Technical Writers Salary
In Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX, technical writers earn $87,360 at the median, or about $42 an hour. The range runs from $52K at the entry level to $145K for experienced workers. Adjusted for local prices (RPP 98.63), that's roughly $88,573 in purchasing power. Rent on a 2-bedroom averages $1,573/month, or 26.9% of estimated take-home pay.
Where the paycheck goes
What $87K actually covers in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, month by month
Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands’s Regional Price Parity (98.63). Rent from HUD Fair Market Rents. Taxes estimated for single filer, standard deduction. * Healthcare is the employee-paid share only (premiums + out-of-pocket). Actual costs vary by coverage type: employer-sponsored, ACA marketplace, or uninsured.
About technical writers
Sponsored links, AffordMap may earn a commission at no cost to you. Learn more
What this looks like in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands
Technical writers pay in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands tracks closely to the national median, $87K locally vs. $90K nationwide, a 3% difference. Rent runs $1,573/month for a 2-bedroom (HUD FMR), taking 27% of the median take-home. That's within the 30% rule, though not by much. Cost of living (RPP 98.63) is near the national average, so spending patterns here track the typical American budget fairly closely. Pay and costs are both near average, leaving limited margin for savings at the median wage.
Compared to nearby metros
Median pay for technical writers in metros near Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, adjusted for local cost of living.
| Metro | Median pay | COL-adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| El Paso | $63K | $70K |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington | $87K | $84K |
| Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos | $88K | $90K |
| San Antonio-New Braunfels | $83K | $87K |
COL-adjusted = median salary ÷ (BEA Regional Price Parity ÷ 100). Expresses purchasing power in national-average dollars.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX
Entry-level technical writers (10th percentile) start around $52K. Mid-career wages sit at $87K. Top earners bring in $145K or more, a $92K spread from bottom to top.
Technical Writers pay across states
Median income ranked highest to lowest, compared to the national figure
View Technical Writers salary in all states
| State | Median salary | vs. national | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Jersey | $122K | +35% | 1,550 |
| District of Columbia | $118K | +30% | 440 |
| Massachusetts | $109K | +21% | 1,850 |
| Washington | $104K | +15% | 1,620 |
| California | $104K | +15% | 5,280 |
| Rhode Island | $102K | +13% | 150 |
| Connecticut | $102K | +13% | 770 |
| Maryland | $101K | +12% | 1,780 |
| Colorado | $101K | +11% | 1,320 |
| New York | $98K | +9% | 1,610 |
| New Hampshire | $96K | +7% | 230 |
| New Mexico | $95K | +5% | 420 |
| Virginia | $94K | +4% | 2,280 |
| Delaware | $90K | -0% | 80 |
| Nevada | $89K | -2% | 230 |
| Illinois | $89K | -2% | 1,040 |
| Vermont | $88K | -3% | 60 |
| Pennsylvania | $88K | -3% | 1,330 |
| North Carolina | $86K | -5% | 2,860 |
| Florida | $86K | -5% | 2,550 |
| Alabama | $86K | -5% | 630 |
| Michigan | $85K | -6% | 970 |
| Oregon | $84K | -7% | 590 |
| Minnesota | $83K | -8% | 910 |
| Alaska | $83K | -8% | 130 |
| Texas | $83K | -8% | 3,340 |
| South Carolina | $83K | -9% | 700 |
| Kentucky | $81K | -10% | 340 |
| Missouri | $81K | -11% | 500 |
| Utah | $80K | -11% | 570 |
| Wisconsin | $80K | -11% | 910 |
| Arizona | $80K | -12% | 730 |
| Tennessee | $80K | -12% | 480 |
| Ohio | $76K | -15% | 1,350 |
| Indiana | $76K | -16% | 540 |
| Montana | $75K | -17% | 160 |
| Kansas | $74K | -19% | 480 |
| Georgia | $73K | -19% | 1,680 |
| North Dakota | $73K | -19% | 70 |
| Oklahoma | $70K | -23% | 600 |
| Iowa | $67K | -26% | 640 |
| Mississippi | $65K | -28% | 70 |
| Louisiana | $64K | -29% | 320 |
| South Dakota | $63K | -30% | 70 |
| Arkansas | $61K | -32% | 150 |
Showing 1–10 of 45 states with published data
BLS does not publish data for every state when sample sizes are too small
Track technical writers salary changes
BLS updates this data annually. We'll email you when Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands numbers change.
Related careers in Arts & Media
Quick answers
The stuff people actually ask about this job
Can a technical writer afford a 2BR apartment alone in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands?
Yes — at the median salary of $87K, rent takes 27% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,573/month. That stays under the 30% guideline most financial planners use.
What’s the entry-level salary for technical writers in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new technical writers typically earn — is $52K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $3,680/month. At HUD’s $1,573/month FMR, rent would take 43% of that take-home — above the 30% guideline, so a 1-bedroom or shared housing is likely necessary starting out.
Is technical writer a high-paying job in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands?
Pay here is roughly in line with the national average — $87K locally vs. $90K nationally, a 3% difference.
How does Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands compare to the national average for technical writers?
Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands pays $87K median vs. the U.S. average of $90K — that’s -3%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 98.63), the purchasing-power equivalent is $89K — below the national median.
How much do technical writers make in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX?
The median is $87,360 a year, that works out to about $42 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $52,420, and experienced technical writers can clear $144,630. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $87K enough to live in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $5,820/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,573/month, which eats 27% of your paycheck. That's under the 30% guideline most financial planners use, so the numbers work.
How far does a technical writers salary go in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands?
Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands has a Regional Price Parity of 98.63 (100 is the national average). That's below average, your money stretches further here than the raw salary number suggests. After cost-of-living adjustment, the median technical writers salary is worth about $88,573 in national-average purchasing power.
Where do technical writers get paid the most?
The table above ranks every state by median pay for this role. Keep in mind that the highest-paying states tend to have the highest costs of living, so the top salary doesn't always mean the most money in your pocket.