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Best states for a creative writer
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- 41 - 51
Do you want to become a creative writer at KPMG, and you wonder what that means or entails? We have the full list of best states for creative writers that you can check out, before you begin your journey. Turns out, the median salary for the highest 10% of creative writers in America is $114,000.
To that end, we dove into our dataset of job and salary numbers to figure out which states have the best opportunities for creative writers. California is the best state for creative writers, where the median salary is $98,653.We found that California is the best state for creative writer jobs, whereas Tennessee is the worst.
10 best states for creative writers in 2026
1. California
Total creative writer jobs: 1,344 Average annual salary: $98,653 Lowest 10 percent earn: $57,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $169,000 Location Quotient: 1.4
2. New Jersey
Total creative writer jobs: 275 Average annual salary: $96,826 Lowest 10 percent earn: $57,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $163,000 Location Quotient: 1.06
3. District of Columbia
Total creative writer jobs: 211 Average annual salary: $97,231 Lowest 10 percent earn: $56,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $165,000 Location Quotient: 3.83
4. Massachusetts
Total creative writer jobs: 403 Average annual salary: $90,264 Lowest 10 percent earn: $52,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $155,000 Location Quotient: 1.34
5. Washington
Total creative writer jobs: 274 Average annual salary: $88,432 Lowest 10 percent earn: $52,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $149,000 Location Quotient: 1.14
6. Pennsylvania
Total creative writer jobs: 285 Average annual salary: $91,192 Lowest 10 percent earn: $53,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $155,000 Location Quotient: 0.75
7. New York
Total creative writer jobs: 1,005 Average annual salary: $85,943 Lowest 10 percent earn: $50,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $146,000 Location Quotient: 2.39
8. Utah
Total creative writer jobs: 127 Average annual salary: $80,782 Lowest 10 percent earn: $46,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $140,000 Location Quotient: 1.21
9. Wisconsin
Total creative writer jobs: 124 Average annual salary: $90,580 Lowest 10 percent earn: $51,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $157,000 Location Quotient: 0.68
10. Idaho
Total creative writer jobs: 46 Average annual salary: $84,629 Lowest 10 percent earn: $49,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $144,000 Location Quotient: 0.85
Creative writer jobsNear Columbus, OH
How Zippia determines the best states to be a creative writer
You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.
Detailed list of the best states for a creative writer
| Rank | State | Average salary | Lowest 10% earn | Population | Job count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | $98,653 | $57,000 | 39,536,653 | 1,344 |
| 2 | New Jersey | $96,826 | $57,000 | 9,005,644 | 275 |
| 3 | District of Columbia | $97,231 | $56,000 | 693,972 | 211 |
| 4 | Massachusetts | $90,264 | $52,000 | 6,859,819 | 403 |
| 5 | Washington | $88,432 | $52,000 | 7,405,743 | 274 |
| 6 | Pennsylvania | $91,192 | $53,000 | 12,805,537 | 285 |
| 7 | New York | $85,943 | $50,000 | 19,849,399 | 1,005 |
| 8 | Utah | $80,782 | $46,000 | 3,101,833 | 127 |
| 9 | Wisconsin | $90,580 | $51,000 | 5,795,483 | 124 |
| 10 | Idaho | $84,629 | $49,000 | 1,716,943 | 46 |
| 11 | Indiana | $90,322 | $51,000 | 6,666,818 | 116 |
| 12 | Connecticut | $87,689 | $51,000 | 3,588,184 | 93 |
| 13 | Virginia | $81,021 | $46,000 | 8,470,020 | 452 |
| 14 | Vermont | $79,627 | $45,000 | 623,657 | 36 |
| 15 | Nevada | $79,446 | $45,000 | 2,998,039 | 78 |
| 16 | North Dakota | $78,480 | $46,000 | 755,393 | 27 |
| 17 | Maryland | $80,303 | $46,000 | 6,052,177 | 358 |
| 18 | Delaware | $81,351 | $47,000 | 961,939 | 38 |
| 19 | Rhode Island | $79,056 | $45,000 | 1,059,639 | 42 |
| 20 | Nebraska | $77,383 | $44,000 | 1,920,076 | 78 |
| 21 | Maine | $80,570 | $45,000 | 1,335,907 | 21 |
| 22 | West Virginia | $74,609 | $42,000 | 1,815,857 | 31 |
| 23 | North Carolina | $70,488 | $39,000 | 10,273,419 | 292 |
| 24 | Colorado | $75,085 | $43,000 | 5,607,154 | 167 |
| 25 | Oregon | $68,687 | $40,000 | 4,142,776 | 220 |
| 26 | New Hampshire | $72,546 | $41,000 | 1,342,795 | 47 |
| 27 | Alaska | $69,311 | $49,000 | 739,795 | 34 |
| 28 | Mississippi | $76,568 | $42,000 | 2,984,100 | 30 |
| 29 | New Mexico | $70,034 | $39,000 | 2,088,070 | 50 |
| 30 | Ohio | $69,660 | $39,000 | 11,658,609 | 180 |
| 31 | Minnesota | $66,805 | $38,000 | 5,576,606 | 180 |
| 32 | Kentucky | $69,341 | $39,000 | 4,454,189 | 59 |
| 33 | Wyoming | $60,184 | $35,000 | 579,315 | 39 |
| 34 | Montana | $64,241 | $38,000 | 1,050,493 | 37 |
| 35 | Illinois | $64,947 | $36,000 | 12,802,023 | 400 |
| 36 | South Dakota | $66,000 | $38,000 | 869,666 | 21 |
| 37 | Texas | $64,176 | $35,000 | 28,304,596 | 520 |
| 38 | Alabama | $66,713 | $37,000 | 4,874,747 | 70 |
| 39 | Louisiana | $66,733 | $36,000 | 4,684,333 | 39 |
| 40 | Oklahoma | $63,017 | $35,000 | 3,930,864 | 58 |
| 41 | Arkansas | $61,607 | $34,000 | 3,004,279 | 52 |
| 42 | Georgia | $63,270 | $35,000 | 10,429,379 | 227 |
| 43 | Michigan | $61,318 | $34,000 | 9,962,311 | 173 |
| 44 | Arizona | $58,958 | $33,000 | 7,016,270 | 132 |
| 45 | South Carolina | $61,561 | $34,000 | 5,024,369 | 73 |
| 46 | Florida | $58,694 | $33,000 | 20,984,400 | 399 |
| 47 | Hawaii | $42,118 | $30,000 | 1,427,538 | 26 |
| 48 | Missouri | $57,130 | $32,000 | 6,113,532 | 150 |
| 49 | Iowa | $58,594 | $33,000 | 3,145,711 | 60 |
| 50 | Kansas | $54,681 | $30,000 | 2,913,123 | 62 |
| 51 | Tennessee | $53,080 | $29,000 | 6,715,984 | 116 |
Highest paying states for creative writers
| Rank | State | Avg. Creative Writer Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | $98,653 |
| 2 | New Jersey | $96,826 |
| 3 | District of Columbia | $97,231 |
| 4 | Massachusetts | $90,264 |
| 5 | Washington | $88,432 |
| 6 | Pennsylvania | $91,192 |
| 7 | New York | $85,943 |
| 8 | Utah | $80,782 |
| 9 | Wisconsin | $90,580 |
| 10 | Idaho | $84,629 |
| 11 | Indiana | $90,322 |
| 12 | Connecticut | $87,689 |
| 13 | Virginia | $81,021 |
| 14 | Vermont | $79,627 |
| 15 | Nevada | $79,446 |
| 16 | North Dakota | $78,480 |
| 17 | Maryland | $80,303 |
| 18 | Delaware | $81,351 |
| 19 | Rhode Island | $79,056 |
| 20 | Nebraska | $77,383 |
| 21 | Maine | $80,570 |
| 22 | West Virginia | $74,609 |
| 23 | North Carolina | $70,488 |
| 24 | Colorado | $75,085 |
| 25 | Oregon | $68,687 |
| 26 | New Hampshire | $72,546 |
| 27 | Alaska | $69,311 |
| 28 | Mississippi | $76,568 |
| 29 | New Mexico | $70,034 |
| 30 | Ohio | $69,660 |
| 31 | Minnesota | $66,805 |
| 32 | Kentucky | $69,341 |
| 33 | Wyoming | $60,184 |
| 34 | Montana | $64,241 |
| 35 | Illinois | $64,947 |
| 36 | South Dakota | $66,000 |
| 37 | Texas | $64,176 |
| 38 | Alabama | $66,713 |
| 39 | Louisiana | $66,733 |
| 40 | Oklahoma | $63,017 |
| 41 | Arkansas | $61,607 |
| 42 | Georgia | $63,270 |
| 43 | Michigan | $61,318 |
| 44 | Arizona | $58,958 |
| 45 | South Carolina | $61,561 |
| 46 | Florida | $58,694 |
| 47 | Hawaii | $42,118 |
| 48 | Missouri | $57,130 |
| 49 | Iowa | $58,594 |
| 50 | Kansas | $54,681 |
| 51 | Tennessee | $53,080 |
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Updated January 8, 2025