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Job outlook for writing interns in the United States
Are writing internship jobs in demand?
Writing internship job and salary trends over time
Writing internship jobs over time
Writing internship job growth rate over time
| Year | # of jobs | % of population |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 1,677 | 0.00% |
| 2020 | 1,690 | 0.00% |
| 2019 | 1,691 | 0.00% |
| 2018 | 1,651 | 0.00% |
| 2017 | 1,615 | 0.00% |
Average writing internship salary over time
Writing internship salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $37,250 | $17.91 | +2.7% |
| 2024 | $36,266 | $17.44 | +1.9% |
| 2023 | $35,583 | $17.11 | +1.2% |
| 2022 | $35,168 | $16.91 | +2.2% |
| 2021 | $34,409 | $16.54 | +2.2% |
Writing internship jobs by state
Most common states for writing interns
| Rank | State | Population | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | District of Columbia | 693,972 | 109 | 16% |
| 2 | Vermont | 623,657 | 89 | 14% |
| 3 | Wyoming | 579,315 | 80 | 14% |
| 4 | Delaware | 961,939 | 111 | 12% |
| 5 | South Dakota | 869,666 | 76 | 9% |
| 6 | Alaska | 739,795 | 64 | 9% |
| 7 | Maine | 1,335,907 | 106 | 8% |
| 8 | North Dakota | 755,393 | 59 | 8% |
| 9 | Idaho | 1,716,943 | 128 | 7% |
| 10 | New Hampshire | 1,342,795 | 94 | 7% |
| 11 | Montana | 1,050,493 | 75 | 7% |
| 12 | Rhode Island | 1,059,639 | 72 | 7% |
| 13 | Nebraska | 1,920,076 | 96 | 5% |
| 14 | Maryland | 6,052,177 | 224 | 4% |
| 15 | Connecticut | 3,588,184 | 133 | 4% |
| 16 | Arkansas | 3,004,279 | 110 | 4% |
| 17 | West Virginia | 1,815,857 | 76 | 4% |
| 18 | Hawaii | 1,427,538 | 58 | 4% |
| 19 | Kentucky | 4,454,189 | 120 | 3% |
| 20 | New Mexico | 2,088,070 | 73 | 3% |
Most common cities for writing interns
| Rank | City | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl | Avg. salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Boston | 1 | 0% | $39,367 |
| 2 | Chicago | 1 | 0% | $38,059 |
| 3 | Detroit | 1 | 0% | $32,703 |
Writing Internship job outlook: Expert opinions
Our panel of writing internship experts
University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee
Molloy College
University of Richmond
Ursinus College
Grand Valley State University
Indiana University Kokomo
University of Miami
York College of Pennsylvania
Metropolitan State University
Berry College
University of San Francisco
Montclair State University
Lehman College
Colorado Mesa University
California State University, Fresno
Henderson State University
Columbia College Chicago
Hannibal-LaGrange University
Liam Callanan
professor, EnglishUniversity of Wisconsin - Milwaukee
English Language And Literature
What general advice would you give to a Writing Internship?
Liam Callanan: Be the best writer on the team. And avoid multiple exclamation points!!! Better yet, avoid them altogether. Better to be your own singular exclamation point.
What general advice would you give to a Writing Internship?
Katherine Kim Ph.D: -Again, it depends on the field, as jobs that center on skills you learn by being an English major vary widely. If it is jobs in teaching and studying English language and literature, then being open to interdisciplinary work and the digital humanities/new media will continue to be important. Studying English already requires a certain level of interdisciplinary work, and technology keeps adding to the ways people interact and circulate ideas. In addition, learning how to communicate clearly and understand/interpret what others communicate will always be vital. Given the divisiveness that exists in this world, understanding different perspectives and being able to communicate well with those who hold those perspectives will continue to be important in the field and beyond it.
What Writing Internship skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Katherine Kim Ph.D: -You should have your application documents polished and organized. In addition, students can take advantage of opportunities to highlight themselves while still in school. For instance, getting published in a school literary magazine, heading a school-sponsored literature club or author event, or working for a school (or outside) publication can show your skills and interests before you even apply for full-time positions. Also, part of the situation deals with striking a balance between how you want to be desired by the person doing the hiring and how you want to show desire for the position. While you want to cast a wide net sometimes when looking for jobs, you also want to put in that extra effort with the applications for jobs that would be really great fits. If the hiring person and you both see how well you would fit in the position, that can help make the case for trying to secure you for the job!
Justin Wigard
Postdoctoral Research FellowUniversity of Richmond
Rhetoric And Composition/Writing Studies
What will help Writing Interns increase their earning potential?
Justin Wigard: Writing graduates are primed to quickly, innately, analyze many forms of communication. Learning the fundamentals of writing and rhetoric gives you the capacity to work in any written genre and context. My advice would be to read deeply and widely! Read poetry and nonfiction, study business memos and film scripts, annotate law briefs and scholarly monographs. The more you read, the more styles and approaches to writing you’ll be familiar with. Likewise, I would recommend writing constantly, and getting as much feedback from your peers, faculty members, and writing center consultants as you can. That way, you’ll get used to editing, revising, and publishing. Most of your courses will require writing of some kind. Use each class as an opportunity to practice your writing experiences. Follow up with your professors afterward to continue honing those skills. Lastly, think about how you can extend those writing skills beyond the classroom. Explore opportunities contribute your writing skills with faculty mentors, student organizations, local newspapers or publications, and even community groups.
Jay Shelat
Ursinus College
English Language And Literature
What Writing Internship skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Jay Shelat: The skills that will be important in the next three to five years are literacy, writing, and analysis. These are helpful skills for whichever job you might have.
Laurence José PhD
Associate Professor of Writing and Director of the Digital Studies MinorGrand Valley State University
Rhetoric And Composition/Writing Studies
What Writing Internship skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Laurence José PhD: Writing enables us to understand and act on the world around us. In this way, Writer has always been an important profession. But today, the information overload that comes with the digital age amplifies the need for people with skills to make content relevant and accessible for different audiences. This includes writing for social media contexts, crafting stories for a blog or news website, translating a text-based document into an infographic, writing a podcast script, designing slides for a presentation, or synthesizing research findings via a report for decision makers. These skills are relevant in different job sectors. In many ways, the rise of generative AI and the spread of misinformation makes the need for writers and information literacy skills even more prominent.
What will help Writing Interns increase their earning potential?
Jim Coby: A degree in English does not necessarily provide you with a 1 to 1 employment opportunity. Unlike, say, engineering students, who will most likely move into engineering as an occupation, English majors do not necessarily end up English teachers. Many do, but most don't. Instead, it's useful to think of your employment search more broadly. If you've taken a number of classes in literary studies, then you're likely skilled in locating several points of evidence and making strong arguments with that evidence. You're going to be taking those skills in order to make a case for yourself. Think on the skills you've gained over the years, how you developed those skills, examples of time when you employed those skills, and ways you can improve those skills. Considering yourself as a fully fleshed out "round" character (akin to those you've read so much about) in your own storyline may well help you to conceive of novel and interesting employment opportunities.
What Writing Internship skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Jaswinder Bolina Ph.D., M.F.A.: As large-language model artificial intelligence permeates the marketplace, those with truly unique reading, writing, and analytical skills will become more important than ever. Most crucial will be the ability to quickly identify formulaic writing and thinking done by machines while offering vibrant, original, and human solutions to social, political, and economic problems. Your English major taught you how artful and inventive language can offer singular and vital perspective. Seek out that kind of language and insight. Relish every opportunity to produce it yourself.
What general advice would you give to a Writing Internship?
Dr. Gabriel Cutrufello: *Recent college graduates entering the writing field should be open to experiences and positions outside their comfort zone and welcome challenges. There are so many types of writing jobs that someone entering the field should be open to various positions and organizations to find the one where they can be most successful and develop their skill set.*
What will help Writing Interns increase their earning potential?
Dr. Gabriel Cutrufello: *Recent college graduates looking to enter the writing field can maximize their early career salary potential by demonstrating the hard and soft skills they have developed during their degree work. Portfolios that show what one can already do on the job successfully help make the argument for a higher starting salary. Early career writers should also look for ways to develop their skill sets and take advantage of further education opportunities like micro-credentials and workshops. Furthermore, they should continue looking for new challenges with their employer to help them develop and showcase these skills.*
What will help Writing Interns increase their earning potential?
Gabriel Aguilar PhD: Department chairs will be the first to tell you in a job interview that salary compression is a real thing when making new hires. The starting salary for an Assistant Professor might eclipse the current salary of tenured Associate Professors, but that's just how the market is. I would recommend that candidates to have multiple offers before negotiating a contract. You may be able to bump the salary up a bit which is great because raises and retirement contributions are calculated from percentages from base salary. If a candidate can't and doesn't have multiple offers, then I recommend looking at other non-salary negotiations such as startup funds, course releases, and moving funds.
Dr. Belo Cipriani
Metropolitan State University
Liberal Arts And Sciences, General Studies And Humanities
What general advice would you give to a Writing Internship?
Dr. Belo Cipriani: When employers are looking to hire a writer or content creator they review work samples. As a result, I encourage my students to try to secure more than one internship while in our program. Likewise, I recommend that they consider doing volunteer work with a local nonprofit, as this will help them grow their portfolio of writing credits. I’ve been teaching for 15 years and I have seen many students cut their job search in half and receive higher starting pay by dedicating time to build long lists of projects they can show to potential employers.
What general advice would you give to a Writing Internship?
Anna Mae Duane: The idea that English majors are not in demand is a myth—don’t harm your own chances by buying into it! There are numerous studies—and countless employer testimonies—that indicate how valuable your skills as an English major are. English majors consistently find work in a variety of fields, and perhaps even more important, alumni of English departments report that they find their jobs and lives rewarding. According to the National Association of Colleges and Employers, 'what sets two equally qualified job candidates apart can be as simple as who has the better communication skills.' You are, in many ways, ahead of the game in comparison to others in your cohort. I’d also urge English majors to think broadly about their career options. Yes, fields like journalism, publishing and advertising all rely on the skills developed in English departments. But other employers, particularly in tech companies, have realized how valuable English majors can be to their organization. As a recent report in Fortune indicates, top executives in AI at IBM and elsewhere realize that having expertise in the Humanities is an essential component for success in their field.
Whitney Adams
Visiting Assistant Professor of Rhetoric and WritingBerry College
Rhetoric And Composition/Writing Studies
What Writing Internship skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Whitney Adams: 1. Demand for content: With the rise of digital marketing, social media, and online
publications, there is a high demand for content creators and writers. Companies need
quality written content to attract and engage their audience.
2. Remote work opportunities: Writing is a flexible profession that can often be done
remotely. This allows writers to work from anywhere in the world, making it a great
profession for those who value freedom and flexibility.
3. Growth potential: As a writer, there are many opportunities for growth and
advancement. Writers can specialize in different niches, such as copywriting, technical
writing, or content marketing, and can continue to develop their skills and expertise over
time.
4. Passive income potential: Writers can also generate passive income through
avenues such as self-publishing books, creating online courses, or starting a blog. This
allows writers to earn money even when they are not actively working.
5. Creative fulfillment: For many people, writing is a fulfilling and rewarding profession
that allows them to express their creativity and share their ideas with others. Writing can
be a way to inspire, educate, and connect with others on a deeper level.
Overall, writing is a good profession to enter now because of the high demand for
content, remote work opportunities, growth potential, passive income potential, and
creative fulfillment it can provide.
What do people dislike about being a writer?
1. Writer's block: Writer's block is a common challenge that many writers face,
where they struggle to come up with new ideas or find inspiration.
2. Criticism and rejection: Writing can be a vulnerable and subjective art form, and
writers may face criticism or rejection from publishers, readers, or reviewers.
3. Isolation: Writing can be a solitary pursuit, and some writers may find the
isolation challenging.
4. Inconsistency: Writing can often be unpredictable in terms of income and
success, with some writers facing financial
Brandi Lawless Ph.D.
Department Chair & Associate ProfessorUniversity of San Francisco
Department of Communication Studies
What skills will help Writing Interns earn the most?
Brandi Lawless Ph.D.: Written and oral communication are the most transferable skills for any job path. They are the most sought-after skills and help to land a job and also move up the ladder. Strong communication skills also lead to self-promotion and advocacy, which help you earn more and advance over time.
What are the biggest trends we'll see in the Writing Internship job market given the pandemic?
Tony Spanakos Ph.D.: The pandemic has highlighted the importance of people to be able to be flexible and to transition towards doing more or all of their work digitally. These changes, I believe, highlight the importance of written and oral communication skills since these skills help overcome many of the challenges associated with the move to more remote/virtual work.
Will there be an enduring impact of the coronavirus pandemic on Writing Interns?
Robert Valentine: Most of our undergraduate History majors either become social studies teachers or enter a graduate program. If they are certified to teach social studies in middle or high school, the Middle & High School Education Department helps them with certification and job placement. Their minor is in Middle & High School Education, their major is in History. Some of our majors decide to pursue social studies teacher certification after they receive their bachelor's degree in History. In this case, they enroll in a graduate program to receive a master's degree in Social Studies Education, administered by the Middle & High School Education Department. Part of their curriculum involves taking about half their coursework in master's-level History courses.
Other graduating History majors apply for our own master's program in History. From there, they could apply to doctoral programs either at the Graduate Center or elsewhere if they want to become History professors. As far as the impact of the pandemic goes, the hiring of social studies teachers depends upon whether or not the public schools are hiring at all at this time. There has been no effect on enrollment into graduate programs, however. In fact, I believe there has been a slight increase, since the job market is frozen.
Elaine Venter Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Mass CommunicationColorado Mesa University
Communication Department
What are the biggest trends we'll see in the Writing Internship job market given the pandemic?
Elaine Venter Ph.D.: In my opinion, we are going to see an increase in remote work. Graduates should be prepared to be able to work effectively independently and collectively in remote situations relying on computer-mediated communication tools like Zoom.
How have salaries changed over time for Writing Interns?
Elaine Venter Ph.D.: Mass Communication is a broad field that covers anything from journalists, social media managers, camera operators, video editors, PR specialists, copy edits, etc. While salaries are higher for some of these jobs than others, overall, general salaries over the years have been rising in all job sectors of Mass Communication and projections have noted growth especially from 2019 to 2029. The national average for graduates in with a Mass Communication degree falls between $55,000 to $60,000, but early grads can expect to come in on the lower side before moving into positions that can pay even higher than the national averages.
Betsy Hays
ChairCalifornia State University, Fresno
Department of Media, Communications and Journalism
What's a good job out of college for Writing Interns?
Betsy Hays: A good job out of college is one that provides you with an opportunity to grow some skills and pays enough so you can pay your bills and put a little money into your savings. The financial piece isn't one that we talk about enough, but it's important to create a budget, know what you need to make each month, and make sure that the jobs you are applying for at the very least cover your expenses. And if they don't, decide if you are willing to adjust your budget or take on another job as well before you say yes. Also, look for things that you will enjoy doing while leading you down the path you'd like to pursue.
Michael Ray Taylor
Professor and ChairHenderson State University
Communication and Theatre Arts department
What's a good job out of college for Writing Interns?
Michael Ray Taylor: Reporter for a local newspaper or broadcast outlet--no matter how low-paying or demanding of your time. The daily grind of reporting and producing accurate local news to deadline is an essential skill for a wide variety of more desirable jobs, which is something I've heard echoed over the years by successful network anchors, documentary producers, investigative journalists, web designers, directors of communication and marketing for large corporations, and even novelists.
What are the biggest trends we'll see in the Writing Internship job market given the pandemic?
Curtis Lawrence: The pandemic has many aspects-medical, political and the emotional narrative of so many Americans losing their lives in the span of a year. All of these have heightened the need for and interest in solid journalism and I see this continuing for at least the next several years. One trend to keep an eye on will be an emergence in reporting on science and environment, based not only on the pandemic, but also on the global climate crisis that has impacted weather patterns across the globe.
Another aspect to watch will be the impact of science, environment and medical developments on marginalized communities. These types of stories will take on a much larger space in news coverage in the near future.
Louis Riggs
Associate Professor of English, Pre-Law Advisor, Director of Community EngagementHannibal-LaGrange University
Department of English
What will help Writing Interns increase their earning potential?
Louis Riggs: Potential earnings increases for English majors will come to those who are able to capitalize on their ability to critically think, research systematically and thoroughly, and most importantly, write and speak intelligently. English majors are well represented in law schools as well as graduate schools. We are a diverse and adaptable lot because we think and express ourselves clearly. One of the best economic developers in the state started professional life as an English major. These revelations are not uncommon.