Writers and Authors Salary

It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $52K, rent takes 34.5% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,187/month. The 30% guideline puts the comfortable ceiling at roughly $1,000/month in rent — so roommates or a 1-bedroom would ease the math significantly.

The 10th-percentile wage — what new writers and authors typically earn — is $35K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $2,122/month.

Local pay runs 32% below the national median — $52K here vs. $77K nationally.

West Central Illinois nonmetropolitan area pays $52K median vs. the U.S. average of $77K — that’s -32%.

The median is $52,000 a year, that works out to about $25 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $35,360, and experienced writers and authors can clear $62,060. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.

On that salary, you'd take home roughly $3,437/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,187/month, which eats 34.5% of your paycheck. That's above the 30% rule of thumb, housing will be a stretch at the median salary, though you can manage with roommates or a smaller place.

West Central Illinois nonmetropolitan area has a Regional Price Parity of 100 (100 is the national average). That's right at the national average. After cost-of-living adjustment, the median writers and authors salary is worth about $52,000 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.