Occupational Employment and Wages, November 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)
42,750 4.6 % $25.07 $52,150 1.5 %

Percentile wage estimates for this occupation:

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median)
75% 90%
Hourly Wage $11.39 $15.84 $21.86 $29.84 $42.15
Annual Wage (2) $23,700 $32,950 $45,460 $62,060 $87,660

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 9,520 $21.85 $45,450
Advertising and related services 7,330 $28.16 $58,570
Radio and television broadcasting 2,330 $21.39 $44,490
Independent artists, writers, and performers 1,870 $39.86 $82,900
Motion picture and video industries 1,510 $29.35 $61,060

Top paying industries for this occupation:

Industry Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage
Independent artists, writers, and performers 1,870 $39.86 $82,900
Commercial equip. merchant wholesalers 330 $36.32 $75,540
Specialized design services 210 $34.48 $71,720
Business, computer and management training 110 $34.06 $70,840
Pharmaceutical and medicine manufacturing 40 $33.05 $68,750

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
Missouri 1,920 $18.64 $38,770 0.073%
Minnesota 1,840 $24.25 $50,450 0.070%
New York 4,080 $30.91 $64,290 0.049%
Vermont 130 $20.05 $41,700 0.044%
Virginia 1,390 $23.49 $48,860 0.040%

Top paying States for this occupation:

State Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Percent of State employment
California 5,280 $32.14 $66,850 0.036%
New York 4,080 $30.91 $64,290 0.049%
New Jersey 1,110 $30.01 $62,420 0.028%
Connecticut 630 $29.30 $60,940 0.038%
Massachusetts 1,140 $28.10 $58,440 0.036%

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
Charlottesville, VA MSA 110 $16.68 $34,690 0.128%
Kansas City, MO-KS MSA 880 $21.38 $44,480 0.093%
Rochester, MN MSA 80 $26.19 $54,480 0.092%
Columbia, MO MSA 70 $19.21 $39,960 0.090%
St. Joseph, MO MSA 40 $16.13 $33,550 0.085%

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 40 $53.06 $110,360 0.023%
New Haven-Meriden, CT PMSA 110 $39.92 $83,030 0.043%
Colorado Springs, CO MSA 100 $39.38 $81,910 0.042%
Nassau-Suffolk, NY PMSA 580 $37.85 $78,730 0.048%
Newark, NJ PMSA 450 $36.10 $75,080 0.047%

About November 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

November 2004 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

November 2004 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

November 2004 Metropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

November 2004 National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

List of Occupations in SOC Code Number Order

List of Occupations in Alphabetical Order

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

Technical notes

 

Last Modified Date: November 9, 2005