Technical writers

Detailed Occupation

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2020 Workforce

60.5k

Average Age

45.7

Estimated Job Growth

7.36%

10-year projection

Average Salary

$74,836

Average Male Salary

$77,607

Average Female Salary

$72,694

About

Technical writers are most often employed by the Computer Systems Design industry. The average yearly wage for Technical writers was $74,836 in 2016. The top 3 most similar occupations to Technical writers by wage are Cost estimators, Physical therapists, and Railroad conductors & yardmasters.

Technical writers are part of the Arts, design, entertainment, sports, & media occupations, along with Artists & related workers, Commercial and industrial designers, Fashion designers, Floral designers, Graphic designers, and 25 more.

The top 3 locations that employ the most Technical writers are Denver City (South Central) PUMA, CO, Santa Rosa County PUMA, FL, and Mountain View, Palo Alto & Los Altos Cities PUMA, CA. The top 3 locations with a relatively high concentration of Technical writers are Denver City (South Central) PUMA, CO, Broomall & Ardmore (West) PUMA, PA, and Santa Rosa County PUMA, FL.

Photo by James F Clay

Employment

Information on the businesses and industries that employ Technical writers and on wages and locations for those in the field. Computer Systems Design is the industry that employs the most Technical writers, both by share and by number, though the highest paid industry for Technical writers, by average wage, is Drugs, sundries, & chemical & allied products merchant wholesalers . Technical writers are paid most in DeKalb County (North)Dunwoody City PUMA, GA but are relatively concentrated in Denver City (South Central) PUMA, CO.

Yearly Wage

$74,836

AVERAGE SALARY

± $4,614

In 2020, Technical writers earned an average of $74,836, $18,882 more than than the average national salary of $55,954.

Physical therapists make somewhat more than Technical writers while Cost estimators make somewhat less. This chart shows the various occupations closest to Technical writers as measured by average annual salary in the US.

Wage Distribution

0.31

WAGE GINI

In 2015, Technical writers had a wage GINI coefficient of 0.31, which is lower than than the national average of 0.478. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly for Technical writers (shown in red) than for the overall labor force (shown in gray).

Wage by Location

HIGHEST PAYING PUMAS

This map shows the Public Use Microdata Areas (PUMAs) in the United States shaded by average annual wage for Technical writers.

Spatial Concentration

PUMAs with a Relatively High Concentration of Technical writers

This map displays which Public Use Microdata Areas (PUMAs) in the United States have a relatively high population of Technical writers.

Most Common

The most common industries employing Technical writers, by number of employees, are Computer Systems Design, Architectural, engineering & related services, Management, scientific & technical consulting services, Scientific research & development services, Pharmaceutical & medicine manufacturing, Electronic component & product manufacturing, n.e.c. , Insurance carriers, Independent artists, writers, and performers, Aircraft & parts manufacturing, Employment services, and Navigational, measuring, electromedical, & control instruments manufacturing.

Highest Paying

The highest paying industries for Technical writers, by average wage, are Drugs, sundries, & chemical & allied products merchant wholesalers , Motion pictures & video industries, and Business, professional, political, & similar organizations.

Industries by Share

60.5k

2020 Workforce

± 6,036

3.9%

1 YEAR GROWTH

± 13.7%

The number of people employed as Technical writers has been growing at a rate of 3.9%, from 58,192 people in 2019 to 60,462 people in 2020.

This graphic shows the share of Technical writers employed by various industries. Computer Systems Design employs the largest share of Technical writers at 17.4%, followed by Architectural, engineering & related services with 6.53% and Management, scientific & technical consulting services with 5.17%.

Diversity

Demographic information on Technical writers in the US. The average age of male Technical writers in the workforce is 46.4 and of female Technical writers is 45.1, and the most common race/ethnicity for Technical writers is White (Non-Hispanic).

Composition by Sex

26.4k

MALE WORKFORCE

± 3,985

34.1k

FEMALE WORKFORCE

± 4,534

56.4% of Technical writers are Female, making them the more common sex in the occupation. This chart shows the sex breakdown of Technical writers.

Race & Ethnicity

Most Common Race or Ethnicity of Technical writers

White (Non-Hispanic)
Asian (Non-Hispanic)
Black (Non-Hispanic)

79.3% of Technical writers are White (Non-Hispanic), making that the most common race or ethnicity in the occupation. Representing 6.91% of Technical writers, Asian (Non-Hispanic) is the second most common race or ethnicity in this occupation. This chart shows the racial and ethnic breakdown of Technical writers.

Age by Sex

46.4

AVERAGE MALE AGE

± 2.08

45.1

AVERAGE FEMALE AGE

± 1.71

The median age of Technical writers is 45.7, and Male employees are generally 1.31 years older than than their Female counterparts.

Education

Data on higher education choices for Technical writers from The Department of Education and Census Bureau. The most common major for Technical writers is English but a relatively high number of Technical writers hold a major in English.

Majors

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

MOST COMMON MAJORS

MOST SPECIALIZED MAJORS

Skills

Data on the critical and distinctive skills necessary for Technical writers from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Technical writers need many skills, but most especially Writing, Reading Comprehension, and Active Listening. The revealed comparative advantage (RCA) shows that Technical writers need more than the average amount of Writing, Operations Analysis, and Reading Comprehension.

Radar Distribution

Bar Chart

Projections

Projections on job growth for Technical Writers from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The 10-year national workforce is projected to grow 3.71%, but Technical Writers are expected to see a growth of 7.36% over the same period. This occupation is expected to grow more than the national average.

Job Growth

7.36%

Estimated Job Growth

10-year Projection

3.71%

National Growth

10-year Projection

This line chart shows the projected 10-year growth in the number of jobs for Technical Writers. This profession is expected to grow more than than 3.71%, the average rate of national job growth.