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The differences between technical writers and content editors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 1-2 years to become a technical writer, becoming a content editor takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a technical writer has an average salary of $65,329, which is higher than the $61,694 average annual salary of a content editor.
The top three skills for a technical writer include technical documentation, subject matter experts and powerpoint. The most important skills for a content editor are digital content, web content, and digital marketing.
| Technical Writer | Content Editor | |
| Yearly salary | $65,329 | $61,694 |
| Hourly rate | $31.41 | $29.66 |
| Growth rate | 6% | -5% |
| Number of jobs | 75,090 | 18,586 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 72% | Bachelor's Degree, 79% |
| Average age | 46 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 4 |
Technical Writers specialize in producing easy-to-understand instructional or informational written materials, such as media and journal articles, assessments and guidelines, and legal forms of documentation. For Technical Writers to develop well-versed content, one must conduct thorough research on the topic or idea to ensure factual legitimacy and communicate with those whose expertise aligns with the subject. Aside from producing, Technical Writers can also improve or convert complex written materials such as operating manuals or documents into one that can be easily understood by the general public.
A content editor is an individual who is responsible for proof-reading articles written by content writers and write blog posts to promote the products and services of an organization. Content editors are responsible for producing monthly newsletters and optimize written pieces to increase user engagement. They need to interact with the consumers with the purpose of sourcing feedback on the content's impact actively. Content editors must also conduct business research on current trends to give the company an edge over the competition.
Technical writers and content editors have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Technical Writer | Content Editor | |
| Average salary | $65,329 | $61,694 |
| Salary range | Between $48,000 And $87,000 | Between $41,000 And $91,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | New York, NY |
| Highest paying state | California | New York |
| Best paying company | Meta | Apple |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Technology |
There are a few differences between a technical writer and a content editor in terms of educational background:
| Technical Writer | Content Editor | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 72% | Bachelor's Degree, 79% |
| Most common major | English | English |
| Most common college | University of Houston | Northwestern University |
Here are the differences between technical writers' and content editors' demographics:
| Technical Writer | Content Editor | |
| Average age | 46 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 49.7% Female, 50.3% | Male, 43.5% Female, 56.5% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 6.6% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 7.8% Asian, 8.7% White, 71.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% | Black or African American, 3.5% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 8.0% Asian, 7.1% White, 76.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 12% |