Technical Writers Salary

Yes — at the median salary of $82K, rent takes 23.9% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,241/month. That stays under the 30% guideline most financial planners use.

The 10th-percentile wage — what new technical writers typically earn — is $55K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $3,285/month. At HUD’s $1,241/month FMR, rent would take 38% of that take-home — above the 30% guideline, so a 1-bedroom or shared housing is likely necessary starting out.

Pay here is roughly in line with the national average — $82K locally vs. $90K nationally, a 9% difference.

Salt Lake City-Murray pays $82K median vs. the U.S. average of $90K — that’s -9%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 100.87), the purchasing-power equivalent is $81K — below the national median.

The median is $82,050 a year, that works out to about $39 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $54,750, and experienced technical writers can clear $138,920. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.

On that salary, you'd take home roughly $5,191/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,241/month, which eats 23.9% of your paycheck. That's under the 30% guideline most financial planners use, so the numbers work.

Salt Lake City-Murray has a Regional Price Parity of 100.87 (100 is the national average). Prices are above average here, so your dollar buys less than the same salary would in a cheaper metro. After cost-of-living adjustment, the median technical writers salary is worth about $81,342 in national-average purchasing power.

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.