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Job outlook for technical writing consultants in the United States
Technical writing consultant job growth summary. After extensive research, interviews, and analysis, Zippia's data science team found that:
The projected technical writing consultant job growth rate is 6% from 2018-2028.
About 3,100 new jobs for technical writing consultants are projected over the next decade.
Technical writing consultant salaries have increased 7% for technical writing consultants in the last 5 years.
There are over 18,815 technical writing consultants currently employed in the United States.
There are 90,100 active technical writing consultant job openings in the US.
The average technical writing consultant salary is $82,383.
Are technical writing consultant jobs in demand?
Technical writing consultant job and salary trends over time
Technical writing consultant jobs over time
Technical writing consultant job growth rate over time
| Year | # of jobs | % of population |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 18,815 | 0.01% |
| 2020 | 19,312 | 0.01% |
| 2019 | 20,055 | 0.01% |
| 2018 | 19,893 | 0.01% |
| 2017 | 19,739 | 0.01% |
Average technical writing consultant salary over time
Technical writing consultant salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | $82,383 | $39.61 | +2.5% |
| 2025 | $80,396 | $38.65 | +1.4% |
| 2024 | $79,293 | $38.12 | +1.3% |
| 2023 | $78,277 | $37.63 | +1.5% |
| 2022 | $77,086 | $37.06 | --0.6% |
Technical writing consultant jobs by state
Most common states for technical writing consultants
| Rank | State | Population | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | District of Columbia | 693,972 | 246 | 35% |
| 2 | South Dakota | 869,666 | 256 | 29% |
| 3 | North Dakota | 755,393 | 150 | 20% |
| 4 | Wyoming | 579,315 | 118 | 20% |
| 5 | Minnesota | 5,576,606 | 1,037 | 19% |
| 6 | Alabama | 4,874,747 | 867 | 18% |
| 7 | Delaware | 961,939 | 175 | 18% |
| 8 | Oklahoma | 3,930,864 | 660 | 17% |
| 9 | Nebraska | 1,920,076 | 319 | 17% |
| 10 | Alaska | 739,795 | 128 | 17% |
| 11 | Colorado | 5,607,154 | 918 | 16% |
| 12 | Illinois | 12,802,023 | 1,886 | 15% |
| 13 | Connecticut | 3,588,184 | 511 | 14% |
| 14 | Mississippi | 2,984,100 | 424 | 14% |
| 15 | Kansas | 2,913,123 | 401 | 14% |
| 16 | Georgia | 10,429,379 | 1,365 | 13% |
| 17 | New Mexico | 2,088,070 | 272 | 13% |
| 18 | New York | 19,849,399 | 2,288 | 12% |
| 19 | Pennsylvania | 12,805,537 | 1,539 | 12% |
| 20 | Wisconsin | 5,795,483 | 695 | 12% |
Technical Writing Consultant job outlook: Expert opinions
Our panel of technical writing consultant experts
Tusculum University
Colorado Mesa University
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville
Duke University
University of Rhode Island
Milwaukee Area Technical College
Ohio Northern University
California State University, Los Angeles
Lorain County Community College
Western Kentucky University
Franklin and Marshall College
University of Arkansas
Aquinas College
Montana State University - Billings
Emory Oxford College
Temple University
Vicky Johnson Bós
Associate Professor of EnglishTusculum University
English Language And Literature
What general advice would you give to a Technical Writing Consultant?
Vicky Johnson Bós: In order for a new college graduate to be successful in a career, they should have done/should do the following:
* Take advantage of an internship for practical experience
* Seriously consider a Master's Degree
* Have a portfolio of personal work to show during interviews
* Collect business cards of people in your future job market and network!
* Have a polished, professional resume`
What Technical Writing Consultant skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Vicky Johnson Bós: Students should be very familiar with using AI in responsible, informed ways to further their writing and research. Having people-skills will never go unused. Good writing and technological skills will become even more in demand with the growth of new, unexplored job markets.
What will help Technical Writing Consultants increase their earning potential?
Vicky Johnson Bós: Have practical experience in that field through a summer job, internship, or access to expertise. Getting a Master's Degree or even a PhD can greatly influence salary potential. Be aware that you may have to take a 'starting' job at less of a good salary to get practical experience to make the leap to a better paying job.
Dr. Tiffany Kinney PhD
Associate Professor of EnglishColorado Mesa University
English Language And Literature
What general advice would you give to a Technical Writing Consultant?
Dr. Tiffany Kinney PhD: Skills that are becoming important and prevalent over the next 3-5 years would include an ability to work with artificial intelligence, an ability to collaborate, and the ability to communicate.
What Technical Writing Consultant skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Dr. Tiffany Kinney PhD: In terms of general advice, students just entering the career field after graduating should apply far and wide. In other words, I would suggest that students not limit themselves because they might be surprised where they can land a job. With that said, they should still tailor their application materials for the job that they want, instead of just sending out the same materials again/again.
What will help Technical Writing Consultants increase their earning potential?
Dr. Tiffany Kinney PhD: Skills that are becoming important and prevalent over the next 3-5 years would include an ability to work with artificial intelligence, an ability to collaborate, and the ability to communicate.
Randall Auxier
Professor of Philosophy and Communication StudiesSouthern Illinois University Edwardsville
Rhetoric And Composition/Writing Studies
What general advice would you give to a Technical Writing Consultant?
Randall Auxier: Being the writer in your workplace can be seriously enhanced by the ability to do animation, illustration, graphics, charts, and to create good-looking documents with publishing software (e.g., Indesign). Being only the writer is limiting by comparison. Working with images of all kinds is almost as important as the writing.
What Technical Writing Consultant skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Randall Auxier: Writers have to be patient about this. The fields that were once supporting writers (e.g., journalism) have dried up. No one gets paid much for this kind of work any more. The best strategy is to seek a position that has upward mobility and become a writer in the fashion described above. You have to be good at it, of course, to increase your value to a company. Being sure that you are credited for everything you do, in the text, is very important, in creating a portfolio that makes you mobile. People will let you go uncredited unless you insist on being credited. Here you really must be bold. You are not moving your career forward unless you are credited for everything you do. No one can reasonably deny your request to be credited, so insist on it.
What will help Technical Writing Consultants increase their earning potential?
Randall Auxier: At first it isn't going to be any fun. Writing is something every office needs --and being the person in the workplace who can do that provides a secure niche. You need not start in a job that has writing as one of its main requirements; rather, you take what you can get and then work your way into the writing role --any time something needs to be written, volunteer to do it. Soon you'll have more than you can handle. At this point, look for ways to get your writing seen as yours, newsletter, liaison with the communications office for your workplace, etc. Being known by your co-workers as a writer can lead all kinds of places, although not usually toward management. It's opportunity to write increasingly important things that counts as upward movement.
Michael Munger
Director of Undergraduate Studies, Director, PPE ProgramDuke University
Department of Political Science
What hard/technical skills are most important for Technical Writing Consultants?
Michael Munger: Political Science students should take at least one Computer Science class, be able to run a spreadsheet with skill, and be able to write crisp prose that gets to the point.
What's a good job out of college for Technical Writing Consultants?
John Pantalone: At this point, at the risk of being sarcastic, any job is a good job. The real answer is that it depends on the field you plan to go into and what you consider a good job. A livable wage with reasonable benefits is part of the equation; the other part is whether you genuinely enjoy the work.
What technical skills for a Technical Writing Consultant stand out to employers?
John Pantalone: Hard to say. I'm sure good computer skills are important in any job, but so are strong communication skills. If by technical skills you mean software programs, etc., it again depends on the nature of the job/work. Knowledge of basic software, social media platforms, data interpretation all seem important now.
Will there be an enduring impact of the coronavirus pandemic on Technical Writing Consultants?
John Pantalone: I don't think we have any idea what the long-term effects of the pandemic will be either in economic terms, health terms, or employment terms. It is much too soon to tell. Everything depends on what the government does, how corporations respond to the changing economic climate and evolving technologies. In the field of journalism, everything is up in the air and it will be years before we have a good idea of how journalism will evolve and survive.
Kevin Pulz
Academic Department Chair/Senior Producer-Director, Milwaukee PBSMilwaukee Area Technical College
Television and Video Production/eProduction- Milwaukee PBS
Will there be an enduring impact of the coronavirus pandemic on Technical Writing Consultants?
Kevin Pulz: There's no doubt that the pandemic has and will continue to have a clear impact on current college/university students and upcoming and recent graduates. The way things are 'done', for example, has been redefined in a fashion that in some ways makes traditional broadcast production unrecognizable. Studio camera operators have been replaced by fixed computer camera lenses for Zoom calls; efforts to collect high-quality audio have fallen to camera mics at best, and poor computer mics at worst in order to distance audio operators from talent or interview subjects; studio productions are a shell of what they once were; sports and event programming have diminished in frequency or disappeared altogether.
However, while many facets of media and broadcasting have seen a degradation of quality, content continues to flow. Rethinking the production process is not a bad thing, rather a challenging one. Local broadcasters may not be enjoying the large production teams they were before the pandemic, but viewing has not abated. Streaming content has exploded as it offers flexibility in accessibility to viewers and all of a sudden episodes of long forgotten shows appear quite palatable.
The landscape of these industries are evolving. The challenge is to be able to adapt to that evolution, all the while ensuring that high-quality skills remain attainable and sharp for the time when viewers no longer passively accept muddy or choppy looking video content on their 4k home screens.
What technical skills for a Technical Writing Consultant stand out to employers?
Kevin Pulz: What skills AREN'T desirable to employers? Video Editors need to be motion graphics stars as well. Videographers are more valuable if they are photojournalists or video essayists in addition. On-line content mediators and creators are in demand as corporations that once flew in employees for training are finding all sorts of benefits to creating visual media locally and sharing globally.
There's no substitute for solid production skills and strength in technology as a whole; but there's a voracious appetite for cutting edge approaches to content treatment, acquisition and delivery. Possessing the ability to deliver on both the audio and video quality we've come to expect as well as the promise of developing fresh modes of content creating utilizing new and exciting technologies positions anyone early on their career well for long-term success in a rapidly challenging and exciting world of media.
What's a good job out of college for Technical Writing Consultants?
Kevin Pulz: Broadcasting is still, strangely, considered a glamor field in so many ways. Little do people realize that cable wrapping and happily executed grunt work are essential talents that often separate the job recipient from the 5 interviewees and 95 applicants for a gig that pays less than fast-food work, even with a college degree.
So a good job out of college is ANY job in the field. Being 'in' and demonstrating one's ability in a professional environment remains key to opportunity in the future.
That said, it's clear that an area of media that's ripe for growth is multiplatform content delivery. It's in the wheelhouse of recent graduates based upon age and media consumption habits and, with traditional broadcast audiences growing older, an aspect of content creation that promises to grow even more legs as distribution methodologies develop and mature.
What's a day at work look like for a Technical Writing Consultant?
Shane Tilton Ph.D.: This line of evidence is pointing to one central truth. Those that practiced multimedia journalism techniques before the pandemic will find success now. Also, organizations are looking for those graduates that can be a "one-stop-shop" for producing stories from home. I don't believe that trend will change. This trend also addresses the third question. Graduates are leaving colleges better prepared to use computer-mediated communication tools to complete their jobs' essential tasks. They understand how to be engaging and communicate effectively via their more contemporary communication tools.
What technical skills for a Technical Writing Consultant stand out to employers?
Shane Tilton Ph.D.: Weirdly, the pandemic has been good to those trained in media production. All organizations now find themselves in the position to need to use digital media production tools more regularly. I can not count the number of conversations I have had with colleagues and interested parties looking for students and alumni to work with them to develop their media platform. Even if a student can not find a job in journalism, the skills they learn in our program are adaptable to a virtually endless number of organizations across the world. They know how to be effective communicators using media production tools.
Will there be an enduring impact of the coronavirus pandemic on Technical Writing Consultants?
Shane Tilton Ph.D.: I have argued that the pandemic has dropkicked society, culture, and daily activities fifty years into the future. We are doing more decentralized work virtually from home. The journalism industry seems to have felt the boot prints of that dropkick as much as any industry. One of the continuous influences of COVID-19 post-pandemic appears to be the "home studio model" for broadcasters and journalism organizations. I would point to the "Room Raters" Twitter account as evidence for this claim. It seems that people are more comfortable with reporting from home. Journalism graduates are now presenting news stories in a quasi-informal manner. The general public seems to be okay seeing journalists in more business casual clothing than the power suit.
It has also fundamentally changed the functional roles of journalists. Contributors and correspondents show off their credibility by displaying the books they wrote on the shelves behind them or the visual artifacts of their subject of expertise. Anchors have a screen behind them, highlighting the story with some visuals. Citizen journalists are finding more accessible access to essential sources via Zoom or Skype. Reporters are framing their interviews via those services as well.
Will there be an enduring impact of the coronavirus pandemic on Technical Writing Consultants?
Kate Kurtin Ph.D.: Yes! Absolutely! We can only assume that the whole world will be affected by this pandemic for years to come. The workforce, for starters, will be tremendously affected. Currently, for example, there are limited service jobs in parts of the country. These are jobs that millions of graduates hold. We also have the highest unemployment rate in modern history. Once the country opens up again and companies begin to hire again, everyone who lost their job in the last year will be competing with recent graduates on the same job market. We saw this after the recession as well.
Speaking more positively, companies are now realizing that their employees can work effectively and efficiently from home. It has been predicted that this will shift many more traditional office jobs to permanent telecommuting. This is great news for graduates because they can broaden their job search.
I am also hopeful that creative industries will getting very busy soon. Personally, I teach in advertising and public relations and those industries will be in high demand.
What's a good job out of college for Technical Writing Consultants?
Kate Kurtin Ph.D.: Any job that you are passionate about and brings you joy is a great job out of college. Don't look for a "forever job" after college, look for a job where you can learn and grow and support yourself.
What technical skills for a Technical Writing Consultant stand out to employers?
Kate Kurtin Ph.D.: Every article on the subject says that communication skills are the most important skills to have when on the job market - and this is not my bias speaking, even Warren Buffet said it! Public speaking, critical thinking, interpersonal skills, etc., these are things that stand out to employers.
Tammy Bosley Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, Program Coordinator for Communication StudiesLorain County Community College
Arts & Humanities Division
What technology do you think will become more important and prevalent for Technical Writing Consultants in the next 3-5 years?
Tammy Bosley Ph.D.: I think we'll continue to use digital platforms such as Zoom, WebEx, and Teams. We'll likely see improved options in these platforms, such as enhanced breakout rooms, better file-sharing capabilities, and synchronous document creation/editing. If we continue to work from home, these platforms will also need to do well on smartphones.
What Technical Writing Consultant skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Kara Glenn: Focus on the digital sphere. Learn more about SEO, Paid Social Media Advertising, AdWords, Head mapping, and user experience.
Dr. Stephanie McNulty Ph.D.
Chair and Associate Professor of GovernmentFranklin and Marshall College
Government Department
What type of skills will young Technical Writing Consultants need?
Dr. Stephanie McNulty Ph.D.: I expect that many of the same skills employers have always sought out will continue to be necessary. These include strong communication skills, working independently and in teams, and the ability to think critically about complex issues and solve complex problems. As a result of the pandemic and ongoing global trends, a strong understanding of and using new or innovative technology to do all of these things is essential. I expect this to continue into the coming years. As the economy shrinks, strong networking skills are also as vital as ever, and I do not wish to change.
How do you envision technology impacting Technical Writing Consultants in the next 5 years?
Lori Birrell: Emerging technologies have been a mainstay in the library science profession for decades. In the coming years, our work will continue to grapple with the impact of AI, facial recognition software, and the tools that support big data, as the nature of research and our users' needs- continue to evolve.
Michael Lorr Ph.D.
Chair, Professor of Sociology, & Director of the Community Leadership ProgramAquinas College
Sociology Department
How do you envision technology impacting Technical Writing Consultants in the next 5 years?
Michael Lorr Ph.D.: As the pandemic is showing us currently, graduates will need to be able to do their work in traditional face-to-face ways and be confident in doing work virtually on a variety of computer- and internet-based platforms.
Robin Cormier
Assistant ProfessorMontana State University - Billings
College of Education
What general advice would you give to a Technical Writing Consultant?
Robin Cormier: While college graduates begin to launch their careers, they also face uncertainty about job opportunities. This can be a daunting time in their life. First and foremost, they should be proud of their achievements. There are many steps they can take to prepare for a future career, such as developing a network and building a strong resume. However, in my opinion, the most important advice I would offer new graduates is to pursue their passion. When you are passionate about your career, your life is more fulfilling, and you are more determined to achieve success. Passion shows through how you communicate, develop working relationships, and your level of career investment.
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for Technical Writing Consultants to find work opportunities?
Christopher Blake Ph.D.: If you had asked me last year, I would say that several places a graduate could find ample work opportunities. Any city with a Federal Reserve Branch Bank is a safe bet for those interested in public policy. The private sector is always looking for qualified economists to help with data analysis, modeling, and strategy. While there is still decent demand for those with strong communication, modeling, and data skills, the movement to more remote work makes it more likely a graduate can find a job anywhere. This may be one of the few positives from this job market cycle, relative to last year's, as there will be many jobs that no longer ask that one moves to the job's physical location.
Digital "places" are then perhaps more critical. For academic and research jobs, always keep an eye on the Job Openings for Economists list through the American Economic Association website (https://www.aeaweb.org/joe/listings?). A handful of other sites are devoted to academic and research jobs, though these are used less frequently (EconJobMarket comes to mind: https://econjobmarket.org/). Outside of academic and research positions, the world is truly your oyster - as they say. Remaining active on job boards, LinkedIn, and other social media platforms, and even checking specific large company websites can all prove valuable sources to find work opportunities. There will always be a demand for strong candidates who can understand the plethora of data collected these days.
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for Technical Writing Consultants to find work opportunities?
Elizabeth Gordon: Almost every type of organization, whether a corporation, a non-profit, or a government entity, needs an accountant. So, there will be opportunities for accounting majors throughout the United States. Regions that are growing will be particularly good places in the United States to find work opportunities after graduation.