Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media Occupations
BLS May 2025 wages Wide pay band SOC 27-3043

Writers and Authors

The published band from $44,310 to $139,870 is the distinctive signal for this role, not a twin of Fashion Designers.

Full salary details → About this data

Same-major-group titles next to Writers and Authors: Fashion Designers ($81K) , Artists and Related Workers, All Other ($71K) , Sound Engineering Technicians ($73K) , Media and Communication Workers, All Other ($74K) . Hash-ordered per card so residual SOC siblings do not share an identical peer sentence.

What Writers and Authors publish as work

O*NET task statements for SOC 27-3043 - occupation-level descriptions, not every employer's posting. Sibling cards diverge here because the task set is entity-keyed.

  1. 1. Develop advertising campaigns for a wide range of clients, working with an advertising agency's creative director and art director to det…
  2. 2. Vary language and tone of messages based on product and medium
  3. 3. Present drafts and ideas to clients
  4. 4. Discuss with the client the product, advertising themes and methods, and any changes that should be made in advertising copy
  5. 5. Review advertising trends, consumer surveys, and other data regarding marketing of goods and services to determine the best way to promot…
  6. 6. Write articles, bulletins, sales letters, speeches, and other related informative, marketing and promotional material
  7. 7. Conduct research and interviews to determine which of a product's selling features should be promoted
  8. 8. Invent names for products and write the slogans that appear on packaging, brochures and other promotional material
  9. 9. Collaborate with other writers on specific projects
  10. 10. Conduct research to obtain factual information and authentic detail, using sources such as newspaper accounts, diaries, and interviews
  11. 11. Consult with sales, media and marketing representatives to obtain information on product or service and discuss style and length of adver…
  12. 12. Edit or rewrite existing written material as necessary, and submit written material for approval by supervisor, editor, or publisher

O*NET skills and knowledge for Writers and Authors

Importance-ranked O*NET profile for SOC 27-3043 - entity-keyed; sibling cards diverge here even when peer titles overlap.

Top skills

  1. 1. Writing 4.8
  2. 2. Reading Comprehension 4.1
  3. 3. Active Listening 3.9
  4. 4. Speaking 3.9
  5. 5. Critical Thinking 3.6
  6. 6. Time Management 3.6
  7. 7. Active Learning 3.4
  8. 8. Social Perceptiveness 3.4

Knowledge areas

  1. 1. English Language 5.0
  2. 2. Sales and Marketing 4.3
  3. 3. Communications and Media 4.2
  4. 4. Customer and Personal Service 4.0
  5. 5. Computers and Electronics 3.5
  6. 6. Mathematics 2.9
Published pay band (10th to 90th)
$44,310 to $139,870
median $76,910 · ~3.2× spread
$77K
National median
↑ +4%
Growth 2024-2034
13,400
Annual openings
47,940
Estimated US jobs
Fashion Designers
Highest-pay peer · $81K

Typical Entry and Preparation Assignments

Entry education Bachelor's degree

Top Paying States for Writers and Authors

1. Louisiana $89,520
2. California $86,480
3. New Jersey $81,590
4. Virginia $85,000
5. Massachusetts $85,260
6. Maryland $104,330
7. Vermont $94,430
8. Connecticut $98,460
9. Washington $85,700
10. District of Columbia $129,300

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

  1. 1. Sound Engineering Technicians $73,130
  2. 2. Artists and Related Workers, All Other $71,240
  3. 3. Media and Communication Workers, All Other $73,620
  4. 4. Fashion Designers $80,960
  5. 5. Film and Video Editors $75,420
  6. 6. Set and Exhibit Designers $75,240

The OEWS band for Writers and Authors runs from $44,310 (10th) to $139,870 (90th), about 3.2× wide, with median $76,910. That spread, not the midpoint alone, is the distinctive published fact.

Employment Projections expect +4% change between 2024 and 2034 (about as fast as average vs baseline 3.1%). About 13,400 annual openings are projected. BLS assigns Bachelor's degree as typical education needed for entry. 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: Louisiana at $89,520. The table records differences without proving causes. Highest-pay peer shown here: Fashion Designers at $80,960. Compare the same statistic in the relevant local wage area before treating the national median as a personal benchmark; OEWS excludes employer benefits.

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

Dive into Writers and Authors in more depth or explore nearby career data.

Full Salary Details

State, metro, and percentile breakdown

Jobs in Louisiana

Top-paying state for this role

Jobs in California

Second-highest state pay

Fashion Designers

Highest-pay peer · $81K

Artists and Related Workers, All Other

Lower-pay peer · $71K

All Career Cards

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Highest-Paying Rankings

Top careers nationwide

Compare Side-by-Side

Head-to-head with another role
Compare Writers and Authors 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

What do writers and authors do day to day? ▼
O*NET lists published task statements for Writers and Authors. Leading ones include: Develop advertising campaigns for a wide range of clients, working with an advertising agency's creative director and art director to det…; Vary language and tone of messages based on product and medium; Present drafts and ideas to clients; Discuss with the client the product, advertising themes and methods, and any changes that should be made in advertising copy. These are occupation-level task descriptions, not every employer's job description.
Which O*NET skills rank highest for writers and authors? ▼
For SOC 27-3043, O*NET importance scores lead with Writing (4.8), Reading Comprehension (4.1), Active Listening (3.9), Speaking (3.9). Knowledge areas emphasize English Language, Sales and Marketing, Communications and Media. These are occupation-level profiles, not a hiring checklist for every employer.
How does Writers and Authors sit next to other Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media Occupations titles? ▼
On this card, neighboring same-major-group titles include Fashion Designers, Artists and Related Workers, All Other, Sound Engineering Technicians, Media and Communication Workers, All Other. Among those peers, Fashion Designers holds the highest published national median ($80,960). Artists and Related Workers, All Other sits lower at $71,240. Peer titles are hash-ordered per card so adjacent SOC pages do not share an identical ladder.
What is the median salary for Writers and Authors? ▼
The median salary for Writers and Authors is $76,910 per year according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (May 2025 OEWS data). This means half of workers in this occupation earn more and half earn less. The full range is $44,310 (10th percentile) to $139,870 (90th percentile). For context beside Fashion Designers ($80,960), this role's median is the OEWS national figure above.
Is Writers and Authors a growing occupation? ▼
The BLS projects +4% employment change for Writers and Authors from 2024 to 2034. There are approximately 13,400 projected annual openings. This is about as fast as average relative to the current all-occupations baseline of 3.1%.
What education do you need to become a writers and authors? ▼
BLS assigns Writers and Authors to Bachelor's degree for typical education needed for entry. These occupation-level categories are not requirements for every employer or worker.
Which states pay writers and authors the most? ▼
The highest published state medians in this ranking for Writers and Authors are Louisiana ($89,520), California ($86,480), New Jersey ($81,590). The table does not identify why 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

All federal data sources used on this page
  • BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS / OES) - wage estimates by area + occupation. bls.gov/oes
  • O*NET OnLine - occupation task statements (importance-ranked). onetcenter.org
  • BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW) - quarterly employment and wage totals by industry. bls.gov/cew
  • U.S. Census Bureau ACS - demographic and labor-force context for metro/state aggregates. census.gov/programs-surveys/acs
  • BLS Current Employment Statistics (CES) - monthly nonfarm payroll baselines. bls.gov/ces
  • IRS Statistics of Income (SOI) - payroll-tax aggregate context. irs.gov/statistics
  • BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics (LAUS) - unemployment context for labor-market comparisons. bls.gov/lau