How Much Do Technical Writers Make in 2026? (Salary by Industry)

By WealthVieu · Updated
Data updated September 29, 2026
Part of our Salary by Profession

Technical writers in the US earn an average of $70,000-$95,000 in base salary, with senior writers at top tech companies earning $120,000-$180,000.

Pay at a Glance (BLS Data)

Bureau of Labor Statistics wage estimates for technical writers, across all industries:

Percentile Annual Wage Hourly Equivalent
10th (entry level) $57,440 $27.62
25th $70,880 $34.08
50th (median) $90,390 $43.46
75th $115,510 $55.53
90th $145,270 $69.84
Average (mean) $96,970 $46.62

Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, for Technical Writers (all industries). Hourly figures are annual wages divided by 2,080 hours. “Not published” means BLS withheld the estimate, usually because wages are above its top reporting limit.

Quick Answer: Technical Writer Salary

Level Base Salary Total Compensation
Entry-level $55,000-$70,000 $55,000-$75,000
Mid-level $70,000-$95,000 $75,000-$110,000
Senior $95,000-$125,000 $110,000-$150,000
Staff/Principal $120,000-$155,000 $145,000-$200,000
Manager $110,000-$145,000 $125,000-$175,000

Technical Writer Salary by Industry

Industry Mid-Level Senior
Big Tech (FAANG) $110,000-$145,000 $145,000-$190,000
Software/SaaS $80,000-$110,000 $110,000-$145,000
Finance/Fintech $85,000-$115,000 $115,000-$155,000
Healthcare/Pharma $75,000-$100,000 $100,000-$130,000
Aerospace/Defense $80,000-$105,000 $105,000-$140,000
Manufacturing $65,000-$85,000 $85,000-$110,000
Government/Contractor $70,000-$95,000 $95,000-$125,000
Consulting $75,000-$100,000 $100,000-$135,000
Medical devices $75,000-$100,000 $100,000-$130,000

Technical Writer Salary by Company

Company Mid-Level Total Comp Senior Total Comp
Google $150,000-$190,000 $200,000-$260,000
Meta $145,000-$185,000 $190,000-$250,000
Apple $130,000-$170,000 $175,000-$230,000
Microsoft $125,000-$160,000 $165,000-$220,000
Amazon $120,000-$155,000 $160,000-$210,000
Stripe/Square $120,000-$160,000 $165,000-$220,000
Salesforce $110,000-$145,000 $150,000-$195,000
Oracle $95,000-$125,000 $130,000-$170,000
IBM $85,000-$115,000 $115,000-$150,000
Enterprise (non-tech) $75,000-$100,000 $100,000-$130,000

Technical Writer Salary by Specialization

Specialization Average Salary
API/Developer documentation $95,000-$130,000
UX writing $90,000-$125,000
Software documentation $80,000-$115,000
Medical/regulatory writing $85,000-$120,000
Security documentation $90,000-$125,000
Cloud/DevOps docs $90,000-$125,000
Hardware documentation $75,000-$100,000
Training/curriculum $70,000-$95,000
Proposal writing $80,000-$110,000

Technical Writer Salary by Location

Location Average Salary
San Francisco Bay Area $105,000-$145,000
New York City $95,000-$130,000
Seattle $95,000-$130,000
Boston $85,000-$120,000
Los Angeles $85,000-$115,000
Washington DC $85,000-$115,000
Austin $80,000-$110,000
Denver $75,000-$105,000
Chicago $75,000-$100,000
Atlanta $70,000-$95,000
Remote (US) $80,000-$115,000

Technical Writer Salary by Experience

Experience Base Salary Total Comp
0-2 years $55,000-$70,000 $55,000-$75,000
2-5 years $70,000-$90,000 $75,000-$105,000
5-8 years $90,000-$115,000 $100,000-$140,000
8-12 years $110,000-$135,000 $125,000-$170,000
12+ years $125,000-$160,000 $150,000-$210,000

Technical Writing Skills Premium

Skill Salary Premium
API documentation experience +$10,000-$20,000
Docs-as-code (Git, Markdown) +$5,000-$15,000
Coding/scripting skills +$10,000-$20,000
Developer experience writing +$10,000-$18,000
Video/multimedia +$5,000-$12,000
Localization management +$5,000-$10,000
Security clearance +$10,000-$25,000
Domain expertise (cloud, ML) +$8,000-$18,000

Technical Writer After-Tax Income

Gross Salary Federal Income Tax Social Security + Medicare Take-Home Before State Tax Monthly
$75,000 $7,670 $5,738 $61,592 $5,133
$100,000 $13,170 $7,650 $79,180 $6,598
$140,000 $22,334 $10,710 $106,956 $8,913
$180,000 $31,934 $13,770 $134,296 $11,191

2026 federal income tax for a single filer taking the standard deduction ($16,100), plus Social Security and Medicare. Not included: state and local income tax, retirement contributions and other pre-tax deductions. For your own situation, use the take-home pay calculator.

Technical Writing Career Path

Stage Years Role Salary
Entry 0-2 Technical Writer I $55,000-$70,000
Growth 2-5 Technical Writer II $70,000-$95,000
Senior 5-8 Senior Technical Writer $95,000-$130,000
Staff 8-12 Staff/Principal Writer $125,000-$165,000
Lead 10+ Lead/Manager $140,000-$185,000
Director 12+ Director of Documentation $160,000-$220,000

Freelance Technical Writing Rates

Experience Level Hourly Rate Annual Potential
Junior freelancer $40-$60/hour $60,000-$90,000
Mid-level freelancer $60-$90/hour $90,000-$130,000
Senior freelancer $90-$150/hour $130,000-$200,000+
Specialized consultant $125-$200/hour $150,000-$300,000+

Technical Writing vs UX Writing

Factor Technical Writing UX Writing
Average salary $85,000 $95,000
Focus Documentation Interface copy
Industry Broad Tech-focused
Growth rate Moderate High
Big Tech presence High Higher

Technical Writer Job Outlook

  • Job growth: 0.8% (2025-2035)
  • Demand areas: API docs, developer experience
  • Remote opportunities: Excellent
  • Competition: Moderate

See every profession in our salary by profession guides.

Sources

  • U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. “Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2024.” bls.gov/oes

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