Writers & authors

Detailed Occupation

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2020 Workforce

171k

Average Age

42.8

Estimated Job Growth

−2.29%

10-year projection

Average Salary

$63,607

Average Male Salary

$76,115

Average Female Salary

$55,388

About

Writers & authors are most often employed by the Independent artists, writers, and performers industry. The average yearly wage for Writers & authors was $63,607 in 2020.

The locations that employ the most Writers & authors are LA City (Central/Pacific Palisades) PUMA, CA, LA City (East Central/Hollywood) PUMA, CA, and LA City (East Central/Silver Lake, Echo Park & Westlake) PUMA, CA. The locations with a relatively high concentration of Writers & authors are LA City (Central/Pacific Palisades) PUMA, CA, LA City (East Central/Hollywood) PUMA, CA, and Park Slope, Carroll Gardens & Red Hook PUMA, NY.

Photo by Lane Pearman

Management, business, science, & arts occupations Education, legal, community service, arts, & media occupations Arts, design, entertainment, sports, & media occupations

Employment and salary information for the Writers & authors workforce. Writers & authors workforce in 2020 was 170,832 people, of which 60.3% were women and 39.7% were men. Writers & authors are paid most in Plainfield City & Westfield Town (South) PUMA, NJ but are relatively concentrated in LA City (Central/Pacific Palisades) PUMA, CA.

Employment Over Time

Metric

Grouping

67,737

Male Workforce

± 6.39k

103,095

Female Workforce

± 7.88k

The Writers & authors workforce in 2020 was 170,832 people (60.3% women and 39.7% men). This implies an average annual growth of 17.7% between 2014 (145,109) and 2020 (170,832).

Employment by Location

Level

Metric

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

During 2020, the states that concentrated the best average annual wage were California ($94,577), New Jersey ($82,529), and Maryland ($81,216).

Yearly Wage Ranking

$63,607

AVERAGE WAGE

#166 in the ranking (2020)

$55,954

NATIONAL AVERAGE WAGE

For all occupations across the US

In 2020, Writers & authors earned an average of $63,607, $7,653 more than the average national salary of $55,954

The graph shows the ranking of Writers & authors in relation to all Detailed Occupation in 2020.

Wage Distribution

Gender

0.483

WAGE GINI

In 2020, Writers & authors had a wage GINI coefficient of 0.483, 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 Household appliances & electrical & electronic goods merchant wholesalers ($136,556).

Occupations by Industries

Metric

Value

171k

2020 Workforce

± 10,142

0.879%

1 YEAR GROWTH

± 8.34%

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 44.5%, followed by Advertising, public relations & related services with 29.8% and Colleges, universities & professional schools, including junior colleges with 25.7%.

Diversity

Demographic information on Writers & authors in the US. The workforce of Writers & authors in 2020 was 170,832 people, with 60.3% woman, and 39.7% men. The average age of male Writers & authors in the workforce is 43.9 and of female Writers & authors is 42, and the most common race/ethnicity for Writers & authors is White.

Gender and Age

Metric

The workforce of Writers & authors in 2020 was 170,832 people, with 60.3% woman, and 39.7% men.

The age ranges that concentrated the largest workforce were 25 to 29 years (25,153 people), 30 to 34 years (22,604 people), and 35 to 39 years (17,881 people). Among them they concentrated 38.5% of the total workforce.

Ethnicity

Gender

In 2020, 7.06% of Writers & authors workers were Hispanic and 92.9% non-Hispanic.

The treemap shows the distribution of Hispanic workers according to their origin, highlighting Mexican (73.1%), Cuban (14.3)%, and Puerto Rican (12.6)%

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

Races

In 2020, 83.8% of the Writers & authors workforce were White, of which 59.5% were women and 40.5% men. Other races that concentrated a significant number of workers were Black (6.28%) and Two or More Races (4.09%).

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 2020 were English.

Among the necessary skills for Writers & authors, Reading Comprehension 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 2020 (counting all academic degrees) were Communications (30,588 people), English (25,663 people), and Social Sciences (12,345 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 (86,754 people), Graduate Degree (53,176 people), and Some college (17,576 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 Reading Comprehension, Writing, 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 3.71%, but Writers and Authors are expected to see a growth of −2.29% over the same period. This occupation is expected to grow less than the national average.

Job Growth

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

−2.29%

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 Writers & authors. This profession is expected to grow less than than 3.71%, the average rate of national job growth.