Writers & authors

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Total Workforce

181k

Average Age

42.5

Average Salary

$64,860

Average Male Salary

$74,418

Average Female Salary

$58,307

About

Employment

Diversity

Education

Skills

About

Writers & authors are most often employed by the Independent artists, writers, and performers industry. The average yearly wage for Writers & authors was $64,860 in 2016. The top 3 most similar occupations to Writers & authors by wage are Electrical and electronic engineering technologists and technicians, Compensation, benefits, & job analysis specialists, and Occupational therapists.

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 (East Central/Hollywood) PUMA, CA, Upper East Side PUMA, NY, and LA City (West Central/Westwood & West Los Angeles) PUMA, CA. The top 3 locations with a relatively high concentration of Writers & authors are District of Columbia (West) PUMA, DC, West Hollywood & Beverly Hills Cities PUMA, CA, and LA City (East Central/Hollywood) PUMA, CA.

Photo by Lane Pearman

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

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 Amusement & Recreation. Writers & authors are paid most in LA City (East Central/Silver Lake, Echo Park & Westlake) PUMA, CA but are relatively concentrated in District of Columbia (West) PUMA, DC.

Wages

Yearly Wage

$64,860

AVERAGE SALARY

± $4,363

In 2018, Writers & authors earned an average of $64,860, $10,972 more than than the average national salary of $53,888.

Electrical and electronic engineering technologists and technicians make somewhat more than Writers & authors while Compensation, benefits, & job analysis specialists 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

0.491

WAGE GINI

In 2018, Writers & authors had a wage GINI coefficient of 0.491, which is higher than than the national average of 0.479. In other words, wages are distributed less 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

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

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 Independent artists, writers, and performers, 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 Amusement & Recreation, Broadcasting (except internet), Pharmaceutical & medicine manufacturing, Other administrative & other support services, National security & international affairs, and Securities, commodities, funds, trusts & other financial investments.

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Industries by Share

181k

2018 Workforce

± 10,443

5.55%

1 YEAR GROWTH

± 7.83%

The number of people employed as Writers & authors has been growing at a rate of 5.55%, from 171,613 people in 2017 to 181,131 people in 2018.

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 14.6%, followed by Advertising, public relations & related services with 8.38% and Colleges, universities & professional schools, including junior colleges with 7.02%.

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Diversity

Demographic information on Writers & authors in the US. The average age of male Writers & authors in the workforce is 43.8 and of female Writers & authors is 41.7, and the most common race/ethnicity for Writers & authors is White (Non-Hispanic).

Gender Composition

73.7k

MALE WORKFORCE

± 6,662

107k

FEMALE WORKFORCE

± 8,045

59.3% 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

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

81.3% of Writers & authors are White (Non-Hispanic), making that the most common race or ethnicity in the occupation. Representing 6.31% of Writers & authors, White (Hispanic) 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

43.8

AVERAGE MALE AGE

± 1.34

41.7

AVERAGE FEMALE AGE

± 1.08

The median age of Writers & authors is 42.5, and Male employees are generally 2.12 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

MOST SPECIALIZED MAJORS

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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.