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Technical writer salary
Average technical writer salary
$65,329
Average Technical Writer Salary
The average salary for a Technical Writer in the U.S. is approximately $65,329 per year, with hourly rates averaging around $31. Salaries can vary significantly based on factors such as experience, location, and industry. Entry-level positions typically start lower, while seasoned professionals can command higher wages.
Salary by Experience Level
Technical writers can expect to see salary increases as they gain experience. For example:
- Entry-level: $50,000 - $60,000
- Mid-level (3-5 years): $65,000 - $75,000
- Senior-level (5+ years): $80,000 - $100,000+
Top Paying States
Some of the highest paying states for technical writers include:
- California
- Washington
- New York
These states not only offer higher salaries but also a variety of industries that require skilled technical writers. Understanding these dynamics can help potential candidates assess their earning potential and pursue the right opportunities in the field.
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Where can a Technical Writer earn more?
Technical writer salaries by experience level
| Experience level | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|
| Entry-level technical writer | $44,300 | $21.31 |
| Mid-level technical writer | $70,600 | $33.96 |
| Senior-level technical writer | $97,000 | $46.62 |
Technical writer salary estimates from across the web
Average technical writer salary by state
The average technical writer salary in California, Washington, and Massachusetts are the highest in the U.S. The lowest average technical writer salary states are West Virginia, Florida, and Mississippi.
- State view
- County view
Highest paying states for technical writers
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nevada | $71,298 | $34.28 |
| 2 | North Dakota | $66,465 | $31.95 |
| 3 | North Carolina | $66,590 | $32.01 |
| 4 | District of Columbia | $77,917 | $37.46 |
| 5 | Arizona | $65,682 | $31.58 |
| 6 | Massachusetts | $75,434 | $36.27 |
| 7 | Washington | $76,826 | $36.94 |
| 8 | Pennsylvania | $63,906 | $30.72 |
| 9 | California | $79,844 | $38.39 |
| 10 | Georgia | $64,005 | $30.77 |
| 11 | Oregon | $68,309 | $32.84 |
| 12 | Colorado | $63,902 | $30.72 |
| 13 | Maryland | $70,388 | $33.84 |
| 14 | Wyoming | $64,652 | $31.08 |
| 15 | Vermont | $66,616 | $32.03 |
| 16 | Texas | $59,885 | $28.79 |
| 17 | Connecticut | $63,642 | $30.60 |
| 18 | Virginia | $66,564 | $32.00 |
| 19 | Illinois | $59,928 | $28.81 |
| 20 | New Hampshire | $65,737 | $31.60 |
| 21 | Alaska | $61,757 | $29.69 |
| 22 | Michigan | $59,051 | $28.39 |
| 23 | Ohio | $58,901 | $28.32 |
| 24 | New York | $60,924 | $29.29 |
| 25 | New Mexico | $58,256 | $28.01 |
| 26 | Kansas | $58,473 | $28.11 |
| 27 | New Jersey | $65,970 | $31.72 |
| 28 | Minnesota | $58,427 | $28.09 |
| 29 | South Dakota | $57,473 | $27.63 |
| 30 | Delaware | $58,688 | $28.22 |
| 31 | Wisconsin | $56,507 | $27.17 |
| 32 | Tennessee | $56,387 | $27.11 |
| 33 | Rhode Island | $59,140 | $28.43 |
| 34 | Arkansas | $54,089 | $26.00 |
| 35 | Montana | $58,798 | $28.27 |
| 36 | Missouri | $56,580 | $27.20 |
| 37 | Louisiana | $56,958 | $27.38 |
| 38 | Maine | $56,525 | $27.18 |
| 39 | Alabama | $54,606 | $26.25 |
| 40 | Nebraska | $50,641 | $24.35 |
| 41 | Utah | $56,143 | $26.99 |
| 42 | South Carolina | $52,826 | $25.40 |
| 43 | Florida | $51,156 | $24.59 |
| 44 | Kentucky | $51,874 | $24.94 |
| 45 | West Virginia | $51,357 | $24.69 |
| 46 | Oklahoma | $51,932 | $24.97 |
| 47 | Hawaii | $57,654 | $27.72 |
| 48 | Idaho | $54,322 | $26.12 |
| 49 | Mississippi | $51,081 | $24.56 |
| 50 | Indiana | $46,828 | $22.51 |
| 51 | Iowa | $48,448 | $23.29 |
Highest paying cities for technical writers
The highest-paying cities for technical writers are San Francisco, CA, Washington, DC, and Seattle, WA.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Francisco, CA | $86,857 | $41.76 |
| 2 | Washington, DC | $77,948 | $37.48 |
| 3 | Seattle, WA | $77,570 | $37.29 |
| 4 | Natick, MA | $75,512 | $36.30 |
| 5 | Annapolis, MD | $70,547 | $33.92 |
| 6 | Portland, OR | $68,190 | $32.78 |
| 7 | Raleigh, NC | $66,951 | $32.19 |
| 8 | Arlington, VA | $66,926 | $32.18 |
| 9 | Phoenix, AZ | $65,866 | $31.67 |
| 10 | Philadelphia, PA | $64,197 | $30.86 |
| 11 | Atlanta, GA | $64,095 | $30.81 |
| 12 | Colorado Springs, CO | $64,047 | $30.79 |
| 13 | New York, NY | $61,007 | $29.33 |
| 14 | Austin, TX | $60,154 | $28.92 |
| 15 | Chicago, IL | $60,047 | $28.87 |
| 16 | Columbus, OH | $58,871 | $28.30 |
| 17 | Minneapolis, MN | $58,378 | $28.07 |
| 18 | Saint Louis, MO | $56,838 | $27.33 |
| 19 | Portland, ME | $56,686 | $27.25 |
| 20 | Madison, WI | $56,301 | $27.07 |
Technical Writers are the most in-demand in these five cities:
Technical writer salary details
A technical writer's salary ranges from $48,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $87,000 at the 90th percentile.
What is a technical writer's salary?
| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $87,000 | $7,250 | $42 |
| 75th Percentile | $76,000 | $6,333 | $37 |
| Average | $65,329 | $5,444 | $31 |
| 25th Percentile | $55,000 | $4,583 | $26 |
| 10th Percentile | $48,000 | $4,000 | $23 |
Highest paying technical writer jobs
The highest paying types of technical 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 |
| Production Editor | $53,275 | $4,440 | $25.61 | 62,877 |
| News Editor | $53,822 | $4,485 | $25.88 | 12,484 |
| Journalist | $60,828 | $5,069 | $29.24 | 11,488 |
| Managing Editor | $89,060 | $7,422 | $42.82 | 16,781 |
Top companies hiring technical writers now:
Which companies pay technical writers the most?
Technical writer salaries at Meta and Riverbed Holdings, Inc. are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average technical writer salary at companies like Google and Apple are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Meta | $103,415 | $49.72 |
| 2 | Riverbed Holdings, Inc. | $99,590 | $47.88 |
| 3 | $99,590 | $47.88 | |
| 4 | Apple | $99,467 | $47.82 |
| 5 | Microsoft | $94,023 | $45.20 |
| 6 | ResMed | $92,440 | $44.44 |
| 7 | Amazon | $91,655 | $44.06 |
| 8 | Cisco | $90,634 | $43.57 |
| 9 | Workday | $90,201 | $43.37 |
| 10 | Zoox | $90,188 | $43.36 |
| 11 | Getaround | $89,125 | $42.85 |
| 12 | PlayStation | $88,831 | $42.71 |
| 13 | Applied Materials | $87,698 | $42.16 |
| 14 | F5 | $87,310 | $41.98 |
| 15 | Intel | $86,844 | $41.75 |
| 16 | KLA | $84,100 | $40.43 |
| 17 | Adobe | $83,965 | $40.37 |
| 18 | Visa | $83,710 | $40.25 |
| 19 | Stryker | $82,880 | $39.85 |
| 20 | TS Imagine | $82,407 | $39.62 |
Wage gap by gender, race and education
Technical Writer salary by industry
The average technical writer salary varies across industries:
- The average technical writer salary in the finance industry is $65,889, the highest of any industry.
- The average technical writer salary in the finance industry is $65,237.
- Technical writers in the government industry earn an average salary of $56,889, the lowest of any industry.
Highest paying industries for technical writers
| Rank | Industry | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Finance | $65,889 | $31.68 |
| 2 | Technology | $65,237 | $31.36 |
| 3 | Health Care | $65,096 | $31.30 |
| 4 | Manufacturing | $64,014 | $30.78 |
| 5 | Professional | $63,612 | $30.58 |
| 6 | Government | $56,889 | $27.35 |
High paying technical writer jobs
Technical writer salary trends
The average technical writer salary has risen by $8,786 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average technical writer earned $56,543 annually, but today, they earn $65,329 a year. That works out to a 7% change in pay for technical writers over the last decade.
Compare technical writer salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Average technical writer salary over time
Compare technical writer salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
Technical writer salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $65,300 | $31.41 | +2.4% |
| 2024 | $63,800 | $30.65 | +1.4% |
| 2023 | $62,900 | $30.23 | +1.3% |
| 2022 | $62,100 | $29.84 | +1.5% |
| 2021 | $61,100 | $29.39 | -0.6% |
Recently added technical writer salaries
| Company | Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aristocrat | Technical Writer | Franklin, TN | 06/30/2025 | $49,212 |
| Astreya | Technical Writer-Network Support Services | Fremont, CA | 06/30/2025 | $49,024 |
| Contact Government Services | Technical Writer | Washington, DC | 06/30/2025 | $63,093 |
| Contact Government Services | Technical Writer | Wyoming | 06/30/2025 | $63,093 |
| American Electric Power | Technical Writer | Columbus, OH | 06/29/2025 | $96,110 |
| Palantir | Technical Writer | New York, NY | 06/29/2025 | $88,000 |
| Perspecta | Tech Writer | San Diego, CA | 06/29/2025 | $80,000 |
| Medimpact Healthcare Systems | Technical Writer | Tempe, AZ | 06/29/2025 | $99,070 |
| M&J Engineering | Technical Writer, Wmata | Arlington, VA | 06/29/2025 | $50,000 |
| Databricks | Staff Technical Writer, Platform | Seattle, WA | 06/29/2025 | $127,700 |
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