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Science writer salary
Average science writer salary
$69,214
Average Science Writer Salary
The average salary for a science writer in the United States is approximately $69,214 annually, translating to about $33 per hour. This figure can vary significantly based on factors such as location, experience level, and the specific industry in which a science writer operates.
Science Writer Salaries by Experience Level
Entry-level positions typically start lower, around $50,000, while those with several years of experience can earn upwards of $80,000 or more. Seasoned professionals who specialize in technical writing or work for prestigious organizations often command higher salaries.
Highest Paying States for Science Writers
States such as California, New York, and Massachusetts offer some of the highest salaries for science writers, often reflecting the cost of living and demand for skilled professionals in these areas.
Opportunities for Growth
The field of science writing is expanding, with opportunities available in various sectors, including healthcare, technology, and environmental science. As public interest in scientific topics grows, the demand for skilled communicators will continue to rise.
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Where can a Science Writer earn more?
Science writer salaries by experience level
| Experience level | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|
| Entry-level science writer | $47,000 | $22.57 |
| Mid-level science writer | $74,800 | $35.98 |
| Senior-level science writer | $103,000 | $49.39 |
Science writer salary estimates from across the web
Average science writer salary by state
The average science writer salary in California, Virginia, and New Jersey are the highest in the U.S. The lowest average science writer salary states are Alaska, South Dakota, and Nebraska.
- State view
- County view
Highest paying states for science writers
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | District of Columbia | $109,788 | $52.78 |
| 2 | California | $98,752 | $47.48 |
| 3 | Virginia | $93,566 | $44.98 |
| 4 | New Jersey | $87,897 | $42.26 |
| 5 | New York | $84,413 | $40.58 |
| 6 | Massachusetts | $82,561 | $39.69 |
| 7 | Vermont | $76,610 | $36.83 |
| 8 | New Hampshire | $76,758 | $36.90 |
| 9 | Arizona | $82,936 | $39.87 |
| 10 | Connecticut | $79,618 | $38.28 |
| 11 | Michigan | $77,874 | $37.44 |
| 12 | Pennsylvania | $79,450 | $38.20 |
| 13 | Maryland | $74,755 | $35.94 |
| 14 | North Dakota | $72,909 | $35.05 |
| 15 | North Carolina | $73,739 | $35.45 |
| 16 | Delaware | $70,784 | $34.03 |
| 17 | Wyoming | $65,815 | $31.64 |
| 18 | Illinois | $71,545 | $34.40 |
| 19 | Rhode Island | $70,379 | $33.84 |
| 20 | Minnesota | $73,458 | $35.32 |
| 21 | Nevada | $65,277 | $31.38 |
| 22 | Oregon | $68,237 | $32.81 |
| 23 | Washington | $70,926 | $34.10 |
| 24 | Ohio | $68,761 | $33.06 |
| 25 | Montana | $61,780 | $29.70 |
| 26 | Wisconsin | $66,360 | $31.90 |
| 27 | Florida | $64,518 | $31.02 |
| 28 | Texas | $63,262 | $30.41 |
| 29 | Indiana | $65,017 | $31.26 |
| 30 | Alaska | $56,281 | $27.06 |
| 31 | West Virginia | $60,223 | $28.95 |
| 32 | Hawaii | $65,033 | $31.27 |
| 33 | Missouri | $61,900 | $29.76 |
| 34 | Colorado | $61,981 | $29.80 |
| 35 | Maine | $60,284 | $28.98 |
| 36 | Louisiana | $62,207 | $29.91 |
| 37 | Georgia | $61,747 | $29.69 |
| 38 | Utah | $58,226 | $27.99 |
| 39 | Tennessee | $60,473 | $29.07 |
| 40 | New Mexico | $58,277 | $28.02 |
| 41 | Arkansas | $57,181 | $27.49 |
| 42 | Kentucky | $57,480 | $27.63 |
| 43 | Nebraska | $55,469 | $26.67 |
| 44 | Kansas | $58,711 | $28.23 |
| 45 | South Dakota | $56,269 | $27.05 |
| 46 | Alabama | $58,196 | $27.98 |
| 47 | South Carolina | $58,878 | $28.31 |
| 48 | Idaho | $53,773 | $25.85 |
| 49 | Iowa | $56,548 | $27.19 |
| 50 | Mississippi | $54,514 | $26.21 |
| 51 | Oklahoma | $54,568 | $26.23 |
Highest paying cities for science writers
The highest-paying cities for science writers are Washington, DC, Norfolk, VA, and New York, NY.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Washington, DC | $109,950 | $52.86 |
| 2 | Norfolk, VA | $93,731 | $45.06 |
| 3 | New York, NY | $84,699 | $40.72 |
| 4 | Tucson, AZ | $82,683 | $39.75 |
| 5 | Boston, MA | $82,530 | $39.68 |
| 6 | Philadelphia, PA | $80,022 | $38.47 |
| 7 | New Haven, CT | $79,826 | $38.38 |
| 8 | Baltimore, MD | $74,896 | $36.01 |
| 9 | Minneapolis, MN | $73,445 | $35.31 |
| 10 | Charlotte, NC | $71,930 | $34.58 |
| 11 | Seattle, WA | $71,527 | $34.39 |
| 12 | Reno, NV | $66,323 | $31.89 |
| 13 | Cincinnati, OH | $66,307 | $31.88 |
| 14 | Madison, WI | $65,934 | $31.70 |
| 15 | College Station, TX | $63,843 | $30.69 |
| 16 | Gainesville, FL | $63,817 | $30.68 |
| 17 | Oak Ridge, TN | $61,769 | $29.70 |
| 18 | Lees Summit, MO | $61,412 | $29.52 |
| 19 | Charleston, SC | $58,591 | $28.17 |
| 20 | Idaho Falls, ID | $51,739 | $24.87 |
Science writer salary details
A science writer's salary ranges from $43,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $110,000 at the 90th percentile.
What is a science writer's salary?
| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $110,000 | $9,167 | $53 |
| 75th Percentile | $88,000 | $7,333 | $42 |
| Average | $69,214 | $5,768 | $33 |
| 25th Percentile | $54,000 | $4,500 | $26 |
| 10th Percentile | $43,000 | $3,583 | $21 |
Highest paying science writer jobs
The highest paying types of science writers are senior editor, managing editor, and senior writer.
| Job title | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Publisher | $71,539 | $5,962 | $34.39 | 10,303 |
| Editor | $52,107 | $4,342 | $25.05 | 15,115 |
| News Editor | $53,822 | $4,485 | $25.88 | 12,484 |
| Managing Editor | $89,060 | $7,422 | $42.82 | 16,781 |
| Content Editor | $61,694 | $5,141 | $29.66 | 18,586 |
| Production Editor | $53,275 | $4,440 | $25.61 | 62,877 |
Top companies hiring science writers now:
Which companies pay science writers the most?
Science writer salaries at Fred Hutch and Booz Allen Hamilton are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average science writer salary at companies like University of Maryland, Baltimore and Altarum are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fred Hutch | $92,493 | $44.47 |
| 2 | Booz Allen Hamilton | $88,092 | $42.35 |
| 3 | University of Maryland, Baltimore | $85,730 | $41.22 |
| 4 | Altarum | $84,599 | $40.67 |
| 5 | Bio-Techne | $79,840 | $38.38 |
| 6 | National Academy of Sciences | $79,647 | $38.29 |
| 7 | Dana-Farber Cancer Institute | $79,384 | $38.17 |
| 8 | Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center | $78,720 | $37.85 |
| 9 | Stanford University | $76,001 | $36.54 |
| 10 | Eurofins | $75,502 | $36.30 |
| 11 | Mount Sinai Health System | $74,130 | $35.64 |
| 12 | Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station - State Headquarters | $73,649 | $35.41 |
| 13 | Idaho National Lab | $73,189 | $35.19 |
| 14 | Children's Hospital Colorado | $72,611 | $34.91 |
| 15 | Geneva Foundation | $72,000 | $34.62 |
| 16 | Univ. Of Texas Cancer Ctr. | $71,968 | $34.60 |
| 17 | Yale University | $71,947 | $34.59 |
| 18 | Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory | $71,511 | $34.38 |
| 19 | The Rockefeller University | $70,554 | $33.92 |
| 20 | Atrium Health Floyd | $69,222 | $33.28 |
Wage gap by gender, race and education
Science Writer salary by industry
The average science writer salary varies across industries:
- The average science writer salary in the technology industry is $77,809, the highest of any industry.
- The average science writer salary in the finance industry is $77,431.
- Science writers in the education industry earn an average salary of $55,371, the lowest of any industry.
Highest paying industries for science writers
| Rank | Industry | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Technology | $77,809 | $37.41 |
| 2 | Non Profits | $77,431 | $37.23 |
| 3 | Manufacturing | $73,815 | $35.49 |
| 4 | Professional | $73,392 | $35.28 |
| 5 | Health Care | $72,716 | $34.96 |
| 6 | Media | $64,917 | $31.21 |
| 7 | Education | $55,371 | $26.62 |
High paying science writer jobs
Science writer salary trends
The average science writer salary has risen by $9,309 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average science writer earned $59,905 annually, but today, they earn $69,214 a year. That works out to a 7% change in pay for science writers over the last decade.
Compare science writer salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Average science writer salary over time
Compare science writer salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
Science writer salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | $69,200 | $33.28 | +2.4% |
| 2025 | $67,500 | $32.47 | +1.4% |
| 2024 | $66,600 | $32.03 | +1.3% |
| 2023 | $65,800 | $31.62 | +1.5% |
| 2022 | $64,800 | $31.14 | -0.6% |
Recently added science writer salaries
| Company | Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thorlabs, Inc. | Science Writer II | Lafayette, CO | 06/20/2025 | $75,450 |
| Leadstack Inc. | Library Science Writer | Stanford, CA | 05/28/2025 | $62,610 |
| Avispa | Library Science Writer-School of Medicine | Stanford, CA | 05/22/2025 | $62,610 |
| Avispa Technology | Library Science Writer-School of Medicine | Stanford, CA | 05/20/2025 | $62,610 |
| Alois Solutions | Science Writer | Stanford, CA | 04/25/2025 | $58,436 |
| Leadstack Inc. | Science Writer | Palo Alto, CA | 04/24/2025 | $58,436 |
| Tempus Ai | Senior Science Writer | Chicago, IL | 03/24/2025 | $105,900 |
| Washington University In St. Louis | Senior Sciences Writer (Hybrid)-Biomedical Strategy, Marketing & Communications | Ione, WA | 03/22/2025 | $75,200 |
| Stanford University | Science Writer and Communications Strategist | Stanford, CA | 03/20/2025 | $111,329 |
| Scripps Research Translational Institute | Science Writer II-Chanda Lab | San Diego, CA | 02/18/2025 | $120 |
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