Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2003
27-3042 Technical Writers
Write technical materials, such as equipment manuals, appendices, or operating and maintenance instructions. May assist in layout work.
National estimates for this occupation
Industry profile for this occupation
State profile for this occupation
Metropolitan area profile for this occupation
National estimates for this occupation: Top
Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for this occupation:
| Employment (1) |
Employment
RSE (3) |
Mean hourly
wage |
Mean annual
wage (2) |
Wage RSE (3) |
| 44,690 |
2.0 % |
$26.15 |
$54,390 |
0.8 % |
Percentile wage estimates for this occupation:
| Percentile |
10% |
25% |
50%
(Median) |
75% |
90% |
| Hourly Wage |
$14.71 |
$19.06 |
$24.80 |
$32.01 |
$40.08 |
| Annual Wage (2) |
$30,600 |
$39,640 |
$51,590 |
$66,590 |
$83,360 |
Industry profile for this occupation: Top
Industries with the highest levels of employment in this occupation:
| Industry |
Employment |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage |
Employment rank |
Wage rank |
| Computer systems design and related services |
6,950 |
$26.99 |
$56,150 |
1 |
22 |
| Software publishers |
3,170 |
$30.33 |
$63,090 |
2 |
4 |
| Architectural and engineering services |
2,770 |
$25.93 |
$53,940 |
3 |
35 |
| Employment services |
2,230 |
$30.82 |
$64,100 |
4 |
2 |
| Newspaper, book, and directory publishers |
1,790 |
$20.77 |
$43,200 |
5 |
75 |
Top paying industries for this occupation:
| Industry |
Employment |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage |
Employment rank |
Wage rank |
| Independent artists, writers, and performers |
1,300 |
$31.74 |
$66,020 |
9 |
1 |
| Employment services |
2,230 |
$30.82 |
$64,100 |
4 |
2 |
| Computer and peripheral equipment mfg. |
1,180 |
$30.62 |
$63,690 |
11 |
3 |
| Software publishers |
3,170 |
$30.33 |
$63,090 |
2 |
4 |
| Power generation and supply |
180 |
$29.80 |
$61,990 |
42 |
5 |
State profile for this occupation: Top
States with the highest concentration of workers in this occupation:
| State |
Employment |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage |
Percent of State employment |
Wage rank within State |
| Vermont |
250 |
$16.08 |
$33,440 |
0.086% |
245 |
| Washington |
2,150 |
$31.18 |
$64,860 |
0.084% |
101 |
| District of Columbia |
460 |
$27.71 |
$57,640 |
0.077% |
136 |
| Maryland |
1,490 |
$28.30 |
$58,850 |
0.061% |
123 |
| Colorado |
1,280 |
$25.78 |
$53,610 |
0.061% |
140 |
Top paying States for this occupation:
| State |
Employment |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage |
Percent of State employment |
Wage rank within State |
| Washington |
2,150 |
$31.18 |
$64,860 |
0.084% |
101 |
| California |
7,080 |
$30.97 |
$64,430 |
0.049% |
148 |
| Massachusetts |
1,900 |
$30.88 |
$64,240 |
0.060% |
112 |
| New Jersey |
1,550 |
$29.43 |
$61,200 |
0.040% |
141 |
| Maryland |
1,490 |
$28.30 |
$58,850 |
0.061% |
123 |
Metropolitan area profile for this occupation: Top
Metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of workers in this occupation:
| MSA |
Employment |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage |
Percent of MSA employment |
| San Jose, CA PMSA |
1,390 |
$37.16 |
$77,280 |
0.158% |
| Huntsville, AL MSA |
260 |
$22.34 |
$46,470 |
0.146% |
| Seattle-Bellevue-Everett, WA PMSA |
1,810 |
$32.16 |
$66,890 |
0.139% |
| Richland-Kennewick-Pasco, WA MSA |
110 |
$29.28 |
$60,910 |
0.139% |
| Lowell, MA-NH PMSA |
160 |
$29.62 |
$61,610 |
0.129% |
Top paying Metropolitan areas for this occupation:
| MSA |
Employment |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage |
Percent of MSA employment |
| San Jose, CA PMSA |
1,390 |
$37.16 |
$77,280 |
0.158% |
| Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA PMSA |
50 |
$34.12 |
$70,960 |
0.055% |
| San Francisco, CA PMSA |
790 |
$33.21 |
$69,080 |
0.081% |
| Seattle-Bellevue-Everett, WA PMSA |
1,810 |
$32.16 |
$66,890 |
0.139% |
| Nassau-Suffolk, NY PMSA |
330 |
$31.95 |
$66,460 |
0.028% |
About May 2003 National, State, and Metropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
To see profiles of other occupations, select from the major groups below:
These estimates are calculated with data collected from employers in all industry sectors in metropolitan and non-metropolitan areas in every State and the District of Columbia.
The top five employment and wage figures are provided above. The complete list is available in the downloadable Excel files(XLS).
Percentile wage estimates show the percentage of workers in an occupation that earn less than a given wage and the percentage that earn more.
The median wage is the 50th percentile wage estimate--50 percent of workers earn less than the median and 50 percent of workers earn more than the median.
More about percentile wages.
(1) Estimates for detailed occupations do not sum to the totals because the totals include occupations not shown separately. Estimates do not include self-employed workers.
(2) Annual wages have been calculated by multiplying the hourly mean wage by a "year-round, full-time" hours figure of 2,080 hours;
for those occupations where there is not an hourly mean wage published, the annual wage has been directly calculated from the reported survey data.
(3) The relative standard error (RSE) is a measure of the reliability of a survey statistic. The smaller the relative standard error, the more precise the estimate.
All Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media Occupations
2003 May National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
2003 May State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
2003 May Metropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
2003 May National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
List of Occupations in SOC Code Number Order
List of Occupations in Alphabetical Order
Download May 2003 Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates in Zipped Excel files
Technical notes
Last Modified Date: May 7, 2004
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