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The differences between scientific technical writers and staff writers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a scientific technical writer and a staff writer. Additionally, a scientific technical writer has an average salary of $78,877, which is higher than the $44,844 average annual salary of a staff writer.
The top three skills for a scientific technical writer include sops, subject matter experts and FDA. The most important skills for a staff writer are feature stories, news stories, and event coverage.
| Scientific Technical Writer | Staff Writer | |
| Yearly salary | $78,877 | $44,844 |
| Hourly rate | $37.92 | $21.56 |
| Growth rate | 6% | 6% |
| Number of jobs | 79,680 | 80,547 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 54% | Bachelor's Degree, 82% |
| Average age | 46 | 46 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
Scientific technical writers and staff writers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Scientific Technical Writer | Staff Writer | |
| Average salary | $78,877 | $44,844 |
| Salary range | Between $57,000 And $109,000 | Between $29,000 And $68,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | Washington, DC |
| Highest paying state | - | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | - | The New York Times Company |
| Best paying industry | - | Non Profits |
There are a few differences between a scientific technical writer and a staff writer in terms of educational background:
| Scientific Technical Writer | Staff Writer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 54% | Bachelor's Degree, 82% |
| Most common major | Biology | Journalism |
| Most common college | University of Southern California | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
Here are the differences between scientific technical writers' and staff writers' demographics:
| Scientific Technical Writer | Staff Writer | |
| Average age | 46 | 46 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 35.4% Female, 64.6% | Male, 49.2% Female, 50.8% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 6.7% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 7.9% Asian, 8.8% White, 71.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% | Black or African American, 6.7% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 7.9% Asian, 8.8% White, 71.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 11% |