Literary agent demographics and statistics in the US
On this page
Literary agent demographics by:
Literary agent gender statistics
58.5% of literary agents are women and 41.5% of literary agents are men.
- Female, 58.5%
- Male, 41.5%
Literary agent gender ratio
| Gender | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Female | 58.5% |
| Male | 41.5% |
Literary agent gender pay gap
Women earn 92¢ for every $1 earned by men
Male income
$35,963
Female income
$33,033
Literary agent gender ratio over time
This data breaks down the percentage of men and women in literary agent positions over time. Currently, 58.5% of literary agents are female.
Literary agent gender ratio by year
| Year | Male | Female |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 35.68% | 64.32% |
| 2011 | 33.80% | 66.20% |
| 2012 | 35.51% | 64.49% |
| 2013 | 35.21% | 64.79% |
| 2014 | 34.54% | 65.46% |
| 2015 | 35.94% | 64.06% |
| 2016 | 36.79% | 63.21% |
| 2017 | 36.18% | 63.82% |
| 2018 | 37.46% | 62.54% |
| 2019 | 40.88% | 59.12% |
| 2020 | 40.61% | 59.39% |
| 2021 | 41.55% | 58.45% |
Literary agent related jobs gender ratio
We compared literary agents with similar job titles to see how gender ratios vary. As you can see, proprietary trader and floor trader have the biggest gender ratio gaps.
| Job title | Male | Female |
|---|---|---|
| Insurance Follow Up Representative | 11% | 89% |
| Insurance Verification Specialist | 11% | 89% |
| Commercial Lines Account Manager | 13% | 87% |
| Literary Agent | 42% | 58% |
| Futures Trader | 94% | 6% |
| Floor Trader | 95% | 5% |
| Proprietary Trader | 96% | 4% |
Male
Female
100%
75%
50%
25%
0%
0%
25%
50%
75%
100%
Literary agent demographics by race
The most common ethnicity among literary agents is White, which makes up 67.8% of all literary agents. Comparatively, 12.4% of literary agents are Hispanic or Latino and 9.5% of literary agents are Asian.
- White, 67.8%
- Hispanic or Latino, 12.4%
- Asian, 9.5%
- Black or African American, 5.9%
- Unknown, 4.2%
- American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
Literary agent race
| Literary agent race | Percentages |
|---|---|
| White | 67.8% |
| Hispanic or Latino | 12.4% |
| Asian | 9.5% |
| Black or African American | 5.9% |
| Unknown | 4.2% |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 0.2% |
Literary agent race and ethnicity over time
See how literary agent racial and ethnic diversity trended since 2010 according to the United States Census Bureau data.
Literary agent race and ethnicity by year
| Year | White | Black or African American | Asian | Hispanic or Latino |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 75.27% | 6.52% | 5.48% | 11.18% |
| 2011 | 75.39% | 6.15% | 6.31% | 10.68% |
| 2012 | 73.75% | 6.20% | 6.35% | 12.27% |
| 2013 | 74.21% | 5.47% | 6.97% | 11.24% |
| 2014 | 74.66% | 5.92% | 6.67% | 11.20% |
| 2015 | 74.29% | 6.05% | 6.95% | 10.82% |
| 2016 | 72.77% | 5.74% | 7.26% | 12.39% |
| 2017 | 73.06% | 5.60% | 7.05% | 12.16% |
| 2018 | 71.22% | 5.61% | 8.50% | 12.30% |
| 2019 | 73.10% | 5.96% | 7.83% | 11.20% |
| 2020 | 70.11% | 5.92% | 7.65% | 12.75% |
| 2021 | 67.79% | 5.88% | 9.54% | 12.43% |
Literary agent wage gap by race
According to our data, unknown literary agents have the highest average salary compared to other ethnicities. Black or african american literary agents have the lowest average salary at $33,410.
| Ethnicity | Salary |
|---|---|
| Unknown | $37,606 |
| White | $37,360 |
| Black or African American | $33,410 |
| Asian | $36,835 |
| Hispanic or Latino | $34,793 |
Average literary agent age
See how the average age of literary agents varies based on ethnicity and gender.
Male
Female
Literary agent age by race and gender
| Race | Male age | Female age |
|---|---|---|
| Unknown | 40 | 48.5 |
| White | 43 | 47 |
| Black or African American | 40.5 | 47 |
| Asian | 42 | 37.5 |
| Hispanic or Latino | 37 | 42 |
Literary agent age breakdown
The average age of literary agents is 40+ years years old, representing 58% of the literary agent population.
Literary agent age breakdown
| Literary Agent Years | Percentages |
|---|---|
| 40+ years | 58% |
| 30-40 years | 28% |
| 20-30 years | 14% |
Literary agent educational attainment
The most common degree for literary agents is bachelor's degree, with 78% of literary agents earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are master's degree degree at 11% and master's degree degree at 5%.
- Bachelor's, 78%
- Master's, 11%
- Doctorate, 5%
- Associate, 3%
- Other Degrees, 3%
Literary agents by degree level
| Literary agent degree | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Bachelor's | 78% |
| Master's | 11% |
| Doctorate | 5% |
| Associate | 3% |
| Other Degrees | 3% |
Literary agent jobs you might like
Literary agent wage gap by degree level
According to the data, literary agents with a Master's degree earn more than those without, at $45,054 annually. With a Doctorate degree, literary agents earn a median annual income of $41,442 compared to $37,443 for literary agents with an Bachelor's degree.
| Education | Salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $45,054 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $37,443 |
| Doctorate Degree | $41,442 |
Literary agent employment statistics
Company size where literary agents work
Below, you can see the size of companies where literary agents work.
Literary agent jobs by employer size
| Company size | Percentages |
|---|---|
| < 50 employees | 14% |
| 50 - 100 employees | 18% |
| 100 - 500 employees | 23% |
| 500 - 1,000 employees | 9% |
| 1,000 - 10,000 employees | 27% |
| > 10,000 employees | 9% |
Literary agent turnover and employment statistics
Literary agent unemployment rate over time
The unemployment rate for literary agents between 2008 and the most recent data has varied, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Literary agent unemployment rate by year
| Year | Literary agent unemployment rate |
|---|---|
| 2010 | 7.50% |
| 2011 | 6.42% |
| 2012 | 6.14% |
| 2013 | 4.28% |
| 2014 | 4.90% |
| 2015 | 3.10% |
| 2016 | 4.15% |
| 2017 | 3.43% |
| 2018 | 2.39% |
| 2019 | 3.02% |
| 2020 | 4.76% |
| 2021 | 3.65% |
Average literary agent tenure
The average literary agent stays at their job for 1-2 years, based on the 165 literary agents resumes in Zippia's database.
Literary agent tenure statistics
| Number of years | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Less than 1 year | 7% |
| 1-2 years | 32% |
| 3-4 years | 21% |
| 5-7 years | 18% |
| 8-10 years | 5% |
| 11+ years | 16% |
Literary agent LGBT ratio compared to similar jobs
Review the percent of literary agents that are members of the LGBT community. You can see how this compares to similar jobs in the chart below.
| Job title | LGBT | Job openings |
|---|---|---|
| Electricity Trader | 5.13% | 549 |
| Literary Agent | 5.67% | - |
| Commercial Lines Insurance Agent | 6.79% | 84,539 |
| Account Executive, Advertising & Sales | 9.53% | 132,711 |
| Traveling Representative | 17.39% | 50,378 |
Similar literary agent jobs LGBT demographics
| Profession | Percentages of LGBT | Job openings |
|---|---|---|
| Electricity Trader | 5.13% | 549 |
| Commercial Lines Insurance Agent | 6.79% | 84,539 |
| Account Executive, Advertising & Sales | 9.53% | 132,711 |
| Traveling Representative | 17.39% | 50,378 |
Foreign languages spoken by literary agents
The most common foreign language among literary agents is French at 40.0%. The second-most popular foreign language spoken is Spanish at 26.7% and Ukrainian is the third-most popular at 6.7%.
- French, 40.0%
- Spanish, 26.7%
- Ukrainian, 6.7%
- German, 6.7%
- Russian, 6.7%
- Other, 13.2%
Literary agent languages spoken
| Foreign language | Percentages |
|---|---|
| French | 40.0% |
| Spanish | 26.7% |
| Ukrainian | 6.7% |
| German | 6.7% |
| Russian | 6.7% |
| Other | 13.2% |