Percentiles

• The mean annual salary for a writer is $65,960, according to 2010 data from the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), which breaks down the statistics by percentile. Writers in the 10th percentile earn an annual salary of $28,610; those in the 25th percentile earn an annual salary of $39,330; those in the 50th percentile earn $55,420; those in the 75th percentile earn $77,560; and those in the 90th percent earn an annual salary of $109,440.
  
  

Level of Employment

• Newspaper, periodical, book, and directory publishers offer the highest number of jobs for writers. Such industries provide an annual mean salary of $56,210, according to the 2010 BLS Occupational Employment Statistics handbook. Advertising and public relations agencies offer the second highest number of jobs, and pay an annual mean salary of $73,710. Independent writers receive the highest annual salaries, an annual mean of $101,110, but there are fewer jobs for them.
  
  

Top States

• New York, California, Texas, Florida and Illinois are the states with the highest number of jobs for writers, according to 2010 BLS data. Their annual wages average $88,630 in New York, $85,170 in California, $58,120 in Texas, $50,150 in Florida and $61,090 in Illinois.
  
  

Job Outlook

• According to the BLS, the employment of writers is expected to grow 8 percent, about as fast as the average for all occupations, from 2008 to 2018. The increase in jobs is due to companies in a wide array of industries using newer multimedia technologies and online media to reach consumers, increasing the demand for writers. The report also says publishing companies that rely on advertising revenues and sales receipts will ultimately employ fewer writers as time goes on. Nonprofit organizations and associations are expected to boost employment levels by hiring writers for their public relations offices.