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Engineering technical writer salary
Average engineering technical writer salary
$64,966
Average Engineering Technical Writer Salary
The average salary for an Engineering Technical Writer stands at $64,966 annually. This figure can vary significantly based on factors such as geographic location and years of experience. For example, entry-level positions may start around $50,000, while those with more experience can earn upwards of $80,000.
Where Can an Engineering Technical Writer Earn More?
States like California and New York generally offer higher salaries due to the cost of living and demand for skilled writers in the tech industry. The following states are known for higher compensation:
- California
- New York
- Texas
- Washington
Additionally, specialized industries such as software development and engineering tend to pay more, reflecting the technical expertise required. Overall, the role of an Engineering Technical Writer provides a solid income and ample opportunities for career advancement.
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Where can an Engineering Technical Writer earn more?
Engineering technical writer salaries by experience level
| Experience level | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|
| Entry-level engineering technical writer | $44,100 | $21.19 |
| Mid-level engineering technical writer | $70,200 | $33.77 |
| Senior-level engineering technical writer | $96,400 | $46.36 |
Engineering technical writer salary estimates from across the web
Average engineering technical writer salary by state
The average engineering technical writer salary in Virginia, Arizona, and Massachusetts are the highest in the U.S. The lowest average engineering technical writer salary states are South Dakota, West Virginia, and Iowa.
- State view
- County view
Highest paying states for engineering technical writers
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | District of Columbia | $89,384 | $42.97 |
| 2 | Michigan | $65,303 | $31.40 |
| 3 | North Dakota | $63,070 | $30.32 |
| 4 | Connecticut | $65,260 | $31.38 |
| 5 | Wyoming | $61,867 | $29.74 |
| 6 | Massachusetts | $72,572 | $34.89 |
| 7 | Virginia | $75,981 | $36.53 |
| 8 | Arizona | $74,169 | $35.66 |
| 9 | Minnesota | $62,393 | $30.00 |
| 10 | Washington | $65,663 | $31.57 |
| 11 | Nevada | $58,642 | $28.19 |
| 12 | Illinois | $60,329 | $29.00 |
| 13 | New Hampshire | $63,374 | $30.47 |
| 14 | Pennsylvania | $59,078 | $28.40 |
| 15 | California | $71,958 | $34.60 |
| 16 | Alaska | $59,004 | $28.37 |
| 17 | New Jersey | $66,149 | $31.80 |
| 18 | North Carolina | $62,182 | $29.90 |
| 19 | Maryland | $65,377 | $31.43 |
| 20 | New York | $60,143 | $28.91 |
| 21 | Vermont | $63,564 | $30.56 |
| 22 | Delaware | $57,545 | $27.67 |
| 23 | Colorado | $58,251 | $28.01 |
| 24 | Oregon | $63,742 | $30.65 |
| 25 | Wisconsin | $56,292 | $27.06 |
| 26 | Ohio | $57,425 | $27.61 |
| 27 | Texas | $55,215 | $26.55 |
| 28 | Missouri | $56,326 | $27.08 |
| 29 | Kansas | $53,939 | $25.93 |
| 30 | Georgia | $55,206 | $26.54 |
| 31 | Arkansas | $52,015 | $25.01 |
| 32 | Rhode Island | $57,681 | $27.73 |
| 33 | Tennessee | $54,188 | $26.05 |
| 34 | Florida | $55,134 | $26.51 |
| 35 | New Mexico | $52,308 | $25.15 |
| 36 | Montana | $55,929 | $26.89 |
| 37 | Louisiana | $54,243 | $26.08 |
| 38 | Nebraska | $50,867 | $24.46 |
| 39 | Alabama | $52,045 | $25.02 |
| 40 | Utah | $54,081 | $26.00 |
| 41 | West Virginia | $49,798 | $23.94 |
| 42 | South Dakota | $49,904 | $23.99 |
| 43 | Maine | $49,666 | $23.88 |
| 44 | Kentucky | $50,156 | $24.11 |
| 45 | Hawaii | $55,665 | $26.76 |
| 46 | Iowa | $49,712 | $23.90 |
| 47 | South Carolina | $51,056 | $24.55 |
| 48 | Mississippi | $48,710 | $23.42 |
| 49 | Indiana | $47,670 | $22.92 |
| 50 | Idaho | $49,923 | $24.00 |
| 51 | Oklahoma | $50,143 | $24.11 |
Highest paying cities for engineering technical writers
The highest-paying cities for engineering technical writers are San Francisco, CA, Arlington, VA, and Natick, MA.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Francisco, CA | $77,746 | $37.38 |
| 2 | Arlington, VA | $76,857 | $36.95 |
| 3 | Natick, MA | $72,604 | $34.91 |
| 4 | Seattle, WA | $66,373 | $31.91 |
| 5 | Annapolis, MD | $65,389 | $31.44 |
| 6 | East Hartford, CT | $65,041 | $31.27 |
| 7 | Portland, OR | $63,517 | $30.54 |
| 8 | Concord, NH | $63,137 | $30.35 |
| 9 | Bismarck, ND | $62,872 | $30.23 |
| 10 | Minneapolis, MN | $62,445 | $30.02 |
| 11 | Carson City, NV | $62,035 | $29.82 |
| 12 | Cheyenne, WY | $61,696 | $29.66 |
| 13 | Chicago, IL | $60,484 | $29.08 |
| 14 | New York, NY | $60,168 | $28.93 |
| 15 | Lakewood, CO | $58,236 | $28.00 |
| 16 | Dover, DE | $57,487 | $27.64 |
| 17 | Columbus, OH | $57,187 | $27.49 |
| 18 | Austin, TX | $55,636 | $26.75 |
| 19 | Atlanta, GA | $55,419 | $26.64 |
| 20 | Baton Rouge, LA | $54,290 | $26.10 |
Engineering technical writer salary details
An engineering technical writer's salary ranges from $47,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $89,000 at the 90th percentile.
What is an engineering technical writer's salary?
| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $89,000 | $7,417 | $43 |
| 75th Percentile | $76,000 | $6,333 | $37 |
| Average | $64,966 | $5,414 | $31 |
| 25th Percentile | $54,000 | $4,500 | $26 |
| 10th Percentile | $47,000 | $3,917 | $23 |
Highest paying engineering technical writer jobs
The highest paying types of engineering technical writers are medical writer, managing editor, and senior writer.
| Job title | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Editor | $52,107 | $4,342 | $25.05 | 15,115 |
| Writer | $66,143 | $5,512 | $31.80 | 13,931 |
| Grant Writer | $52,719 | $4,393 | $25.35 | 16,708 |
| Staff Writer | $44,844 | $3,737 | $21.56 | 80,547 |
| Managing Editor | $89,060 | $7,422 | $42.82 | 16,781 |
| Content Writer | $58,918 | $4,910 | $28.33 | 19,621 |
How would you rate the starting salaries for engineering technical writers, as well as the prospects for salary advancement?
Michael Rudisill
Department Head and Professor of Engineering Technology, Northern Michigan University
Top companies hiring engineering technical writers now:
Which companies pay engineering technical writers the most?
Engineering technical writer salaries at Meta and Amazon are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average engineering technical writer salary at companies like Google and Intuitive Surgical are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Meta | $119,607 | $57.50 |
| 2 | Amazon | $113,291 | $54.47 |
| 3 | $107,357 | $51.61 | |
| 4 | Intuitive Surgical | $104,100 | $50.05 |
| 5 | MathWorks | $93,031 | $44.73 |
| 6 | Carl Zeiss Meditec, Inc. | $86,063 | $41.38 |
| 7 | U.S. Bank | $67,405 | $32.41 |
| 8 | Lt Engineering | $66,211 | $31.83 |
| 9 | Polaris | $65,360 | $31.42 |
| 10 | Northrop Grumman | $65,270 | $31.38 |
| 11 | Eaton | $64,662 | $31.09 |
| 12 | Raytheon Technologies | $64,373 | $30.95 |
| 13 | Clario | $63,735 | $30.64 |
| 14 | General Dynamics | $63,007 | $30.29 |
| 15 | BAE Systems | $62,326 | $29.96 |
| 16 | Blue Origin | $62,303 | $29.95 |
| 17 | Volt Information Sciences | $60,918 | $29.29 |
| 18 | Kelly Services | $60,760 | $29.21 |
| 19 | Glidewell | $58,559 | $28.15 |
| 20 | Veolia Environmental Services North America | $58,487 | $28.12 |
Wage gap by gender, race and education
Engineering Technical Writer salary by industry
The average engineering technical writer salary varies across industries:
- The average engineering technical writer salary in the energy industry is $62,656, the highest of any industry.
- The average engineering technical writer salary in the finance industry is $61,623.
- Engineering technical writers in the professional industry earn an average salary of $56,934, the lowest of any industry.
Highest paying industries for engineering technical writers
| Rank | Industry | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Energy | $62,656 | $30.12 |
| 2 | Manufacturing | $61,623 | $29.63 |
| 3 | Technology | $59,673 | $28.69 |
| 4 | Professional | $56,934 | $27.37 |
High paying engineering technical writer jobs
Engineering technical writer salary trends
The average engineering technical writer salary has risen by $8,738 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average engineering technical writer earned $56,228 annually, but today, they earn $64,966 a year. That works out to a 7% change in pay for engineering technical writers over the last decade.
Compare engineering technical writer salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Average engineering technical writer salary over time
Compare engineering technical writer salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
Engineering technical writer salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $65,000 | $31.23 | +2.4% |
| 2024 | $63,400 | $30.48 | +1.4% |
| 2023 | $62,500 | $30.06 | +1.3% |
| 2022 | $61,700 | $29.68 | +1.5% |
| 2021 | $60,800 | $29.23 | -0.6% |
Recently added engineering technical writer salaries
| Company | Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Databricks | Staff Technical Writer, Data Engineering | San Francisco, CA | 06/29/2025 | $134,400 |
| Get It-Marketing | Seo/Technical Content Writer-Remote | Greensboro, NC | 06/29/2025 | $50,000 |
| Caci International | Technical Writer-Electrical Engineering | Virginia Beach, VA | 05/27/2025 | $39,500 |
| Get It-Marketing | Seo/Technical Content Writer-Remote | Greensboro, NC | 05/26/2025 | $50,000 |
| Caci | Technical Writer-Electrical Engineering | Ione, WA | 05/22/2025 | $39,500 |
| Caci International | Technical Writer-Systems Engineering | Washington, DC | 05/22/2025 | $39,500 |
| Noblis | Technical Writer/Documentation Engineer | Philadelphia, PA | 05/21/2025 | $57,800 |
| Northrop Grumman | Foundry Engineering Technical Editor and Writer | Linthicum, MD | 05/16/2025 | $64,100 |
| Job Listingscalspan Corporation | Technical Writer-Jet Engine Test Cells | Saint Paul, MN | 04/28/2025 | $60,000 |
| Meta | Documentation Engineer/Technical Writer | Cheyenne, WY | 04/23/2025 | $118,000 |
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