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 2016. The top 3 most similar occupations to Writers & authors by wage are Boilermakers, Other Sales Workers, and Private detectives & investigators.

Writers & authors 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 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 top 3 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

Employment

Information on the businesses and industries that employ Writers & authors and on wages and locations 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. Writers & authors are paid most in Inglewood City PUMA, CA but are relatively concentrated in LA City (Central/Pacific Palisades) PUMA, CA.

Yearly Wage

$63,607

AVERAGE SALARY

± $4,421

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

Private detectives & investigators make somewhat more than Writers & authors while Boilermakers make somewhat less. This chart shows the various occupations closest to Writers & authors as measured by average annual salary in the US.

Wage Distribution

0.477

WAGE GINI

In 2015, Writers & authors had a wage GINI coefficient of 0.477, which is lower than than the national average of 0.478. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly for Writers & authors (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 Writers & authors.

Spatial Concentration

PUMAs with a Relatively High Concentration of Writers & authors

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

Most Common

The most common industries employing Writers & authors, by number of employees, are Independent artists, writers, and performers, Advertising, public relations & related services, Colleges, universities & professional schools, including junior colleges, Management, scientific & technical consulting services, Civic, social, advocacy organizations, & grantmaking & giving services, Periodical, book, & directory publishers, Newspaper publishers, Motion pictures & video industries, Internet publishing, broadcasting & web search portals, Computer Systems Design, and Broadcasting (except internet).

Highest Paying

The highest paying industries for Writers & authors, by average wage, are Household appliances & electrical & electronic goods merchant wholesalers, Public finance activities, and Broadcasting (except internet).

Industries by Share

171k

2020 Workforce

± 10,142

0.879%

1 YEAR GROWTH

± 8.34%

The number of people employed as Writers & authors has been growing at a rate of 0.879%, from 169,344 people in 2019 to 170,832 people in 2020.

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 12.3%, followed by Advertising, public relations & related services with 8.23% and Colleges, universities & professional schools, including junior colleges with 7.11%.

Diversity

Demographic information on Writers & authors in the US. 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 (Non-Hispanic).

Composition by Sex

67.7k

MALE WORKFORCE

± 6,388

103k

FEMALE WORKFORCE

± 7,880

60.3% of Writers & authors are Female, making them the more common sex in the occupation. This chart shows the sex breakdown of Writers & authors.

Race & Ethnicity

Most Common Race or Ethnicity of Writers & authors

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

79.6% of Writers & authors are White (Non-Hispanic), making that the most common race or ethnicity in the occupation. Representing 6.11% of Writers & authors, Black (Non-Hispanic) is the second most common race or ethnicity in this occupation. This chart shows the racial and ethnic breakdown of Writers & authors.

Age by Sex

43.9

AVERAGE MALE AGE

± 1.43

AVERAGE FEMALE AGE

± 1.11

The median age of Writers & authors is 42.8, and Male employees are generally 1.92 years older than than their Female counterparts.

Education

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 a relatively high number of Writers & authors 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 Writers & authors from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Writers & authors need many skills, but most especially Reading Comprehension. The revealed comparative advantage (RCA) shows that Writers & authors need more than the average amount of Writing, Reading Comprehension, and Persuasion.

Radar Distribution

Bar Chart

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 and Authors. This profession is expected to grow less than than 3.71%, the average rate of national job growth.