Writers & authors

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Total Workforce

172k

Average Age

43.1

Estimated Job Growth

7.62%

10-year projection

Average Salary

$60,915

Average Male Salary

$73,328

Average Female Salary

$52,499

About

Employment

Diversity

Education

Skills

Growth Projections

About

Writers & authors are most often employed by the Performing arts, spectator sports & related industries industry. The average yearly wage for Writers & authors was $60,915 in 2016. The top 3 most similar occupations to Writers & authors by wage are Gaming managers, Occupational therapists, and Purchasing agents, except wholesale, retail, & farm products.

The top 3 locations that employ the most Writers & authors are Upper East Side PUMA, NY, Park Slope, Carroll Gardens & Red Hook PUMA, NY, and Greenpoint & Williamsburg PUMA, NY. The top 3 locations with a relatively high concentration of Writers & authors are Park Slope, Carroll Gardens & Red Hook PUMA, NY, Chinatown & Lower East Side PUMA, NY, and Upper East Side PUMA, NY.

Photo by Lane Pearman

Management, business, science, & arts occupationsEducation, legal, community service, arts, & media occupationsArts, design, entertainment, sports, & media occupations

Employment

Information on the businesses and industries that employ Writers & authors and on wages and locations for those in the field. Performing arts, spectator sports & related industries 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 Other administrative & other support services. Writers & authors are paid most in LA City (East Central/Silver Lake, Echo Park & Westlake) PUMA, CA but are relatively concentrated in Park Slope, Carroll Gardens & Red Hook PUMA, NY.

Wages

Yearly Wage

$60,915

AVERAGE SALARY

± $4,028

In 2017, Writers & authors earned an average of $60,915, $8,851 more than than the average national salary of $52,065.

Purchasing agents, except wholesale, retail, & farm products make somewhat more than Writers & authors while Gaming managers make somewhat less. This chart shows the various occupations closest to Writers & authors as measured by average annual salary in the US.

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Wage Distribution

0.47

WAGE GINI

In 2017, Writers & authors had a wage GINI coefficient of 0.47, which is lower than than the national average of 0.479. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly for Writers & authors (shown in red) than for the overall labor force (shown in gray).

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Wage by Location

HIGHEST PAYING PUMAS

  1. LA City (East Central/Silver Lake, Echo Park & Westlake) PUMA, CA

  2. Concord (West), Martinez & Pleasant Hill Cities PUMA, CA

  3. Morristown Town, Madison & Florham Park Boroughs PUMA, NJ

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

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Spatial Concentration

PUMAs with a Relatively High Concentration of Writers & authors

  1. Park Slope, Carroll Gardens & Red Hook PUMA, NY

  2. District of Columbia (West) PUMA, DC

  3. Upper West Side & West Side PUMA, NY

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

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Industries

Most Common

The most common industries employing Writers & authors, by number of employees, are Performing arts, spectator sports & related industries, Advertising, public relations & related services, and Colleges, universities & professional schools, including junior colleges.

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Highest Paying

The highest paying industries for Writers & authors, by average wage, are Other administrative & other support services, National security & international affairs, and Securities, commodities, funds, trusts & other financial investments.

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Industries by Share

172k

2017 Workforce

± 10,165

2.29%

1 YEAR GROWTH

± 8.24%

The number of people employed as Writers & authors has been growing at a rate of 2.29%, from 167,766 people in 2016 to 171,613 people in 2017.

This graphic shows the share of Writers & authors employed by various industries. Performing arts, spectator sports & related industries employs the largest share of Writers & authors at  16.3%, followed by Advertising, public relations & related services with 8.52% and Colleges, universities & professional schools, including junior colleges with 8.03%.

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Diversity

Demographic information on Writers & authors in the US. The average age of male Writers & authors in the workforce is 44.2 and of female Writers & authors is 42.3, and the most common race/ethnicity for Writers & authors is White.

Gender Composition

69.3k

MALE WORKFORCE

± 6,464

102k

FEMALE WORKFORCE

± 7,849

59.6% of Writers & authors are Female, making them the more common gender in the occupation. This chart shows the gender breakdown of Writers & authors.

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Race & Ethnicity

Most Common Race or Ethnicity of Writers & authors

  1. White

  2. Black

  3. Asian

85.8% of Writers & authors are White, making that the most common race or ethnicity in the occupation. Representing 6.04% of Writers & authors, Black is the second most common race or ethnicity in this occupation. This chart shows the racial and ethnic breakdown of Writers & authors.

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Age by Gender

44.2

AVERAGE MALE AGE

± 1.45

42.3

AVERAGE FEMALE AGE

± 1.12

The median age of Writers & authors is 43.1, and Male employees are generally 1.88 years older than than their Female counterparts.

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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

  1. Communications

  2. English

  3. Social Sciences

MOST SPECIALIZED MAJORS

  1. English

  2. Communications

  3. Cultural & Gender Studies

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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 Writing and Reading Comprehension. The revealed comparative advantage (RCA) shows that Writers & authors need more than the average amount of Writing, Reading Comprehension, and Active Learning.

Radar Distribution

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Growth Projections

Projections on wages and job growth for Writers & authors from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The ten-year national workforce is projected to grow 7.4%, but Writers & authors are expected to see a growth of 7.62% over the same period. This occupation is expected to grow higher than the national average.

Job Growth

7.62%

ESTIMATED GROWTH

7.4%

NATIONAL AVERAGE

This line chart shows the 10-year projected employment growth (from 2016 to 2026) for Writers & authors. This profession is expected to grow faster than 7.4%, the average rate of national job growth.

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