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The differences between business writers and writers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 1-2 years to become a business writer, becoming a writer takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a business writer has an average salary of $77,963, which is higher than the $66,143 average annual salary of a writer.
The top three skills for a business writer include market research, business development and proofreading. The most important skills for a writer are work ethic, customer service, and web content.
| Business Writer | Writer | |
| Yearly salary | $77,963 | $66,143 |
| Hourly rate | $37.48 | $31.80 |
| Growth rate | 6% | 4% |
| Number of jobs | 60,190 | 13,931 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 74% | Bachelor's Degree, 74% |
| Average age | 46 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 4 |
Business writers draft proposals and plans for a company, reports on the stock market, financing, and other economic happenings for publication. They write reports about remodeling projects and contribute to annual financial reports. In any case, they explain facts about the business to audiences who need background information to understand the proposal, plan, or report in a better light. It is important that business writers research their topics to better understand what they are working on. After their research, they organize the materials they gathered and use words to present the information to their readers.
A writer can have different responsibilities depending on which industry or line of work they are involved. There are writers assigned in a corporate setting, some in journalism, while there are also writers in the entertainment Industry. Although they focus on varying types of writing, they all function to inform. Among the typical duties of writers involve producing content within allotted time or deadline, gather information and verify to ensure accuracy, proofread, and undergo review and revisions.
Business writers and writers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Business Writer | Writer | |
| Average salary | $77,963 | $66,143 |
| Salary range | Between $55,000 And $109,000 | Between $40,000 And $107,000 |
| Highest paying City | South San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Virginia | Massachusetts |
| Best paying company | Amazon | Apple |
| Best paying industry | Real Estate | - |
There are a few differences between a business writer and a writer in terms of educational background:
| Business Writer | Writer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 74% | Bachelor's Degree, 74% |
| Most common major | Journalism | English |
| Most common college | University of Southern California | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
Here are the differences between business writers' and writers' demographics:
| Business Writer | Writer | |
| Average age | 46 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 49.1% Female, 50.9% | Male, 46.2% Female, 53.8% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 6.5% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 7.7% Asian, 8.7% White, 71.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% | Black or African American, 6.1% Unknown, 5.6% Hispanic or Latino, 7.8% Asian, 5.0% White, 75.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 16% |