Writers & authors

Detailed Occupation

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2022 Workforce

175k

Average Age

42.5

Estimated Job Growth

3.7%

10-year projection

Average Salary

$73,728

Average Male Salary

$87,924

Average Female Salary

$63,677

About

Writers & authors are most often employed by the Independent artists, writers, and performers industry. The average yearly wage for Writers & authors was $73,728 in 2022.

The locations that employ the most Writers & authors are Los Angeles County (Central)--LA City (East Central & Hollywood) PUMA, CA, Los Angeles County--LA City (East Central/Silver Lake, Echo Park & Westlake) PUMA, CA, and Los Angeles County (West Central)--LA City (Central/Hancock Park & Mid-Wilshire) PUMA, CA. The locations with a relatively high concentration of Writers & authors are Los Angeles County (Central)--LA City (East Central & Hollywood) PUMA, CA, Los Angeles County (Central)--LA City (Central) PUMA, CA, and Los Angeles County (Central)--West Hollywood & Beverly Hills Cities PUMA, CA.

Photo by Lane Pearman

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Employment and salary information for the Writers & authors workforce. Writers & authors workforce in 2022 was 175,152 people, of which 58.5% were women and 41.5% were men. Writers & authors are paid most in Albany County (Outside Albany City) PUMA, NY but are relatively concentrated in Los Angeles County (Central)--LA City (East Central & Hollywood) PUMA, CA.

Employment Over Time

Metric

Grouping

72,604

Male Workforce

± 6.61k

102,548

Female Workforce

± 7.86k

The Writers & authors workforce in 2022 was 175,152 people (58.5% women and 41.5% men). This implies an average annual growth of 20.6% between 2014 (145,174) and 2022 (175,152).

Employment by Location

Level

Metric

This map shows the states in the United States shaded by average wage for Writers & authors.

During 2022, the states that concentrated the best average annual wage were California ($119,031), Rhode Island ($102,844), and District of Columbia ($95,258).

Yearly Wage Ranking

$73,728

AVERAGE WAGE

#159 in the ranking (2022)

$64,683

NATIONAL AVERAGE WAGE

For all occupations across the US

In 2022, Writers & authors earned an average of $73,728, $9,045 more than the average national salary of $64,683

The graph shows the ranking of Writers & authors in relation to all Detailed Occupation in 2022.

Wage Distribution

Gender

0.495

WAGE GINI

In 2022, Writers & authors had a wage GINI coefficient of 0.495, which is higher than the national average of 0.478. In other words, wages are distributed less evenly for Writers & authors (shown in red) than for the overall labor force (shown in gray).

The graphic shows the distribution of average salaries by buckets for Writers & authors compared to the entire workforce in the country.

Industry

Information on the industries that employ Writers & authors and on wages for those in the field. Independent artists, writers, and performers is the industry that employs the most Writers & authors, both by share and by number, though the highest paid industry for Writers & authors, by average wage, is Broadcasting (except internet) ($168,484).

Occupations by Industries

Metric

Value

175k

2022 Workforce

± 10,269

1.17%

1 YEAR GROWTH

± 8.22%

This graphic shows the share of Writers & authors employed by various industries. Independent artists, writers, and performers employs the largest share of Writers & authors at 51.1%, followed by Advertising, public relations & related services with 28.6% and Colleges, universities & professional schools, including junior colleges with 20.3%.

Diversity

Demographic information on Writers & authors in the US. The workforce of Writers & authors in 2022 was 175,152 people, with 58.5% woman, and 41.5% men. The average age of male Writers & authors in the workforce is 43.8 and of female Writers & authors is 41.7, and the most common race/ethnicity for Writers & authors is White.

Gender and Age

Metric

The workforce of Writers & authors in 2022 was 175,152 people, with 58.5% woman, and 41.5% men.

The age ranges that concentrated the largest workforce were 30 to 34 years (24,303 people), 25 to 29 years (24,235 people), and 35 to 39 years (20,041 people). Among them they concentrated 39.2% of the total workforce.

Ethnicity

Gender

In 2022, 8.13% of Writers & authors workers were Hispanic and 91.9% non-Hispanic.

The treemap shows the distribution of Hispanic workers according to their origin, highlighting Mexican (70%), Puerto Rican (15.6)%, and Cuban (14.5)%

You can review this information by gender using the selectors above.

Races

In 2022, 80.3% of the Writers & authors workforce were White, of which 57.7% were women and 42.3% men. Other races that concentrated a significant number of workers were Two or More Races (6.69%) and Black (6.62%).

Education & Skills

Data on higher education choices for Writers & authors from The Department of Education and Census Bureau. The most common major for Writers & authors is Communications but the most specialized major according to RCA in 2022 were English.

Among the necessary skills for Writers & authors, Writing stands, but the revealed comparative advantage (RCA) shows that Writers & authors need more than the average amount of Writing.

Majors

ACS PUMS data only shows the major for bachelor's degrees. However, we can filter the data based on highest degree obtained.

Type of Majors

Degree

The most common majors achieved by Writers & authors in 2022 (counting all academic degrees) were Communications (31,044 people), English (27,705 people), and Business (13,272 people).

You can review this information for different academic grades by modifying the option selected in the selector above.

Education Levels

Metric

The main educational levels achieved by the Writers & authors workers were Bachelors Degree (89,757 people), Graduate Degree (54,716 people), and Some college (17,148 people).

The graphic shows the Writers & authors workforce by gender and educational level.

Skills

Chart

Value

Data on the critical and distinctive skills necessary for Writers & authors from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Writers & authors need many skills, but most especially Writing, Reading Comprehension, Active Listening.

Projections

Projections on job growth for Writers and Authors from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The 10-year national workforce is projected to grow 2.84%, but Writers and Authors are expected to see a growth of 3.7% over the same period. This occupation is expected to grow more than the national average.

Job Growth

For growth projections, the closest comparible industry reported by the Bureau of Labor Statistics is Writers and Authors.

3.7%

Estimated Job Growth

10-year Projection

2.84%

National Growth

10-year Projection

This line chart shows the projected 10-year growth in the number of jobs for Writers & authors. This profession is expected to grow more than than 2.84%, the average rate of national job growth.