Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
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Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2020
27-3042 Technical Writers
Write technical materials, such as equipment manuals, appendices, or operating and maintenance instructions. May assist in layout work.
National estimates for Technical Writers
Industry profile for Technical Writers
Geographic profile for Technical Writers
National estimates for Technical Writers:
Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for Technical Writers:
| Employment (1) |
Employment
RSE (3) |
Mean hourly
wage |
Mean annual
wage (2) |
Wage RSE (3) |
| 48,880 |
1.9 % |
$ 37.78 |
$ 78,590 |
0.6 % |
Percentile wage estimates for Technical Writers:
| Percentile |
10% |
25% |
50%
(Median) |
75% |
90% |
| Hourly Wage |
$ 21.88 |
$ 27.86 |
$ 35.89 |
$ 46.01 |
$ 57.23 |
| Annual Wage (2) |
$ 45,510 |
$ 57,960 |
$ 74,650 |
$ 95,690 |
$ 119,040 |
Industry profile for Technical Writers:
Industries with the highest published employment and wages for Technical Writers are provided.
For a list of all industries with employment in Technical Writers, see the Create Customized Tables function.
Industries with the highest levels of employment in Technical Writers:
| Industry |
Employment (1) |
Percent of industry employment |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Computer Systems Design and Related Services |
8,320 |
0.38 |
$ 39.17 |
$ 81,480 |
| Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services |
4,020 |
0.26 |
$ 36.89 |
$ 76,730 |
| Employment Services |
3,250 |
0.10 |
$ 40.15 |
$ 83,500 |
| Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services |
3,200 |
0.21 |
$ 37.25 |
$ 77,490 |
| Scientific Research and Development Services |
2,880 |
0.38 |
$ 42.58 |
$ 88,570 |
Industries with the highest concentration of employment in Technical Writers:
| Industry |
Employment (1) |
Percent of industry employment |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Independent Artists, Writers, and Performers |
390 |
0.81 |
$ 35.08 |
$ 72,970 |
| Software Publishers |
2,170 |
0.44 |
$ 42.17 |
$ 87,720 |
| Newspaper, Periodical, Book, and Directory Publishers |
1,160 |
0.42 |
$ 34.71 |
$ 72,200 |
| Computer Systems Design and Related Services |
8,320 |
0.38 |
$ 39.17 |
$ 81,480 |
| Scientific Research and Development Services |
2,880 |
0.38 |
$ 42.58 |
$ 88,570 |
Top paying industries for Technical Writers:
Geographic profile for Technical Writers:
States and areas with the highest published employment, location quotients, and wages for Technical Writers are provided.
For a list of all areas with employment in Technical Writers, see the Create Customized Tables function.
States with the highest employment level in Technical Writers:
| State |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| California |
6,160 |
0.37 |
1.07 |
$ 45.75 |
$ 95,170 |
| Texas |
4,350 |
0.36 |
1.02 |
$ 35.08 |
$ 72,960 |
| Florida |
2,850 |
0.34 |
0.96 |
$ 30.12 |
$ 62,640 |
| Virginia |
2,580 |
0.70 |
1.99 |
$ 42.05 |
$ 87,470 |
| New Jersey |
2,280 |
0.60 |
1.72 |
$ 41.33 |
$ 85,970 |
States with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Technical Writers:
Top paying states for Technical Writers:
Metropolitan areas with the highest employment level in Technical Writers:
| Metropolitan area |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV |
3,240 |
1.07 |
3.05 |
$ 43.40 |
$ 90,280 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA |
2,770 |
0.31 |
0.89 |
$ 42.35 |
$ 88,090 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH |
2,080 |
0.80 |
2.28 |
$ 45.74 |
$ 95,140 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA |
1,910 |
0.33 |
0.93 |
$ 40.99 |
$ 85,260 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX |
1,750 |
0.49 |
1.38 |
$ 38.64 |
$ 80,370 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA |
1,540 |
0.66 |
1.88 |
$ 53.38 |
$ 111,020 |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD |
1,410 |
0.52 |
1.49 |
$ 39.69 |
$ 82,550 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI |
1,370 |
0.31 |
0.90 |
$ 36.54 |
$ 76,000 |
| Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI |
1,170 |
0.63 |
1.80 |
$ 34.03 |
$ 70,790 |
| Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA |
1,120 |
0.42 |
1.21 |
$ 37.77 |
$ 78,570 |
Metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Technical Writers:
| Metropolitan area |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Crestview-Fort Walton Beach-Destin, FL |
310 |
2.87 |
8.16 |
$ 31.98 |
$ 66,520 |
| California-Lexington Park, MD |
100 |
2.23 |
6.35 |
$ 40.73 |
$ 84,730 |
| Huntsville, AL |
310 |
1.36 |
3.88 |
$ 34.19 |
$ 71,120 |
| Norwich-New London-Westerly, CT-RI |
130 |
1.15 |
3.26 |
$ 41.20 |
$ 85,690 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV |
3,240 |
1.07 |
3.05 |
$ 43.40 |
$ 90,280 |
| Boulder, CO |
190 |
1.07 |
3.04 |
$ 45.84 |
$ 95,360 |
| Logan, UT-ID |
60 |
1.03 |
2.94 |
$ 28.37 |
$ 59,010 |
| Raleigh, NC |
580 |
0.93 |
2.65 |
$ 42.34 |
$ 88,060 |
| Colorado Springs, CO |
260 |
0.93 |
2.64 |
$ 33.80 |
$ 70,300 |
| State College, PA |
60 |
0.93 |
2.64 |
$ 28.58 |
$ 59,450 |
Top paying metropolitan areas for Technical Writers:
| Metropolitan area |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA |
930 |
0.84 |
2.39 |
$ 53.96 |
$ 112,240 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA |
1,540 |
0.66 |
1.88 |
$ 53.38 |
$ 111,020 |
| Trenton, NJ |
210 |
0.92 |
2.63 |
$ 46.28 |
$ 96,270 |
| Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA |
130 |
0.43 |
1.21 |
$ 46.04 |
$ 95,770 |
| Boulder, CO |
190 |
1.07 |
3.04 |
$ 45.84 |
$ 95,360 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH |
2,080 |
0.80 |
2.28 |
$ 45.74 |
$ 95,140 |
| Durham-Chapel Hill, NC |
180 |
0.57 |
1.63 |
$ 45.33 |
$ 94,290 |
| Kennewick-Richland, WA |
90 |
0.79 |
2.24 |
$ 45.18 |
$ 93,970 |
| Santa Rosa, CA |
30 |
0.17 |
0.49 |
$ 45.14 |
$ 93,890 |
| Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA |
40 |
0.22 |
0.62 |
$ 44.63 |
$ 92,830 |
Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest employment in Technical Writers:
Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Technical Writers:
Top paying nonmetropolitan areas for Technical Writers:
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
