the highest published employment and wages for Writers and Authors are provided.
For a list of all industries with employment in Writers and Authors, see the Create Customized Tables function.
Industries with the highest levels of employment in Writers and Authors:
| Industry |
Employment (1) |
Percent of industry employment |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Advertising, Public Relations, and Related Services |
6,070 |
1.34 |
$ 37.42 |
$ 77,830 |
| Newspaper, Periodical, Book, and Directory Publishers |
4,070 |
1.49 |
$ 31.60 |
$ 65,720 |
| Independent Artists, Writers, and Performers |
4,060 |
8.40 |
$ 51.49 |
$ 107,110 |
| Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services |
3,650 |
0.24 |
$ 38.57 |
$ 80,230 |
| Other Information Services |
2,880 |
0.83 |
$ 33.21 |
$ 69,070 |
Industries with the highest concentration of employment in Writers and Authors:
| Industry |
Employment (1) |
Percent of industry employment |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Independent Artists, Writers, and Performers |
4,060 |
8.40 |
$ 51.49 |
$ 107,110 |
| Newspaper, Periodical, Book, and Directory Publishers |
4,070 |
1.49 |
$ 31.60 |
$ 65,720 |
| Advertising, Public Relations, and Related Services |
6,070 |
1.34 |
$ 37.42 |
$ 77,830 |
| Other Information Services |
2,880 |
0.83 |
$ 33.21 |
$ 69,070 |
| Radio and Television Broadcasting |
1,300 |
0.64 |
$ 37.53 |
$ 78,060 |
Top paying industries for Writers and Authors:
| Industry |
Employment (1) |
Percent of industry employment |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services |
150 |
0.01 |
$ 56.73 |
$ 117,990 |
| Independent Artists, Writers, and Performers |
4,060 |
8.40 |
$ 51.49 |
$ 107,110 |
| Motion Picture and Video Industries |
2,010 |
0.61 |
$ 51.13 |
$ 106,340 |
| Federal Executive Branch (OEWS Designation) |
1,020 |
0.05 |
$ 50.10 |
$ 104,200 |
| Civic and Social Organizations |
250 |
0.09 |
$ 48.07 |
$ 99,990 |
Geographic profile for Writers and Authors:
States and areas with the highest published employment, location quotients, and wages for Writers and Authors are provided.
For a list of all areas with employment in Writers and Authors, see the Create Customized Tables function.
States with the highest employment level in Writers and Authors:
| State |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| California |
7,910 |
0.48 |
1.51 |
$ 49.15 |
$ 102,230 |
| New York |
6,700 |
0.77 |
2.42 |
$ 46.10 |
$ 95,880 |
| Texas |
2,560 |
0.21 |
0.67 |
$ 28.19 |
$ 58,640 |
| Florida |
1,930 |
0.23 |
0.72 |
$ 32.80 |
$ 68,230 |
| Pennsylvania |
1,620 |
0.29 |
0.92 |
$ 32.00 |
$ 66,570 |
States with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Writers and Authors:
| State |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| District of Columbia |
1,350 |
1.96 |
6.16 |
$ 50.35 |
$ 104,720 |
| New York |
6,700 |
0.77 |
2.42 |
$ 46.10 |
$ 95,880 |
| New Hampshire |
360 |
0.58 |
1.81 |
$ 30.35 |
$ 63,130 |
| Utah |
780 |
0.52 |
1.65 |
$ 24.92 |
$ 51,840 |
| Vermont |
140 |
0.48 |
1.52 |
$ 36.64 |
$ 76,210 |
Top paying states for Writers and Authors:
Metropolitan areas with the highest employment level in Writers and Authors:
| Metropolitan area |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA |
7,090 |
0.80 |
2.52 |
$ 46.15 |
$ 95,990 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA |
4,690 |
0.81 |
2.53 |
$ 51.93 |
$ 108,010 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV |
2,440 |
0.81 |
2.53 |
$ 45.90 |
$ 95,470 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI |
1,400 |
0.32 |
1.01 |
$ 36.06 |
$ 75,000 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA |
1,360 |
0.58 |
1.83 |
$ 50.13 |
$ 104,270 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA |
1,240 |
0.63 |
2.00 |
$ 38.39 |
$ 79,840 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH |
1,120 |
0.43 |
1.35 |
$ 43.36 |
$ 90,190 |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD |
1,060 |
0.39 |
1.24 |
$ 33.70 |
$ 70,100 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX |
970 |
0.27 |
0.85 |
$ 29.18 |
$ 60,690 |
| Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA |
850 |
0.32 |
1.02 |
$ 33.60 |
$ 69,880 |
Metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Writers and Authors:
| Metropolitan area |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Provo-Orem, UT |
320 |
1.28 |
4.01 |
$ 21.82 |
$ 45,380 |
| Manchester, NH |
120 |
1.12 |
3.52 |
$ 30.02 |
$ 62,430 |
| Dover-Durham, NH-ME |
50 |
0.95 |
2.98 |
$ 29.63 |
$ 61,640 |
| Ann Arbor, MI |
190 |
0.90 |
2.84 |
$ 25.24 |
$ 52,500 |
| Ithaca, NY |
40 |
0.84 |
2.64 |
$ 30.04 |
$ 62,480 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV |
2,440 |
0.81 |
2.53 |
$ 45.90 |
$ 95,470 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA |
4,690 |
0.81 |
2.53 |
$ 51.93 |
$ 108,010 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA |
7,090 |
0.80 |
2.52 |
$ 46.15 |
$ 95,990 |
| Charlottesville, VA |
80 |
0.77 |
2.41 |
$ 35.00 |
$ 72,800 |
| Medford, OR |
50 |
0.65 |
2.04 |
$ 24.50 |
$ 50,960 |
Top paying metropolitan areas for Writers and Authors:
| Metropolitan area |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Portland-South Portland, ME |
40 |
0.21 |
0.65 |
$ 55.17 |
$ 114,740 |
| Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, CT |
240 |
0.65 |
2.04 |
$ 53.31 |
$ 110,890 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA |
4,690 |
0.81 |
2.53 |
$ 51.93 |
$ 108,010 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA |
1,360 |
0.58 |
1.83 |
$ 50.13 |
$ 104,270 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA |
440 |
0.40 |
1.25 |
$ 49.79 |
$ 103,560 |
| Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT |
130 |
0.24 |
0.76 |
$ 48.81 |
$ 101,530 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA |
7,090 |
0.80 |
2.52 |
$ 46.15 |
$ 95,990 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV |
2,440 |
0.81 |
2.53 |
$ 45.90 |
$ 95,470 |
| Sacramento--Roseville--Arden-Arcade, CA |
130 |
0.14 |
0.44 |
$ 44.98 |
$ 93,550 |
| Boulder, CO |
90 |
0.52 |
1.63 |
$ 43.77 |
$ 91,040 |
Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest employment in Writers and Authors:
Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Writers and Authors:
Top paying nonmetropolitan areas for Writers and Authors:
About May 2020 National, State, Metropolitan, and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
These estimates are calculated with data collected from employers in all industry sectors, all metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas, and all states and the District of Columbia.
The top employment and wage figures are provided above. The complete list is available in the downloadable XLS files.
The percentile wage estimate is the value of a wage below which a certain percent of workers fall.
The median wage is the 50th percentile wage estimate—50 percent of workers earn less than the median and 50 percent of workers earn more than the median.
More about percentile wages.
(1) Estimates for detailed occupations do not sum to the totals because the totals include occupations not shown separately. Estimates do not include self-employed workers.
(2) Annual wages have been calculated by multiplying the hourly mean wage by a "year-round, full-time" hours figure of 2,080 hours;
for those occupations where there is not an hourly wage published, the annual wage has been directly calculated from the reported survey data.
(3) The relative standard error (RSE) is a measure of the reliability of a survey statistic. The smaller the relative standard error, the more precise the estimate.
(8) Estimate not released.
(9) The location quotient is the ratio of the area concentration of occupational employment to the national average concentration.
A location quotient greater than one indicates the occupation has a higher share of employment than average, and a location quotient less than one indicates the occupation is less prevalent in the area than average.
Other OEWS estimates and related information:
May 2020 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
May 2020 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
May 2020 Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
May 2020 National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
May 2020 Occupation Profiles
Technical Notes
Last Modified Date: March 31, 2021
United States Department of Labor
