Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2004

27-3043 Writers and Authors

Originate and prepare written material, such as scripts, stories, advertisements, and other material. Exclude "Public Relations Specialists" (27-3031) and "Technical Writers" (27-3042).

National estimates for this occupation
Industry profile for this occupation
State profile for this occupation
Metropolitan area profile for this occupation

National estimates for this occupation: Top

Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for this occupation:

Employment (1) Employment
RSE (3)
Mean hourly
wage
Mean annual
wage (2)
Wage RSE (3)
42,780 4.4 % $25.52 $53,080 3.0 %

Percentile wage estimates for this occupation:

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median)
75% 90%
Hourly Wage $11.22 $15.25 $21.32 $30.26 $43.87
Annual Wage (2) $23,330 $31,720 $44,350 $62,930 $91,260

Industry profile for this occupation: Top

Industries with the highest levels of employment in this occupation:

Industry Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage
Newspaper, book, and directory publishers 10,760 $21.87 $45,490
Advertising and related services 7,690 $32.60 $67,800
Radio and television broadcasting 2,470 $20.80 $43,260
Independent artists, writers, and performers 1,520 $36.19 $75,280
Motion picture and video industries 1,510 $30.45 $63,350

Top paying industries for this occupation:

Industry Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage
Commercial equip. merchant wholesalers 500 $36.68 $76,300
Independent artists, writers, and performers 1,520 $36.19 $75,280
Specialized design services 210 $34.23 $71,190
Pharmaceutical and medicine manufacturing 50 $32.93 $68,490
Management and technical consulting services 1,030 $32.82 $68,270

State profile for this occupation: Top

States with the highest concentration of workers in this occupation:

State Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Percent of State employment
District of Columbia 1,620 $27.98 $58,200 0.269%
Minnesota 1,900 $24.89 $51,770 0.073%
New York 4,910 $28.05 $58,340 0.060%
Missouri 1,570 $19.71 $41,000 0.060%
Montana 190 $17.75 $36,920 0.047%

Top paying States for this occupation:

State Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Percent of State employment
California 6,230 $36.82 $76,580 0.043%
New Jersey 1,170 $30.92 $64,300 0.030%
Massachusetts 1,160 $28.95 $60,220 0.037%
Connecticut 650 $28.42 $59,110 0.040%
New York 4,910 $28.05 $58,340 0.060%

Metropolitan area profile for this occupation: Top

Metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of workers in this occupation:

MSA Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Percent of MSA employment
Washington, DC-MD-VA-WV PMSA 2,850 $27.19 $56,560 0.103%
Rochester, MN MSA 90 $25.45 $52,930 0.103%
Los Angeles-Long Beach, CA PMSA 3,870 $40.07 $83,340 0.097%
New York, NY PMSA 3,560 $27.29 $56,760 0.089%
Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN-WI MSA 1,390 $26.78 $55,700 0.082%

Top paying Metropolitan areas for this occupation:

MSA Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Percent of MSA employment
Santa Barbara-Santa Maria-Lompoc, CA MSA 30 $52.88 $109,980 0.017%
New Haven-Meriden, CT PMSA 90 $41.62 $86,570 0.035%
Los Angeles-Long Beach, CA PMSA 3,870 $40.07 $83,340 0.097%
San Jose, CA PMSA 370 $39.82 $82,830 0.044%
Newark, NJ PMSA 450 $38.85 $80,810 0.046%

About May 2004 National, State, and Metropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

These estimates are calculated with data collected from employers in all industry sectors in metropolitan and non-metropolitan areas in every State and the District of Columbia. The top five employment and wage figures are provided above. The complete list is available in the downloadable Excel files(XLS).

Percentile wage estimates show the percentage of workers in an occupation that earn less than a given wage and the percentage that earn more. The median wage is the 50th percentile wage estimate—50 percent of workers earn less than the median and 50 percent of workers earn more than the median. More about percentile wages.


(1) Estimates for detailed occupations do not sum to the totals because the totals include occupations not shown separately. Estimates do not include self-employed workers.

(2) Annual wages have been calculated by multiplying the hourly mean wage by a "year-round, full-time" hours figure of 2,080 hours; for those occupations where there is not an hourly mean wage published, the annual wage has been directly calculated from the reported survey data.

(3) The relative standard error (RSE) is a measure of the reliability of a survey statistic. The smaller the relative standard error, the more precise the estimate.

All Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media Occupations

May 2004 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2004 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2004 Metropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2004 National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

List of Occupations in SOC Code Number Order

List of Occupations in Alphabetical Order

Download May 2004 Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates in Zipped Excel files

Technical notes

 

Last Modified Date: June 02, 2005