Technical Writers Salary, Job Outlook & Education | Career Matchup
Career Matchup
CompareFind careersExploreGuideBrowseMethodology

Verified career profile

Technical Writers

27-3042

Write technical materials, such as equipment manuals, appendices, or operating and maintenance instructions. May assist in layout work.

Median annual wage

$90,390

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
Release: May 2025 · Reference/year: 2025 · Occupation code: 27-3042

Projected change

0.8%

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · Employment Projections
Release: 2025-2035 · Reference/year: 2025-2035 · Occupation code: 27-3042

Annual openings

3.2k

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · Employment Projections
Release: 2025-2035 · Reference/year: 2025-2035 · Occupation code: 27-3042

National employment

45,500

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
Release: May 2025 · Reference/year: 2025 · Occupation code: 27-3042

Read the data in context

Career Matchup does not declare an overall winner. National estimates can hide local variation, and O*NET relative values describe the named construct rather than whether a career is better.

01 · Compensation

Pay and employment

National estimates are shown with the reference year from the BLS source row. Missing source values stay visible as Not available.

Median annual wage

$90,390

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
Release: May 2025 · Reference/year: 2025 · Occupation code: 27-3042

Mean annual wage

$96,970

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
Release: May 2025 · Reference/year: 2025 · Occupation code: 27-3042

Hourly median wage

$43.46

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
Release: May 2025 · Reference/year: 2025 · Occupation code: 27-3042

Hourly mean wage

$46.62

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
Release: May 2025 · Reference/year: 2025 · Occupation code: 27-3042

10th percentile annual wage

$57,440

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
Release: May 2025 · Reference/year: 2025 · Occupation code: 27-3042

25th percentile annual wage

$70,880

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
Release: May 2025 · Reference/year: 2025 · Occupation code: 27-3042

75th percentile annual wage

$115,510

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
Release: May 2025 · Reference/year: 2025 · Occupation code: 27-3042

90th percentile annual wage

$145,270

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
Release: May 2025 · Reference/year: 2025 · Occupation code: 27-3042

National employment

45,500

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
Release: May 2025 · Reference/year: 2025 · Occupation code: 27-3042

02 · Outlook

Employment outlook

BLS projections describe the national occupation outlook across the published projection period.

Projected employment change

0.8%

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · Employment Projections
Release: 2025-2035 · Reference/year: 2025-2035 · Occupation code: 27-3042

Average annual openings

3.2k

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · Employment Projections
Release: 2025-2035 · Reference/year: 2025-2035 · Occupation code: 27-3042

Projection period: 2025-2035

Annual openings are reported in thousands in the BLS source.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · Employment Projections
Release: 2025-2035 · Reference/year: 2025-2035 · Occupation code: 27-3042

03 · Preparation

Education and training

These are the typical preparation categories reported for the occupation, not a guarantee of any individual employer's requirements.

Typical entry-level education

Bachelor's degree

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · Employment Projections
Release: 2025-2035 · Reference/year: 2025-2035 · Occupation code: 27-3042

Related work experience

Less than 5 years

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · Employment Projections
Release: 2025-2035 · Reference/year: 2025-2035 · Occupation code: 27-3042

On-the-job training

Short-term on-the-job training

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · Employment Projections
Release: 2025-2035 · Reference/year: 2025-2035 · Occupation code: 27-3042

04 · Work context

What the work is like

O*NET context measures use their source scale identifier and a documented relative bar. A higher bar means more of the named construct, not a universal improvement.

Contact with others

4.1 raw · CX scale
78% relative

Relative scale: 78% · raw 4.13 · CX

Source: O*NET Resource Center · O*NET Database
Release: 31.0 · Reference/year: August 2026 · Occupation code: 27-3042.00

Time pressure

4.2 raw · CX scale
81% relative

Relative scale: 81% · raw 4.23 · CX

Source: O*NET Resource Center · O*NET Database
Release: 31.0 · Reference/year: August 2026 · Occupation code: 27-3042.00

Spend time standing

1.7 raw · CX scale
17% relative

Relative scale: 17% · raw 1.68 · CX

Source: O*NET Resource Center · O*NET Database
Release: 31.0 · Reference/year: August 2026 · Occupation code: 27-3042.00

Exposed to contaminants

1 raw · CX scale
1% relative

Relative scale: 1% · raw 1.03 · CX

Source: O*NET Resource Center · O*NET Database
Release: 31.0 · Reference/year: August 2026 · Occupation code: 27-3042.00

Exposed to disease or infections

1 raw · CX scale
0% relative

Relative scale: 0% · raw 1 · CX

Source: O*NET Resource Center · O*NET Database
Release: 31.0 · Reference/year: August 2026 · Occupation code: 27-3042.00

Exposed to hazardous equipment

1 raw · CX scale
1% relative

Relative scale: 1% · raw 1.02 · CX

Source: O*NET Resource Center · O*NET Database
Release: 31.0 · Reference/year: August 2026 · Occupation code: 27-3042.00

05 · Fit signals

Skills and work styles

These measurements describe skills and work-style characteristics associated with the occupation in O*NET.

Writing

5 raw · LV scale
71% relative

Relative scale: 71% · raw 5 · LV

Source: O*NET Resource Center · O*NET Database
Release: 31.0 · Reference/year: August 2026 · Occupation code: 27-3042.00

Reading comprehension

4.9 raw · LV scale
70% relative

Relative scale: 70% · raw 4.88 · LV

Source: O*NET Resource Center · O*NET Database
Release: 31.0 · Reference/year: August 2026 · Occupation code: 27-3042.00

Active listening

3.9 raw · LV scale
55% relative

Relative scale: 55% · raw 3.88 · LV

Source: O*NET Resource Center · O*NET Database
Release: 31.0 · Reference/year: August 2026 · Occupation code: 27-3042.00

Critical thinking

3.9 raw · LV scale
55% relative

Relative scale: 55% · raw 3.88 · LV

Source: O*NET Resource Center · O*NET Database
Release: 31.0 · Reference/year: August 2026 · Occupation code: 27-3042.00

Speaking

3.8 raw · LV scale
54% relative

Relative scale: 54% · raw 3.75 · LV

Source: O*NET Resource Center · O*NET Database
Release: 31.0 · Reference/year: August 2026 · Occupation code: 27-3042.00

Active learning

3.6 raw · LV scale
52% relative

Relative scale: 52% · raw 3.62 · LV

Source: O*NET Resource Center · O*NET Database
Release: 31.0 · Reference/year: August 2026 · Occupation code: 27-3042.00

Monitoring

3 raw · LV scale
43% relative

Relative scale: 43% · raw 3 · LV

Source: O*NET Resource Center · O*NET Database
Release: 31.0 · Reference/year: August 2026 · Occupation code: 27-3042.00

Learning strategies

2.3 raw · LV scale
32% relative

Relative scale: 32% · raw 2.25 · LV

Source: O*NET Resource Center · O*NET Database
Release: 31.0 · Reference/year: August 2026 · Occupation code: 27-3042.00

Dependability

2.3 raw · WI scale
88% relative

Relative scale: 88% · raw 2.25 · WI

Source: O*NET Resource Center · O*NET Database
Release: 31.0 · Reference/year: August 2026 · Occupation code: 27-3042.00

Attention to detail

2.8 raw · WI scale
96% relative

Relative scale: 96% · raw 2.77 · WI

Source: O*NET Resource Center · O*NET Database
Release: 31.0 · Reference/year: August 2026 · Occupation code: 27-3042.00

Stress tolerance

0.8 raw · WI scale
63% relative

Relative scale: 63% · raw 0.8 · WI

Source: O*NET Resource Center · O*NET Database
Release: 31.0 · Reference/year: August 2026 · Occupation code: 27-3042.00

Cooperation

1.4 raw · WI scale
73% relative

Relative scale: 73% · raw 1.38 · WI

Source: O*NET Resource Center · O*NET Database
Release: 31.0 · Reference/year: August 2026 · Occupation code: 27-3042.00

06 · Evidence

Sources and limitations

Every displayed value retains the dataset release, reference period, and occupation code used to publish it.

Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics

Source-backed

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

Release May 2025 · Reference 2025

Occupation code 27-3042 · SHA-256 b5855a37f3e03e779f6fbf173d3bbc94aeeff33426aef32fa95ce6d025bab1af

Employment Projections

Source-backed

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

Release 2025-2035 · Reference 2025-2035

Occupation code 27-3042 · SHA-256 a7d060f0576f7d4f5b829b9a0bb4a6c11a12766d159ebb0e07aab5bd2e7583c5

O*NET Database

Source-backed

O*NET Resource Center

Release 31.0 · Reference August 2026

Occupation code 27-3042.00 · SHA-256 c63ad00a8e45f3d3ef8e1529fcf8864d2279f2dfcb98737436818f5664781b04

Keep exploring

Move from this profile into a comparison, a focused career guide, or the evidence behind the published record.

Compare careers

Technical Writers vs Writers and Authors

Open comparison

Explore career guides

Browse by education, growth, or annual openings.

Open guides

Read methodology

See how source records are joined and presented.

View methodology

Inspect data sources

Open publisher documentation and release context.

View sources

Related published careers

Start with selected career alternatives, then explore occupations with related work and skill profiles. Entry requirements may differ.

Verified career

Writers and Authors

27-3043

Originate and prepare written material, such as scripts, stories, advertisements, and other material.

Median pay

$76,910

Source: Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
Release: May 2025 · Reference/year: 2025 · Occupation code: 27-3043

Growth

-0.3%

Source: Employment Projections
Release: 2025-2035 · Reference/year: 2025-2035 · Occupation code: 27-3043

View career profile
Compare with Writers and Authors

Verified career

Editors

27-3041

Plan, coordinate, revise, or edit written material. May review proposals and drafts for possible publication.

Median pay

$77,920

Source: Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
Release: May 2025 · Reference/year: 2025 · Occupation code: 27-3041

Growth

-1.1%

Source: Employment Projections
Release: 2025-2035 · Reference/year: 2025-2035 · Occupation code: 27-3041

View career profile
Compare with Editors

Verified career

Broadcast Announcers and Radio Disc Jockeys

27-3011

Speak or read from scripted materials, such as news reports or commercial messages, on radio, television, or other communications media. May play and queue music, announce artist or title of performance, identify station, or interview guests.

Median pay

$47,340

Source: Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
Release: May 2025 · Reference/year: 2025 · Occupation code: 27-3011

Growth

-7.6%

Source: Employment Projections
Release: 2025-2035 · Reference/year: 2025-2035 · Occupation code: 27-3011

View career profile
Compare with Broadcast Announcers and Radio Disc Jockeys

Verified career

News Analysts, Reporters, and Journalists

27-3023

Narrate or write news stories, reviews, or commentary for print, broadcast, or other communications media such as newspapers, magazines, radio, or television. May collect and analyze information through interview, investigation, or observation.

Median pay

$62,200

Source: Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
Release: May 2025 · Reference/year: 2025 · Occupation code: 27-3023

Growth

-5.9%

Source: Employment Projections
Release: 2025-2035 · Reference/year: 2025-2035 · Occupation code: 27-3023

View career profile
Compare with News Analysts, Reporters, and Journalists

Career Matchup is an independent comparison tool.

Data sourcesData availabilityAboutFree guideContactPrivacyTermsData: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and O*NET® Database.