Updated April 6, 2023

Scientific Writer Salary Estimate

$99,550

$47.86 hourly

Entry level Salary
$66,000 yearly

How much does a Scientific Writer make?

The average salary for a scientific writer in the United States is $99,550. Scientific writer salaries typically range between $66,000 and $150,000 a year. The average hourly rate for scientific writers is $47.86 per hour.

Location, education, and experience impacts how much a scientific writer can expect to make. Scientific writers make the most in Virginia, Arizona, California, New Jersey, and Massachusetts.

Research Summary.
  • The average salary for a scientific writer is $99,550 in the US.
  • The average scientific writer salary ranges between $66,000 and $150,000 in the US.
  • Hourly rates for scientific writers in the US typically range between $31 and $72 an hour.
  • The average scientific writer salary is $117,340 in Virginia, $115,911 in Arizona, and $110,398 in California. These are the three highest-paying states for scientific writers in the US.
  • Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center has the highest average salary for scientific writers.
  • Pharmaceutical is the highest-paying industry for scientific writers in the US.

Highest Paying States For Scientific Writers

Throughout the U.S., the average salary for a scientific writer is roughly $99,550 per year, which boils down to $47.86 per hour. Interestingly enough, scientific writers have the highest salaries in Richmond, VA at about $117,342 per year. For those who are just starting out, the average entry-level salary in Richmond, VA is $78,000. Additionally, scientific writers make more than the average salary in Menlo Park, CA, Hackensack, NJ, Worcester, MA, New York, NY, and Bethesda, MD. On a more broad level, scientific writer salaries are highest in Virginia, Arizona, California, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Pennsylvania. On the contrary, Kentucky, Oklahoma, and Nebraska offer the lowest scientific writer salaries.
  • State View
  • County View
Average Salary:

Scientific Writer average salary by State

RankStateAvg. SalaryHourly RateJob Count
1District of Columbia$137,045$65.89194
2Virginia$117,340$56.41345
3Massachusetts$104,656$50.32373
4New Jersey$109,419$52.61222
5California$110,398$53.08987
6Arizona$115,911$55.73110
7Vermont$97,329$46.7926
8Connecticut$99,795$47.9876
9Pennsylvania$98,980$47.59215
10New Hampshire$97,650$46.9536
11North Carolina$94,627$45.49218
12Michigan$97,501$46.88137
13New York$95,473$45.90572
14Nevada$91,628$44.0552
15Maryland$93,448$44.93317
16Wyoming$84,714$40.7329
17Rhode Island$88,842$42.7128
18Oregon$89,459$43.01165
19Alaska$89,312$42.9427
20Washington$90,519$43.52225
21Illinois$87,955$42.29323
22Delaware$88,222$42.4134
23Minnesota$88,537$42.57142
24North Dakota$88,714$42.6514
25Florida$89,587$43.07311
26Texas$87,339$41.99322
27Ohio$86,544$41.61129
28Louisiana$86,411$41.5426
29Wisconsin$81,410$39.1495
30Indiana$81,301$39.0988
31New Mexico$81,558$39.2139
32Georgia$83,086$39.95177
33Hawaii$81,150$39.0123
34Colorado$81,321$39.10133
35Utah$76,688$36.8798
36Tennessee$79,157$38.0665
37Missouri$79,433$38.19106
38West Virginia$76,053$36.5620
39Alabama$78,564$37.7746
40Montana$76,290$36.6824
41South Carolina$77,816$37.4154
42Arkansas$74,783$35.9540
43Kansas$75,525$36.3145
44Maine$76,672$36.8619
45Nebraska$70,454$33.8748
46Idaho$69,122$33.2332
47Mississippi$74,258$35.7018
48Kentucky$73,453$35.3138
49Oklahoma$72,164$34.6939
50South Dakota$68,957$33.1514
51Iowa$69,622$33.4740

Highest Paying Cities For Scientific Writers

RankCityAvg. SalaryHourly RateJob Count
1Richmond, VA$117,342$56.411
2Menlo Park, CA$113,479$54.56
3Hackensack, NJ$109,479$52.63
4Worcester, MA$104,764$50.37
5New York, NY$95,777$46.05
6Bethesda, MD$93,362$44.891
7Reno, NV$93,339$44.87
8Seattle, WA$91,442$43.96
9Miami, FL$89,192$42.881
10Chicago, IL$88,414$42.51
11Houston, TX$87,686$42.16
12Saint Louis, MO$80,391$38.651
13Memphis, TN$77,968$37.481
14Birmingham, AL$77,890$37.45

Scientific Writer Salary by Years of Experience

The salary for a scientific writer can vary depending on the years of experience that a person has, from entry level to senior level. An accountant with 0-2 years of experience earns an average salary of $67,536, a mid-career professional with 3-6 years of experience makes $99,550 a year on average, and a senior level accountant with 7-12 years of experience enjoys an average annual salary of $147,753. Data on how experience level affects total compensation is provided by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) as part of their National Compensation Survey, which is based on factors such as knowledge, complexity, contacts, and environment.

Scientific Writer Salary By Experience Level

Experience LevelAvg. SalaryHourly Rate
Entry Level$67,500$32.47
Mid Level$108,000$51.75
Senior Level$148,000$71.04

Scientific Writers Salary Details

Average Scientific Writer Salary Graph
Average Scientific Writer Salary Graph, Trends, and Summary

What is a Scientific Writer's Salary?

PercentileAnnual SalaryMonthly SalaryHourly Rate
90th Percentile$150,000$12,500$72
75th Percentile$123,000$10,250$59
Average$99,550$8,296$48
25th Percentile$80,000$6,667$38
10th Percentile$66,000$5,500$32

Highest Paying Types of Scientific Writers

Job TitleAnnual SalaryMonthly SalaryHourly RateJob Openings
Journalist$60,828$5,069$29.2411,488
Publisher$71,539$5,962$34.3910,303
Editor$52,107$4,342$25.0515,115
News Editor$53,822$4,485$25.8812,484
Managing Editor$89,060$7,422$42.8216,781
Proposal Writer$68,706$5,725$33.0318,125

Which Companies Pay Scientific Writers The Most?

The highest paying companies for scientific writers are Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and Methodist Hospital Of Henderson, Kentucky according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, companies like Bristol-Myers Squibb and Fred Hutch report highly competitive wages for scientific writers.
RankCompanyAverage SalaryHourly RateJob Openings
1Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center$143,093$68.79
2Methodist Hospital Of Henderson, Kentucky$117,973$56.72
3Bristol-Myers Squibb$117,166$56.339
4Fred Hutch$105,659$50.80
5FleishmanHillard$105,550$50.75
6Parexel International$103,994$50.001
7Medimmune$101,417$48.76
8Charles River Labs$96,234$46.27
9UMiami Health System$95,759$46.04
10Houston Methodist$94,585$45.473
11Pharmaceutical Product Development$93,661$45.03
12UC Santa Barbara$93,479$44.94
13St. Jude Children's Research Hospital$91,610$44.044
14Champions Oncology$90,868$43.69
15City of Hope$90,860$43.68
16Henry M. Jackson Foundation$89,193$42.88
17Charles River Center$83,246$40.02
18University of Massachusetts Medical School$82,524$39.672
19Globus Medical$80,503$38.70
20University of Washington$78,411$37.709

Scientific Writer Pay Trends

Average Scientific Writer Salary Over Time

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

    Scientific Writer Salary By Year

    YearAvg. SalaryHourly Rate% Change
    2023$99,500$47.86+2.4%
    2022$97,100$46.71+1.4%
    2021$95,800$46.07+1.3%
    2020$94,600$45.48+1.5%
    2019$93,100$44.78-0.6%

    Recently Added Scientific Writer Salaries

    CompanyJobLocationDate AddedSalary
    The University of Oklahoma Human ResourcesScientific Writer/EditorOklahoma City, OK05/04/2023$60,400
    Washington University In St. LouisScientific Writer-PsychiatrySaint Louis, MO05/01/2023$50,500
    InotivScientific WriterWestminster, CO04/28/2023$69,700
    Stanford UniversityLifestyle Medicine Scientific Writer & Program Manager (Hybrid)Redwood City, CA04/26/2023$75,000
    The University of Oklahoma Human ResourcesScientific Writer/EditorOklahoma City, OK04/10/2023$60,400
    InotivScientific Writer IIWestminster, CO04/05/2023$69,700
    Envigo RMS, LLCScientific Writer IIWestminster, CO04/04/2023$69,700
    Envigo RMS, LLCScientific WriterWestminster, CO04/04/2023$69,700
    Virginia Commonwealth UniversityProtocol/Scientific Writer-Massey Cancer CenterRichmond, VA03/30/2023$65,000
    Washington University In St. LouisScientific Writer-PsychiatrySaint Louis, MO03/30/2023$50,500

    Scientific Writer Salaries FAQs

    What State Pays Scientific Writers The Most?

    Virginia pays Scientific Writers the most in the United States, with an average salary of $137,045 per year, or $65.89 per hour.

    How Do I Know If I'm Being Paid Fairly As A Scientific Writer?

    You know if you are being paid fairly as a Scientific Writer if your pay is close to the average pay for the state you live in. For example, if you live in Virginia you should be paid close to $117,340 per year.

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