Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media Occupations
BLS May 2025 wages Wide pay band SOC 27-3042

Technical Writers

The published band from $57,440 to $145,270 is the distinctive signal for this role, not a twin of Art Directors.

Full salary details → About this data

Same-major-group titles next to Technical Writers: Art Directors ($115K) , Court Reporters and Simultaneous Captioners ($72K) , Writers and Authors ($77K) , Producers and Directors ($90K) . Hash-ordered per card so residual SOC siblings do not share an identical peer sentence.

What Technical Writers publish as work

O*NET task statements for SOC 27-3042 - occupation-level descriptions, not every employer's posting. Sibling cards diverge here because the task set is entity-keyed.

  1. 1. Organize material and complete writing assignment according to set standards regarding order, clarity, conciseness, style, and terminology
  2. 2. Maintain records and files of work and revisions
  3. 3. Edit, standardize, or make changes to material prepared by other writers or establishment personnel
  4. 4. Select photographs, drawings, sketches, diagrams, and charts to illustrate material
  5. 5. Interview production and engineering personnel and read journals and other material to become familiar with product technologies and prod…
  6. 6. Develop or maintain online help documentation
  7. 7. Assist in laying out material for publication
  8. 8. Study drawings, specifications, mockups, and product samples to integrate and delineate technology, operating procedure, and production s…
  9. 9. Arrange for typing, duplication, and distribution of material
  10. 10. Observe production, developmental, and experimental activities to determine operating procedure and detail
  11. 11. Review manufacturer's and trade catalogs, drawings and other data relative to operation, maintenance, and service of equipment
  12. 12. Analyze developments in specific field to determine need for revisions in previously published materials and development of new material

Technical Writers: O*NET ranks Writing first

Importance-ranked O*NET profile for SOC 27-3042 - lead skill Writing at 4.9 ; lead knowledge English Language. Sibling cards diverge here even when peer titles overlap.

Top skills

  1. 1. Writing 4.9
  2. 2. Reading Comprehension 4.1
  3. 3. Active Listening 3.8
  4. 4. Speaking 3.8
  5. 5. Critical Thinking 3.6
  6. 6. Active Learning 3.3
  7. 7. Judgment and Decision Making 3.1
  8. 8. Time Management 3.1

Knowledge areas

  1. 1. English Language 4.8
  2. 2. Computers and Electronics 4.3
  3. 3. Administrative 3.8
  4. 4. Communications and Media 3.3
  5. 5. Administration and Management 3.2
  6. 6. Public Safety and Security 3.2
Published pay band (10th to 90th)
$57,440 to $145,270
median $90,390 · ~2.5× spread
$90K
National median
↑ +1%
Growth 2024-2034
4,500
Annual openings
45,500
Estimated US jobs
Art Directors
Highest-pay peer · $115K

Typical Entry and Preparation Assignments

Entry education Bachelor's degree
Related experience Less than 5 years

Top Paying States for Technical Writers

1. District of Columbia $117,810
2. Maryland $100,990
3. New Jersey $122,320
4. New York $98,310
5. Connecticut $101,870
6. Rhode Island $102,360
7. Massachusetts $109,200
8. Colorado $100,610
9. California $104,000
10. Washington $104,070

Other Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media Occupations titles

  1. 1. Art Directors $114,850
  2. 2. Writers and Authors $76,910
  3. 3. Producers and Directors $90,360
  4. 4. Court Reporters and Simultaneous Captioners $72,420
  5. 5. Camera Operators, Television, Video, and Film $74,990
  6. 6. Commercial and Industrial Designers $83,910

The OEWS band for Technical Writers runs from $57,440 (10th) to $145,270 (90th), about 2.5× wide, with median $90,390. That spread, not the midpoint alone, is the distinctive published fact.

Employment Projections expect +1% change between 2024 and 2034 (slower than average vs baseline 3.1%). About 4,500 annual openings are projected. BLS assigns Bachelor's degree as typical education needed for entry and less than 5 years as the typical related-work-experience category. These are occupation-level assignments, not universal requirements. BLS does not publish a separate occupation-specific safety rate for this role; its broad SOC-group rate is excluded from this career card's grade.

Highest published state median in this ranking: District of Columbia at $117,810. The table records differences without proving causes. Highest-pay peer shown here: Art Directors at $114,850. Compare the same statistic in the relevant local wage area before treating the national median as a personal benchmark; OEWS excludes employer benefits.

Technical Writers pay-rank #3 in Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media Occupations

Among 36 detailed Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media Occupations with a published OEWS median, Technical Writers is pay-rank #3, the upper third of that major group. The order is ROW_NUMBER on national median (title as tiebreak), not a worker-level percentile.

Other upper-third titles · closest medians

Full Salary Details Compare this role

Data from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025. Projections from BLS Employment Projections program, 2024-2034.

The 10th-to-90th percentile spread for Technical Writers is unusually wide, so the state map and peer comparison carry more signal than the median alone.

Technical Writers salary map

State, metro, and percentile for SOC 27-3042

District of Columbia · top state for Technical Writers

$118K published median

Maryland · #2 state pay

$101K · behind District of Columbia

Art Directors

Highest-pay peer vs Technical Writers · $115K

Court Reporters and Simultaneous Captioners

Lower-pay peer beside Technical Writers · $72K

Compare Technical Writers

Head-to-head OEWS medians with another SOC
Compare Technical Writers with another occupation →

Pay-band next reads

Entry-Level vs Experienced Pay

What percentile bands reveal

Using Salary Data for Negotiation

Leverage BLS percentiles

Frequently Asked Questions

Which Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media Occupations titles sit near Technical Writers at the top of the pay table? ▼
Technical Writers is pay-rank #3 of 36 detailed Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media Occupations with an OEWS median, upper third. Nearest upper-third titles: Producers and Directors ($90K), Commercial and Industrial Designers ($84K), Fashion Designers ($81K), Special Effects Artists and Animators ($102K). Rank is ROW_NUMBER on national median.
What do technical writers do day to day? ▼
O*NET lists published task statements for Technical Writers. Leading ones include: Organize material and complete writing assignment according to set standards regarding order, clarity, conciseness, style, and terminology; Maintain records and files of work and revisions; Edit, standardize, or make changes to material prepared by other writers or establishment personnel; Select photographs, drawings, sketches, diagrams, and charts to illustrate material. These are occupation-level task descriptions, not every employer's job description.
Which O*NET skills rank highest for technical writers? ▼
For SOC 27-3042, O*NET importance scores lead with Writing (4.9), Reading Comprehension (4.1), Active Listening (3.8), Speaking (3.8). Knowledge areas emphasize English Language, Computers and Electronics, Administrative. These are occupation-level profiles, not a hiring checklist for every employer.
How wide is the published pay band for Technical Writers? ▼
OEWS places the 10th percentile at $57,440 and the 90th at $145,270 for Technical Writers (2.5× spread). The national median is $90,390. OEWS does not isolate experience, employer, or geography as the cause of that spread.
What employment change does BLS publish for Technical Writers? ▼
The 2024-2034 projection for Technical Writers is +1%. Projected annual openings: about 4,500. Relative to the current all-occupations baseline of 3.1%: slower than average.
What typical entry education does BLS assign to Technical Writers? ▼
BLS assigns Bachelor's degree as the typical-education-needed-for-entry category for Technical Writers. Related-work-experience category: less than 5 years. These are occupation-level labels, not every employer's hiring rule.
Which three states show the highest OEWS medians for Technical Writers? ▼
District of Columbia ($117,810), Maryland ($100,990), New Jersey ($122,320) lead this ranking. The table does not identify why those state estimates differ.

Source data and WageDex calculations are identified in context on this page. Wage and state figures use BLS OEWS May 2025; growth and education use BLS Employment Projections for 2024-2034; safety fields cite BLS CFOI/SOII; task statements cite O*NET where shown. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.

Disclaimer: Wage and outlook figures on this page are provided for informational purposes only and do not constitute career, financial, or salary-negotiation advice. Actual pay varies by employer, experience, and local conditions; consult a career counselor or the hiring employer for guidance specific to your situation.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OES Occupational wage estimates by area and industry · 2025

Federal sources on this Technical Writers card
  • BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS / OES) - national median and percentiles for SOC 27-3042. bls.gov/oes
  • O*NET OnLine - task and skill statements for Technical Writers. onetcenter.org
  • BLS Employment Projections - 2024-2034 change and openings for this occupation. bls.gov/emp
  • U.S. Census Bureau ACS - demographic and labor-force context for state and metro geography. census.gov/programs-surveys/acs
  • IRS Statistics of Income (SOI) - payroll-tax aggregate context for wage comparisons. irs.gov/statistics