The average salary for a technical writer in California is around $87,260 per year.
Avg Salary
Technical writers earn an average yearly salary of $87,260.
Wages typically start from $53,410 and go up to $142,563.
26% above national average Updated in 2018
Technical writer earnings by seniority
90th percentile
Top-level technical writer earnings begin at:
$68.54 per hour
$142,563 per year
75th percentile
Senior-level technical writer earnings begin at:
$54.32 per hour
$112,985 per year
50th percentile
Mid-level technical writer earnings begin at:
$41.95 per hour
$87,260 per year
25th percentile
Junior-level technical writer earnings begin at:
$32.40 per hour
$67,392 per year
10th percentile
Starting level technical writer earnings begin at:
$25.68 per hour
$53,410 per year
Approximate values based on highest and lowest earning segments.
Technical writer salary by state
| State Name | Average Salary |
|---|---|
| California | $87,260 |
| Washington | $85,520 |
| Massachusetts | $84,340 |
| District of Columbia | $84,270 |
| New Jersey | $80,230 |
| Virginia | $80,230 |
| Maryland | $80,130 |
| Connecticut | $78,250 |
| Colorado | $76,830 |
| Georgia | $74,130 |
| North Carolina | $73,740 |
| New York | $72,360 |
| Kentucky | $71,610 |
| Vermont | $71,530 |
| Louisiana | $71,350 |
| Texas | $71,020 |
| New Mexico | $70,910 |
| Delaware | $69,510 |
| New Hampshire | $69,260 |
| South Carolina | $68,220 |
| Oregon | $67,990 |
| Alaska | $67,940 |
| Michigan | $66,510 |
| Wyoming | $65,700 |
| Tennessee | $65,170 |
| Arizona | $64,763 |
| Utah | $64,650 |
| Nevada | $64,270 |
| Minnesota | $63,710 |
| Alabama | $63,218 |
| Rhode Island | $62,800 |
| Indiana | $62,785 |
| Ohio | $61,870 |
| Florida | $61,810 |
| Maine | $61,490 |
| Pennsylvania | $61,022 |
| Mississippi | $60,750 |
| Kansas | $59,970 |
| Nebraska | $59,080 |
| Idaho | $58,996 |
| Wisconsin | $58,460 |
| Hawaii | $58,280 |
| Iowa | $57,060 |
| Missouri | $56,250 |
| Oklahoma | $55,910 |
| Arkansas | $54,490 |
| Illinois | $53,693 |
| Montana | $53,490 |
| South Dakota | $49,140 |
| North Dakota | $48,930 |
| Puerto Rico | $41,560 |
| West Virginia | $37,110 |
How do technical writer salaries compare to similar careers?
Technical writers earn about the same as related careers in California. On average, they make less than computer programmers but more than online merchants.
| Career | Median Salary |
|---|---|
| Computer programmer salary | $95K |
| Author salary | $75K |
| Television writer salary | $75K |
| Copywriter salary | $75K |
| Operations research analyst salary | $92K |
| Technical writer salary | $87K |
| Distance learning coordinator salary | $84K |
| Bioinformatics scientist salary | $88K |
| Web developer salary | $78K |
| Online merchant salary | $75K |
Source: CareerExplorer (Aggregated)