What is the starting salary for a technical writer?

Question

Zippia Team · Accepted Answer

The starting salary for a technical writer is between $40,000 and $70,000 per year. This range depends heavily upon the field of technical writing in question.

Because technical writers may need specific technical knowledge in a certain area, a technical writer's salary may be determined, in part, by the expertise they possess. Technical writers with a solid education in a highly specialized area of technical writing, like scientific or medical writing, may be likely to earn a higher salary.

A lower starting salary may be inevitable for technical writers who begin their careers with a more general focus on writing skills. Fortunately, a few years of experience and a portfolio of completed writing projects will improve the prospects of most technical writers by a large margin.

Technical writers with some knowledge of design, programming, or web development also tend to be a bit more competitive.