Writers and Authors Salary by State and Metro Area
Writers and Authors in the United States earn a median salary of $76,910/year ($36.98/hr). Salaries range from $44,310 to $139,870 depending on experience. Below, compare salaries across 43 states and 30 metro areas where BLS publishes data.
$44K
10th percentile
$58K
25th percentile
$77K
Median
$102K
75th percentile
$140K
90th percentile
Where Writers and Authors have the most money left over after rent
Median pay minus estimated federal + state + FICA taxes, minus 12 months of rent at HUD's 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent. Darker green means more money left over each year. Hover any state for the breakdown.
View map data as a table
| State | Median (nominal) | Rent/mo (2BR) | Left after rent |
|---|---|---|---|
| District of Columbia | $129K | $2,146 | $65K |
| Maryland | $104K | $1,795 | $55K |
| Louisiana | $90K | $1,191 | $54K |
| Vermont | $94K | $1,498 | $53K |
| Connecticut | $98K | $1,679 | $53K |
| Washington | $86K | $1,830 | $47K |
| Indiana | $76K | $1,144 | $46K |
| Pennsylvania | $77K | $1,351 | $44K |
| Virginia | $85K | $1,646 | $44K |
| New Hampshire | $72K | $1,528 | $41K |
| Texas | $70K | $1,415 | $41K |
| Georgia | $75K | $1,434 | $40K |
| Oregon | $81K | $1,555 | $40K |
| Kansas | $66K | $1,066 | $39K |
| Minnesota | $73K | $1,384 | $39K |
| Ohio | $66K | $1,188 | $39K |
| West Virginia | $64K | $1,008 | $39K |
| Alabama | $67K | $1,085 | $39K |
| Nebraska | $65K | $1,113 | $38K |
| New Jersey | $82K | $2,067 | $38K |
| Rhode Island | $70K | $1,544 | $37K |
| Wisconsin | $64K | $1,202 | $37K |
| Colorado | $77K | $1,832 | $37K |
| Florida | $68K | $1,658 | $36K |
| Illinois | $68K | $1,407 | $36K |
| Massachusetts | $85K | $2,347 | $36K |
| Iowa | $61K | $1,064 | $35K |
| Nevada | $64K | $1,501 | $35K |
| North Carolina | $64K | $1,284 | $35K |
| South Dakota | $57K | $1,017 | $35K |
| Tennessee | $59K | $1,215 | $35K |
| Utah | $65K | $1,350 | $35K |
| California | $86K | $2,471 | $35K |
| Missouri | $58K | $1,097 | $34K |
| Oklahoma | $59K | $1,081 | $34K |
| Idaho | $56K | $1,136 | $31K |
| Mississippi | $54K | $1,077 | $30K |
| North Dakota | $51K | $1,034 | $30K |
| Wyoming | $50K | $1,008 | $30K |
| Arizona | $56K | $1,437 | $28K |
| South Carolina | $52K | $1,263 | $27K |
| Arkansas | $48K | $1,021 | $27K |
| Kentucky | $49K | $1,110 | $26K |
Writers and Authors salary by state
| State | Median | Hourly | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| District of Columbia | $129K | $62.16/hr | 1,050 |
| Maryland | $104K | $50.16/hr | 540 |
| Connecticut | $98K | $47.34/hr | 480 |
| Vermont | $94K | $45.4/hr | 110 |
| Louisiana | $90K | $43.04/hr | 480 |
| California | $86K | $41.58/hr | 8,390 |
| Washington | $86K | $41.2/hr | 770 |
| Massachusetts | $85K | $40.99/hr | 1,350 |
| Virginia | $85K | $40.87/hr | 1,530 |
| New Jersey | $82K | $39.23/hr | 1,180 |
| Oregon | $81K | $38.72/hr | 950 |
| Pennsylvania | $77K | $37.22/hr | 1,080 |
| Colorado | $77K | $36.94/hr | 1,300 |
| Indiana | $76K | $36.45/hr | 450 |
| Georgia | $75K | $35.92/hr | 820 |
| Minnesota | $73K | $35.01/hr | 720 |
| New Hampshire | $72K | $34.53/hr | 180 |
| Rhode Island | $70K | $33.75/hr | 110 |
| Texas | $70K | $33.65/hr | 2,320 |
| Illinois | $68K | $32.8/hr | 2,640 |
| Florida | $68K | $32.73/hr | 3,010 |
| Alabama | $67K | $32.19/hr | 180 |
| Ohio | $66K | $31.7/hr | 830 |
| Kansas | $66K | $31.65/hr | 240 |
| Nebraska | $65K | $31.47/hr | 240 |
| Utah | $65K | $31.02/hr | 410 |
| West Virginia | $64K | $30.97/hr | 110 |
| Wisconsin | $64K | $30.95/hr | 710 |
| Nevada | $64K | $30.73/hr | 190 |
| North Carolina | $64K | $30.6/hr | 1,810 |
| Iowa | $61K | $29.33/hr | 290 |
| Tennessee | $59K | $28.3/hr | 1,260 |
| Oklahoma | $59K | $28.26/hr | 220 |
| Missouri | $58K | $27.95/hr | 600 |
| South Dakota | $57K | $27.26/hr | 60 |
| Idaho | $56K | $27.1/hr | 90 |
| Arizona | $56K | $26.92/hr | 600 |
| Mississippi | $54K | $26.05/hr | 130 |
| South Carolina | $52K | $24.96/hr | 520 |
| North Dakota | $51K | $24.45/hr | 80 |
| Wyoming | $50K | $23.87/hr | , |
| Kentucky | $49K | $23.45/hr | 350 |
| Arkansas | $48K | $23.06/hr | 270 |
Showing 1–10 of 43 states with published data
BLS does not publish data for every state when sample sizes are too small