Writers and authors
Salary, job outlook, AI risk & career information
Writers and authors in the United States earn a median salary of $76,910 per year — about $37 per hour, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Roughly 135K people work in this occupation nationwide, with projected employment growth of +4%.
AI & Automation Risk
The core work product of writers and authors is entirely digital and text-based, which aligns perfectly with the primary capabilities of Large Language Models. AI can now generate drafts, conduct research, and perform editing tasks across various formats like blogs, copy, and scripts, significantly increasing productivity while simultaneously threatening to automate many entry-level and routine writing roles.
Salary by City — What You Actually Take Home
Real purchasing power = salary adjusted for cost of living. Higher = more money in your pocket.
| City | Local Salary | Cost of Living | Real Purchasing Power |
|---|---|---|---|
| Waterbury-Shelton, CTBEST VALUE | $127,350 | Average (99.8) | $127,633 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $118,810 | Above avg (110.4) | $107,595 |
| Fort Collins-Loveland, CO | $102,570 | Average (101.1) | $101,426 |
| Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA | $107,700 | Above avg (107.8) | $99,922 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | $108,460 | Above avg (108.9) | $99,611 |
| Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury, CT Metropolitan Statistical Area | $103,060 | Above avg (106.9) | $96,440 |
| Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT | $97,160 | Average (102.7) | $94,563 |
| New Haven, CT | $94,410 | Above avg (104.6) | $90,294 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | $98,730 | Above avg (111.1) | $88,839 |
| Trenton-Princeton, NJ | $90,060 | Above avg (103.2) | $87,284 |
| Durham-Chapel Hill, NC | $84,130 | Average (97.6) | $86,224 |
| Montgomery, AL | $76,710 | Below avg (89.7) | $85,536 |
| New Orleans-Metairie, LA | $79,020 | Below avg (92.6) | $85,338 |
| Norwich-New London-Willimantic, CT | $84,940 | Average (100.4) | $84,564 |
| Burlington-South Burlington, VT | $85,020 | Average (100.9) | $84,221 |