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Writers and Authors Salary by City
Writers and Authors Salary by City (2026)
125 metro areas · National average: $72,626 · Source: BLS OEWS
The table below shows Writers and Authors salaries across 125 U.S. metropolitan areas,
sorted from highest to lowest. Click any city to see the full wage breakdown.
Metro Area
Mean Annual
Median Annual
P10
P90
Waterbury, CT $135,260
$92,280
$36,800
$213,660
San Jose, CA $117,910
$107,810
$52,240
$190,620
San Luis Obispo, CA $116,750
$96,240
$50,960
$208,560
Washington, DC $115,400
$106,340
$63,300
$164,840
San Francisco, CA $112,310
$97,680
$63,820
$173,610
Baltimore, MD $103,630
$100,550
$57,830
$155,950
Santa Rosa, CA $102,850
$96,120
$42,950
$169,450
Los Angeles, CA $98,080
$79,080
$47,210
$164,480
San Diego, CA $96,090
$71,390
$47,410
$155,480
Seattle, WA $95,870
$90,320
$58,170
$129,990
Boston, MA $92,200
$78,870
$48,670
$137,130
Austin, TX $91,530
$76,060
$51,870
$180,800
Charlottesville, VA $91,040
$83,090
$55,460
$144,280
Pensacola, FL $89,350
$74,790
$40,630
$154,900
Bridgeport, CT $89,340
$75,920
$44,500
$145,930
Portland, OR $88,380
$84,520
$50,230
$130,870
Atlanta, GA $88,240
$72,000
$48,140
$142,550
Sacramento, CA $88,110
$80,470
$52,260
$110,120
Oxnard, CA $87,270
$74,830
$36,890
$152,140
Worcester, MA $86,680
$79,080
$46,720
$123,630
Colorado Springs, CO $86,120
$69,400
$40,660
$133,930
New Haven, CT $85,280
$82,280
$47,420
$133,270
Durham, NC $83,130
$76,680
$51,770
$129,610
Greensboro, NC $81,670
$65,280
$42,610
$156,830
Hartford, CT $81,330
$79,340
$37,320
$140,620
Trenton, NJ $81,160
$80,350
$44,180
$104,580
Glens Falls, NY $81,000
$59,990
$31,200
$83,990
Philadelphia, PA $80,720
$75,890
$41,450
$132,660
Tallahassee, FL $80,480
$72,010
$46,040
$129,860
Orlando, FL $78,820
$67,990
$44,350
$110,210
Portland, ME $78,650
$69,240
$33,970
$114,870
Norwich, CT $78,120
$80,950
$52,090
$107,760
Bakersfield, CA $78,070
$72,810
$46,270
$119,440
San Antonio, TX $77,990
$76,130
$40,470
$108,760
Salinas, CA $77,160
$73,860
$41,990
$105,720
Indianapolis, IN $76,160
$68,220
$49,340
$104,170
Huntsville, AL $76,080
$72,740
$30,120
$129,750
Raleigh, NC $76,040
$74,820
$51,470
$102,990
Tampa, FL $76,010
$65,930
$41,980
$134,410
Fresno, CA $75,850
$69,960
$39,310
$104,470
Savannah, GA $75,460
$68,600
$39,990
$105,660
Minneapolis, MN $75,350
$68,640
$46,690
$104,020
Riverside, CA $75,350
$65,930
$42,990
$125,990
Hagerstown, MD $74,630
$77,710
$26,690
$129,060
Houston, TX $74,050
$68,990
$44,460
$98,070
Chicago, IL $73,760
$69,150
$38,590
$114,500
New Orleans, LA $73,440
$70,480
$28,350
$108,480
Amherst Town, MA $73,140
$62,150
$53,370
$98,260
Virginia Beach, VA $73,090
$67,580
$41,090
$104,850
Omaha, NE $72,850
$64,940
$48,560
$93,170
Baton Rouge, LA $72,670
$77,640
$27,790
$110,180
Kansas City, MO $72,670
$63,530
$43,110
$107,270
Columbus, OH $72,580
$72,000
$45,110
$98,730
Chico, CA $72,470
$68,880
$47,160
$91,940
Cincinnati, OH $72,470
$75,330
$39,400
$98,770
Rochester, NY $72,230
$61,660
$31,200
$114,250
Salt Lake City, UT $71,830
$75,690
$40,800
$95,420
Richmond, VA $71,780
$69,760
$46,780
$97,300
Wilmington, NC $71,490
$70,700
$47,300
$92,990
Allentown, PA $71,340
$67,350
$44,290
$93,660
Lincoln, NE $71,300
$62,390
$36,150
$94,320
Providence, RI $71,230
$60,000
$39,180
$107,330
Denver, CO $71,130
$59,780
$37,430
$128,710
Winston, NC $70,460
$70,480
$44,390
$97,020
Eugene, OR $70,170
$70,310
$41,790
$93,100
Miami, FL $69,820
$63,550
$42,580
$104,990
Atlantic City, NJ $69,210
$60,520
$35,150
$113,180
Madison, WI $68,710
$65,460
$50,170
$94,410
Buffalo, NY $68,380
$62,320
$31,200
$106,250
Salem, OR $68,290
$59,480
$34,470
$109,170
Urban Honolulu, HI $68,150
$68,620
$32,440
$122,270
El Paso, TX $67,770
$60,260
$41,560
$113,930
Boise City, ID $67,690
$58,250
$42,690
$106,910
Charlotte, NC $67,310
$59,990
$47,100
$97,130
Milwaukee, WI $67,080
$62,310
$49,490
$92,240
Cleveland, OH $66,810
$63,400
$36,360
$96,320
Albany, NY $66,730
$63,270
$31,340
$98,040
Green Bay, WI $66,560
$61,540
$48,920
$88,830
Harrisburg, PA $66,480
$66,560
$21,680
$97,510
Asheville, NC $66,470
$58,850
$36,200
$93,690
Manchester, NH $66,110
$58,510
$40,760
$112,840
Phoenix, AZ $66,010
$65,370
$42,710
$94,310
Nashville, TN $66,000
$60,540
$41,790
$101,070
St. Louis, MO $65,710
$59,040
$41,940
$99,850
Bloomington, IN $65,680
$63,350
$48,470
$140,590
North Port, FL $65,610
$54,140
$39,380
$98,280
Jacksonville, FL $65,530
$57,250
$40,040
$96,470
Oklahoma City, OK $65,460
$60,820
$36,160
$95,850
Santa Maria, CA $65,420
$52,000
$41,790
$101,800
Detroit, MI $64,620
$61,670
$43,990
$85,210
Chattanooga, TN $64,420
$54,770
$37,760
$95,200
Cape Coral, FL $64,400
$61,540
$42,920
$84,830
Columbia, SC $63,790
$50,070
$41,590
$107,240
Oshkosh, WI $63,660
$60,500
$39,970
$93,460
Medford, OR $63,600
$60,090
$38,670
$83,160
Olympia, WA $63,480
$53,640
$33,860
$102,990
Dayton, OH $62,160
$58,850
$21,740
$95,410
Birmingham, AL $61,460
$58,140
$40,000
$92,370
Las Vegas, NV $61,430
$52,770
$38,270
$84,220
Charleston, SC $61,260
$55,980
$37,490
$93,720
Greenville, SC $61,110
$51,850
$36,460
$97,730
Pittsburgh, PA $60,950
$49,020
$21,380
$109,160
Des Moines, IA $60,520
$58,140
$48,410
$83,740
Tulsa, OK $59,570
$59,730
$27,420
$77,990
Syracuse, NY $59,420
$57,330
$31,200
$98,770
Tucson, AZ $59,230
$56,050
$29,850
$84,990
Knoxville, TN $58,680
$58,620
$45,970
$68,550
Peoria, IL $58,610
$59,060
$32,390
$81,040
Lancaster, PA $58,410
$52,720
$37,310
$78,990
Memphis, TN $58,390
$55,360
$39,580
$85,000
Grand Rapids, MI $58,230
$55,460
$32,440
$84,330
Fayetteville, AR $58,200
$48,340
$39,660
$72,010
Reading, PA $57,560
$49,910
$21,770
$78,880
Louisville/Jefferson County, KY $56,850
$60,890
$42,220
$75,330
Fargo, ND $54,650
$54,490
$33,280
$80,040
Kingsport, TN $54,580
$54,830
$24,890
$80,780
Little Rock, AR $52,790
$50,590
$34,940
$71,300
Akron, OH $51,700
$46,000
$21,740
$80,330
Provo, UT $51,350
$45,190
$30,990
$81,480
Jackson, MS $51,230
$47,680
$32,240
$75,610
Lexington, KY $50,700
$42,200
$41,240
$73,580
Greeley, CO $49,750
$47,990
$47,990
$47,990
Ann Arbor, MI $49,390
$35,530
$32,900
$78,850
Hickory, NC $47,750
$33,110
$33,110
$63,740
San Juan, PR $44,250
$37,190
$27,980
$63,480
Data sourced from the
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS
.
All wage figures are annual.
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