Occupation salary profile

Writers and Authors

SOC 27-3043 BLS OEWS May 2025 H-1B LCAs, last 12 months

Originate and prepare written material, such as scripts, stories, advertisements, and other material. Excludes “News Analysts, Reporters, and Journalists” (27-3023), “Public Relations Specialists” (27-3031), and “Technical Writers” (27-3042).

National median · BLS
$76,910
▲ +6.42% YoY
H-1B sponsor median
$88,026
▼ -11.27% YoY · 47 LCAs
Average salary · BLS
$86,090
Mean annual wage
U.S. employment
47,940
Jobs (BLS)
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Enter your pay and a location to see where you stand against BLS and H-1B pay, your estimated take-home pay, and your purchasing power.

Pay range for Writers and Authors

Annual base pay at each percentile. BLS covers all U.S. workers in this occupation; H-1B covers 47 certified Labor Condition Applications filed by sponsoring employers in the last 12 months.

Percentile All U.S. workers (BLS) H-1B sponsored
10th — entry pay$44,310$52,000
25th$58,230$60,299
Median (50th)$76,910$88,026
75th$101,950$138,879
90th — top pay$139,870$178,920
H-1B sponsors pay a median of $88,026 for Writers and Authors — 14.5% above the BLS national median of $76,910.

Hourly ⇄ annual pay

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Based on hrs/week × weeks/year = 2,080 hrs
Projections 2025–2035

Job outlook for Writers and Authors

BLS projects employment of writers and authors to decline 0.3% from 2025 to 2035, while employment across all occupations grows 3.5%. About 11,900 openings are projected each year, on average, from new jobs and from replacing workers who retire or move to other occupations.

Jobs 2025 → 2035
140,300 → 139,900
-500 jobs
Projected change
-0.3%
All occupations: +3.5%
Openings per year
11,900
Average, 2025–2035
Typical entry education
Bachelor's degree
No related experience required
On-the-job training
Long-term on-the-job training
Self-employed
64.8% of workers (2025)
Preparation needed (O*NET Job Zone 4)
Considerable Preparation Needed. Most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.
Fastest-declining jobs → Best-paying jobs that need a bachelor's degree →

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2025–2035 · BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook →

H-1B sponsored pay

Pay by H-1B wage level

Employers assign every H-1B filing a Department of Labor prevailing-wage level, from Level I (entry) to Level IV (fully competent). Pay rises steeply with level.

H-1B median $88,026
Change vs prior year -11.27%
After inflation (CPI-U) -13.96%
Wage level LCAs Share P25 Median P75
Level I 13 27.7% $52,000 $60,278 $61,000
Level II 11 23.4% $52,239 $64,979 $81,513
Level III 11 23.4% $115,335 $129,600 $147,700
Level IV 11 23.4% $147,629 $170,000 $192,584
Skills & tools

Skills needed for Writers and Authors

How important each skill and knowledge area is for this job, rated by O*NET on a 1–5 scale from surveys of workers and occupational analysts.

Top skills
  • Writing5.0
  • Reading Comprehension4.1
  • Active Listening3.8
  • Speaking3.8
  • Time Management3.8
  • Critical Thinking3.6
  • Complex Problem Solving3.1
  • Judgment and Decision Making3.1
  • Active Learning3.0
  • Persuasion3.0
Top knowledge areas
  • English Language5.0
  • Communications and Media4.4
  • Administrative3.2
  • Computers and Electronics3.0
  • Sales and Marketing3.0
  • Customer and Personal Service2.9
  • Administration and Management2.7
  • Psychology2.5
Software and technology used
Adobe Creative Cloud softwareAdobe PhotoshopCanvaMicrosoft ExcelMicrosoft Office softwareMicrosoft PowerPointMicrosoft WordTikTokAdobe Premiere ProAdobe AcrobatAdobe After EffectsAdobe IllustratorAdobe InDesignAsanaFacebookFigmaGoogle AnalyticsGoogle Docs

Highlighted = in demand: frequently listed in employer job postings for this occupation (O*NET).

Source: O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.

About the job

What writers and authors do

  • Write fiction or nonfiction prose, such as short stories, novels, biographies, articles, descriptive or critical analyses, and essays.
  • Revise written material to meet personal standards and to satisfy needs of clients, publishers, directors, or producers.
  • Present drafts and ideas to clients.
  • Edit or rewrite existing written material as necessary, and submit written material for approval by supervisor, editor, or publisher.
  • Conduct research to obtain factual information and authentic detail, using sources such as newspaper accounts, diaries, and interviews.
  • Vary language and tone of messages based on product and medium.
  • Write articles, bulletins, sales letters, speeches, and other related informative, marketing and promotional material.
  • Write advertising material for use by publication, broadcast, or internet media to promote the sale of goods and services.
Also called
AuthorCopywriterFreelance WriterWriterAdvertising CopywriterAdvertising WriterContent Marketing WriterFreelance CopywriterSearch Engine Optimization Copywriter (SEO Copywriter)Web Content Writer
Specialties within this occupation
  • Poets, Lyricists and Creative Writers
More job titles for this occupation (72)
Ad Copywriter (Advertisement Copywriter)Ad Writer (Advertisement Writer)Article WriterBiographerBlog Content WriterBlog WriterBloggerBlurb WriterBusiness WriterChildren's AuthorComic Book WriterComic WriterCommunity BloggerContent CreatorContent DeveloperContent WriterContinuity WriterCreative CopywriterCreative WriterCrossword Puzzle MakerCurriculum WriterDigital Content CreatorDigital CopywriterDocumentary StorytellerDramatistEditorial WriterFiction Prose WriterFiction WriterFilm WriterGag WriterGame AuthorGhostwriterGreeting Card MakerGreeting Card WriterHumoristLibrettistLiterary WriterLyricistMagazine WriterMarketing CopywriterMarketing WriterMovie WriterMusic CriticNonfiction Prose WriterNonfiction WriterNovelistOnline Content DeveloperPlay WriterPlaywrightPoem WriterPoetProgram WriterPublications WriterRadio Script WriterRadio ScriptwriterScenario WriterScreen WriterScreenplay WriterScreenwriterScript WriterShort Story WriterSongwriterSpecification WriterSpeech WriterSports WriterStory WriterTravel WriterTV Script Writer (Television Script Writer)TV Writer (Television Writer)Verse WriterVideo Game Script WriterVideo Games Storywriter

Source: O*NET 31.0 (USDOL/ETA, CC BY 4.0). These are general job titles, not H-1B filings; for titles employers actually filed, see “Job titles” above.