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Technical Writer salary
Average technical writer salary
$65,329
How much does a technical writer make?
The average technical writer salary in the United States is $65,329. Technical writer salaries typically range between $48,000 and $87,000 yearly. The average hourly rate for technical writers is $31.41 per hour.
Technical writer salary is impacted by location, education, and experience. Technical writers earn the highest average salary in California.
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Where can a Technical Writer earn more?
Technical Writer Salaries By Experience Level
Experience Level  | Avg. Salary | Hourly Rate |
|---|---|---|
| Entry-level technical writer | $44,300 | $21.31 |
| Mid-level technical writer | $70,600 | $33.96 |
| Senior-level technical writer | $97,000 | $46.62 |
Technical Writer salary estimates from across the web
Average technical writer salary by state
The average technical writer salary in California, Washington, and Massachusetts are the highest in the U.S. The lowest average technical writer salary states are West Virginia, Florida, and Mississippi.
- State View
- County View
Highest paying states for technical writers
| Rank | State | Avg. Salary | Hourly Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nevada | $71,298 | $34.28 |
| 2 | North Dakota | $66,465 | $31.95 |
| 3 | North Carolina | $66,590 | $32.01 |
| 4 | District of Columbia | $77,917 | $37.46 |
| 5 | Arizona | $65,682 | $31.58 |
| 6 | Massachusetts | $75,434 | $36.27 |
| 7 | Washington | $76,826 | $36.94 |
| 8 | Pennsylvania | $63,906 | $30.72 |
| 9 | California | $79,844 | $38.39 |
| 10 | Georgia | $64,005 | $30.77 |
| 11 | Oregon | $68,309 | $32.84 |
| 12 | Colorado | $63,902 | $30.72 |
| 13 | Maryland | $70,388 | $33.84 |
| 14 | Wyoming | $64,652 | $31.08 |
| 15 | Vermont | $66,616 | $32.03 |
| 16 | Texas | $59,885 | $28.79 |
| 17 | Connecticut | $63,642 | $30.60 |
| 18 | Virginia | $66,564 | $32.00 |
| 19 | Illinois | $59,928 | $28.81 |
| 20 | New Hampshire | $65,737 | $31.60 |
| 21 | Alaska | $61,757 | $29.69 |
| 22 | Michigan | $59,051 | $28.39 |
| 23 | Ohio | $58,901 | $28.32 |
| 24 | New York | $60,924 | $29.29 |
| 25 | New Mexico | $58,256 | $28.01 |
| 26 | Kansas | $58,473 | $28.11 |
| 27 | New Jersey | $65,970 | $31.72 |
| 28 | Minnesota | $58,427 | $28.09 |
| 29 | South Dakota | $57,473 | $27.63 |
| 30 | Delaware | $58,688 | $28.22 |
| 31 | Wisconsin | $56,507 | $27.17 |
| 32 | Tennessee | $56,387 | $27.11 |
| 33 | Rhode Island | $59,140 | $28.43 |
| 34 | Arkansas | $54,089 | $26.00 |
| 35 | Montana | $58,798 | $28.27 |
| 36 | Missouri | $56,580 | $27.20 |
| 37 | Louisiana | $56,958 | $27.38 |
| 38 | Maine | $56,525 | $27.18 |
| 39 | Alabama | $54,606 | $26.25 |
| 40 | Nebraska | $50,641 | $24.35 |
| 41 | Utah | $56,143 | $26.99 |
| 42 | South Carolina | $52,826 | $25.40 |
| 43 | Florida | $51,156 | $24.59 |
| 44 | Kentucky | $51,874 | $24.94 |
| 45 | West Virginia | $51,357 | $24.69 |
| 46 | Oklahoma | $51,932 | $24.97 |
| 47 | Hawaii | $57,654 | $27.72 |
| 48 | Idaho | $54,322 | $26.12 |
| 49 | Mississippi | $51,081 | $24.56 |
| 50 | Indiana | $46,828 | $22.51 |
| 51 | Iowa | $48,448 | $23.29 |
Highest paying cities for technical writers
The highest-paying cities for technical writers are San Francisco, CA, Washington, DC, and Seattle, WA.
| Rank | City | Avg. Salary | Hourly Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Francisco, CA | $86,857 | $41.76 |
| 2 | Washington, DC | $77,948 | $37.48 |
| 3 | Seattle, WA | $77,570 | $37.29 |
| 4 | Natick, MA | $75,512 | $36.30 |
| 5 | Annapolis, MD | $70,547 | $33.92 |
| 6 | Portland, OR | $68,190 | $32.78 |
| 7 | Raleigh, NC | $66,951 | $32.19 |
| 8 | Arlington, VA | $66,926 | $32.18 |
| 9 | Phoenix, AZ | $65,866 | $31.67 |
| 10 | Philadelphia, PA | $64,197 | $30.86 |
| 11 | Atlanta, GA | $64,095 | $30.81 |
| 12 | Colorado Springs, CO | $64,047 | $30.79 |
| 13 | New York, NY | $61,007 | $29.33 |
| 14 | Austin, TX | $60,154 | $28.92 |
| 15 | Chicago, IL | $60,047 | $28.87 |
| 16 | Columbus, OH | $58,871 | $28.30 |
| 17 | Minneapolis, MN | $58,378 | $28.07 |
| 18 | Saint Louis, MO | $56,838 | $27.33 |
| 19 | Portland, ME | $56,686 | $27.25 |
| 20 | Madison, WI | $56,301 | $27.07 |
Technical Writers are the most in-demand in these five cities:
Technical Writer salary details
A technical writer's salary ranges from $48,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $87,000 at the 90th percentile.
What is a technical writer's salary?
| Percentile | Annual Salary | Monthly Salary | Hourly Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $87,000 | $7,250 | $42 |
| 75th Percentile | $76,000 | $6,333 | $37 |
| Average | $65,329 | $5,444 | $31 |
| 25th Percentile | $55,000 | $4,583 | $26 |
| 10th Percentile | $48,000 | $4,000 | $23 |
Highest paying technical writer jobs
The highest paying types of technical writers are senior editor, managing editor, and senior writer.
| Job Title | Annual Salary | Monthly Salary | Hourly Rate | Job Openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Publisher | $71,539 | $5,962 | $34.39 | 10,303 |
| Editor | $52,107 | $4,342 | $25.05 | 15,115 |
| Production Editor | $53,275 | $4,440 | $25.61 | 62,877 |
| News Editor | $53,822 | $4,485 | $25.88 | 12,484 |
| Journalist | $60,828 | $5,069 | $29.24 | 11,488 |
| Managing Editor | $89,060 | $7,422 | $42.82 | 16,781 |
Top companies hiring technical writers now:
Which companies pay technical writers the most?
Technical writer salaries at Meta and Riverbed Holdings, Inc. are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average technical writer salary at companies like Google and Apple are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average Salary | Hourly Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Meta | $103,415 | $49.72 |
| 2 | Riverbed Holdings, Inc. | $99,590 | $47.88 |
| 3 | $99,590 | $47.88 | |
| 4 | Apple | $99,467 | $47.82 |
| 5 | Microsoft | $94,023 | $45.20 |
| 6 | ResMed | $92,440 | $44.44 |
| 7 | Amazon | $91,655 | $44.06 |
| 8 | Cisco | $90,634 | $43.57 |
| 9 | Workday | $90,201 | $43.37 |
| 10 | Zoox | $90,188 | $43.36 |
| 11 | Getaround | $89,125 | $42.85 |
| 12 | PlayStation | $88,831 | $42.71 |
| 13 | Applied Materials | $87,698 | $42.16 |
| 14 | F5 | $87,310 | $41.98 |
| 15 | Intel | $86,844 | $41.75 |
| 16 | KLA | $84,100 | $40.43 |
| 17 | Adobe | $83,965 | $40.37 |
| 18 | Visa | $83,710 | $40.25 |
| 19 | Stryker | $82,880 | $39.85 |
| 20 | TS Imagine | $82,407 | $39.62 |
Wage gap by gender, race and education
Technical Writer salary by industry
The average technical writer salary varies across industries:
- The average technical writer salary in the finance industry is $65,889, the highest of any industry.
- The average technical writer salary in the finance industry is $65,237.
- Technical writers in the government industry earn an average salary of $56,889, the lowest of any industry.
Highest paying industries for technical writers
| Rank | Industry | Average Salary | Hourly Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Finance | $65,889 | $31.68 |
| 2 | Technology | $65,237 | $31.36 |
| 3 | Health Care | $65,096 | $31.30 |
| 4 | Manufacturing | $64,014 | $30.78 |
| 5 | Professional | $63,612 | $30.58 |
| 6 | Government | $56,889 | $27.35 |
High Paying Technical Writer Jobs
Technical Writer salary trends
The average technical writer salary has risen by $8,786 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average technical writer earned $56,543 annually, but today, they earn $65,329 a year. That works out to a 7% change in pay for technical writers over the last decade.
Compare technical writer salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Average technical writer salary over time
Compare technical writer salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
- National Average
- Columbus, OH
Technical Writer salary by year
| Year | Avg. Salary | Hourly Rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $65,300 | $31.41 | +2.4% |
| 2024 | $63,800 | $30.65 | +1.4% |
| 2023 | $62,900 | $30.23 | +1.3% |
| 2022 | $62,100 | $29.84 | +1.5% |
| 2021 | $61,100 | $29.39 | -0.6% |
Recently added technical writer salaries
| Company | Job | Location | Date Added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| General Dynamics Information Technology | Technical Writer | Tampa, FL | 12/17/2024 | $79,050 |
| Noblis | Technical Writer-Multiple Levels | Atlantic City, NJ | 12/17/2024 | $74,500 |
| System One | Nuclear Technical Writer (Remote) | Grand Prairie, TX | 12/17/2024 | $86,339 |
| Contact Government Services | Technical Writer (TOP Secret Clearance Required) | Washington, DC | 12/17/2024 | $93,244 |
| Bcforward | Bcforward | Technical Writer AK | Nome, AK | 12/16/2024 | $50,088 |
| Yoh | YOH | Technical Writer (Sharepoint) CA | San Diego, CA | 12/16/2024 | $148,177 |
| Links Technology Solutions, Inc. | Technical Writer | Linthicum, MD | 12/16/2024 | $104,000 |
| American Advertising Federation | Technical Writer | Enon, VA | 12/16/2024 | $63,946 |
| Infinity Systems Engineering, LLC | Technical Writer | Colorado Springs, CO | 12/16/2024 | $85,000 |
| York Solutions, LLC | Technical Writer | Minneapolis, MN | 12/16/2024 | $52,175 |
Technical Writer salary FAQs
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