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Proposal writer salary

Average proposal writer salary

$68,706

$33.03 hourly rate

Entry-level proposal writer salary
$48,000 yearly salary
Updated December 15, 2025

Average Proposal Writer Salary

The average salary for a Proposal Writer in the United States is approximately $68,706 per year. This figure represents a range of salaries influenced by various factors, including experience, industry, and geographic location. Entry-level positions typically start around $50,000 annually, while those with extensive experience can earn upwards of $90,000.

Where Can Proposal Writers Earn More?

Proposal Writers in high-demand sectors such as technology and healthcare tend to see higher salaries. Additionally, states like California and New York offer competitive rates due to their cost of living and the concentration of large firms. Understanding the market and seeking opportunities in these lucrative areas can significantly impact your earning potential.

Salary by Experience Level

  • Entry-Level: $50,000
  • Mid-Level: $68,000
  • Senior-Level: $90,000+

These figures highlight the significant increase in salary as one gains experience and skills in proposal writing.

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Where can a Proposal Writer earn more?

Compare salary by location
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Columbus, OH$102,799
Salem, OR$62,163
Compare salary by company
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Precise Software Solutions$112,874
CVS Health$83,839

Proposal writer salaries by experience level

Experience levelAvg. salaryHourly rate
Entry-level proposal writer$46,600$22.41
Mid-level proposal writer$74,300$35.72
Senior-level proposal writer$102,000$49.03

Proposal writer salary estimates from across the web

Based on the latest salary information compiled by Zippia, Salary.com, Indeed, Glassdoor, Comparably and Payscale, the average salary for a proposal writer typically falls between $67,154 and $76,508.
zippia
$68,706yearly
glassdoor[1]
$70,684yearly
indeed[2]
$76,508yearly
comparably[3]
$74,092yearly
Salary.com[4]
$74,801yearly
payscale[5]
$67,154yearly

Average proposal writer salary by state

The average proposal writer salary in Virginia, Maryland, and New York are the highest in the U.S. The lowest average proposal writer salary states are Oklahoma, Indiana, and Iowa.

  • State view
  • County view
Average salary:

Highest paying states for proposal writers

RankStateAvg. salaryHourly rate
1District of Columbia$102,634$49.34
2Virginia$88,056$42.33
3New York$81,108$38.99
4Maryland$82,199$39.52
5Massachusetts$74,713$35.92
6California$77,744$37.38
7Arizona$79,297$38.12
8North Carolina$72,086$34.66
9Connecticut$74,505$35.82
10Vermont$69,314$33.32
11New Jersey$73,566$35.37
12New Hampshire$70,888$34.08
13Michigan$71,210$34.24
14Pennsylvania$69,561$33.44
15Wyoming$62,167$29.89
16Rhode Island$65,579$31.53
17Texas$66,376$31.91
18Illinois$66,052$31.76
19Delaware$66,154$31.80
20Oregon$62,251$29.93
21North Dakota$64,142$30.84
22Nevada$61,700$29.66
23Georgia$65,740$31.61
24Washington$62,532$30.06
25Ohio$63,978$30.76
26Florida$63,733$30.64
27Colorado$62,219$29.91
28Wisconsin$59,675$28.69
29Alaska$53,528$25.73
30Utah$55,825$26.84
31Tennessee$57,308$27.55
32New Mexico$56,388$27.11
33Missouri$57,741$27.76
34Minnesota$58,663$28.20
35Louisiana$60,612$29.14
36Montana$56,389$27.11
37West Virginia$56,432$27.13
38South Carolina$56,535$27.18
39Hawaii$56,809$27.31
40Alabama$56,262$27.05
41Kansas$54,836$26.36
42Nebraska$51,470$24.75
43Arkansas$54,066$25.99
44Kentucky$54,278$26.10
45Maine$54,741$26.32
46Idaho$50,584$24.32
47South Dakota$50,735$24.39
48Indiana$51,985$24.99
49Oklahoma$52,131$25.06
50Mississippi$52,836$25.40
51Iowa$51,752$24.88

Highest paying cities for proposal writers

The highest-paying cities for proposal writers are Washington, DC, Arlington, VA, and Annapolis, MD.

RankCityAvg. salaryHourly rate
1Washington, DC$102,799$49.42
2Arlington, VA$88,368$42.48
3Annapolis, MD$82,501$39.66
4New York, NY$81,515$39.19
5Phoenix, AZ$79,301$38.13
6Los Angeles, CA$76,688$36.87
7Boston, MA$74,674$35.90
8Hartford, CT$74,091$35.62
9Raleigh, NC$73,559$35.36
10Trenton, NJ$73,558$35.36
11Lansing, MI$70,525$33.91
12Austin, TX$66,817$32.12
13Chicago, IL$66,396$31.92
14Atlanta, GA$65,622$31.55
15Providence, RI$65,510$31.50
16Columbus, OH$64,064$30.80
17Bismarck, ND$63,999$30.77
18Carson City, NV$63,387$30.47
19Tallahassee, FL$63,150$30.36
20Salem, OR$62,163$29.89

Proposal Writers are the most in-demand in these five cities:

  1. Washington, DC
  2. Arlington, VA
  3. New York, NY
  4. Phoenix, AZ
  5. Los Angeles, CA

Proposal writer salary details

A proposal writer's salary ranges from $48,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $97,000 at the 90th percentile.

Average proposal writer salary graph
Average proposal writer salary graph, trends, and summary

What is a proposal writer's salary?

PercentileAnnual salaryMonthly salaryHourly rate
90th Percentile$97,000$8,083$47
75th Percentile$82,000$6,833$39
Average$68,706$5,726$33
25th Percentile$57,000$4,750$27
10th Percentile$48,000$4,000$23

Highest paying proposal writer jobs

The highest paying types of proposal writers are senior editor, managing editor, and proposal manager.

Job titleAnnual salaryMonthly salaryHourly rateJob openings
Editor$52,107$4,342$25.0515,115
Managing Editor$89,060$7,422$42.8216,781
Publisher$71,539$5,962$34.3910,303
Content Editor$61,694$5,141$29.6618,586
News Editor$53,822$4,485$25.8812,484
Technical Editor$61,717$5,143$29.6778,423

Top companies hiring proposal writers now:

  1. Accenture jobs (26)
  2. SAIC jobs (20)
  3. U.S. Bank jobs (9)
  4. IBM jobs (9)
  5. CACI International jobs (7)

Which companies pay proposal writers the most?

Proposal writer salaries at Precise Software Solutions and Accenture are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average proposal writer salary at companies like Amazon and SAIC are highly competitive.

RankCompanyAverage salaryHourly rate
1Precise Software Solutions$112,874$54.27
2Accenture$106,727$51.31
3Amazon$106,460$51.18
4SAIC$93,667$45.03
5HCSC$93,220$44.82
6Salient CRGT$91,667$44.07
7Aetna$91,652$44.06
8Elevance Health$90,596$43.56
9World Wide Technology$89,973$43.26
10RTI International Metals$89,854$43.20
11Forrester$86,433$41.55
12McKesson$86,071$41.38
13Sherpa$85,953$41.32
14U.S. Bank$85,654$41.18
15Battelle$85,562$41.14
16Fusion Technology$85,273$41.00
17Tyler Technologies$84,920$40.83
18CTG$84,753$40.75
19General Dynamics$84,214$40.49
20CVS Health$83,839$40.31

Wage gap by gender, race and education

$70,000$69,400$68,800$68,200$67,600$67,000
MaleFemale

Proposal Writer salary by industry

The average proposal writer salary varies across industries:

  • The average proposal writer salary in the insurance industry is $70,514, the highest of any industry.
  • The average proposal writer salary in the finance industry is $68,875.
  • Proposal writers in the retail industry earn an average salary of $50,227, the lowest of any industry.

Highest paying industries for proposal writers

RankIndustryAverage salaryHourly rate
1Insurance$70,514$33.90
2Technology$68,875$33.11
3Professional$63,136$30.35
4Government$53,870$25.90
5Retail$50,227$24.15

High paying proposal writer jobs

Proposal writer salary trends

The average proposal writer salary has risen by $9,241 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average proposal writer earned $59,465 annually, but today, they earn $68,706 a year. That works out to a 7% change in pay for proposal writers over the last decade.

Compare proposal writer salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.

Average proposal writer salary over time

Compare proposal writer salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.

Proposal writer salary by year

YearAvg. salaryHourly rate% Change
2025$68,700$33.03+2.4%
2024$67,000$32.24+1.4%
2023$66,100$31.79+1.3%
2022$65,300$31.39+1.5%
2021$64,300$30.91-0.6%

Recently added proposal writer salaries

CompanyJobLocationDate addedSalary
Barr SystemsProposal Writer (Hybrid)Minneapolis, MN06/30/2025$68,000
PalantirProposal Writer and Strategist-US CommercialPalo Alto, CA06/29/2025$95,000
Strategic Resolution Experts (SREProposal Writer-RemoteLas Vegas, NV06/29/2025$80,000
GovcioProposal Writer (Remote)Saint Paul, MN06/27/2025$81,850
GovcioProposal Writer (Remote)Sacramento, CA06/27/2025$81,850
GovcioProposal Writer (Remote)Des Moines, IA06/27/2025$81,850
GovcioProposal Writer (Remote)Lincoln, NE06/27/2025$81,850
GovcioProposal Writer (Remote)Little Rock, AR06/27/2025$81,850
GovcioProposal Writer (Remote)Pierre, SD06/27/2025$81,850
GovcioProposal Writer (Remote)Albany, NY06/27/2025$81,850

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