Technical Writer

Technical Writer Salary

$28.5K

$76K

$137.5K

$81,001

/year

$38.94

/hour

Technical Writer Salary Comparison by Location

Nationwide

United States

$81,001

Columbus

Ohio

$78,239

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    How much does a Technical Writer make?

    As of Jul 29, 2026, the average annual pay for a Technical Writer in the United States is $81,001 a year.

    Just in case you need a simple salary calculator, that works out to be approximately $38.94 an hour. This is the equivalent of $1,557/week or $6,750/month.

    While ZipRecruiter is seeing annual salaries as high as $137,500 and as low as $28,500, the majority of Technical Writer salaries currently range between $60,000 (25th percentile) to $98,000 (75th percentile) with top earners (90th percentile) making $120,500 annually across the United States. The average pay range for a Technical Writer varies greatly (by as much as 38000), which suggests there may be many opportunities for advancement and increased pay based on skill level, location and years of experience.

    A Technical Writer in your area makes on average $78,239 per year, or $2,762 (3.410%) less than the national average annual salary of $81,001. Ohio ranks number 30 out of 50 states nationwide for Technical Writer salaries.

    To estimate the most accurate annual salary range for Technical Writer jobs, ZipRecruiter continuously scans its database of millions of active jobs published locally throughout America.

    Find your next high paying job as a Technical Writer on ZipRecruiter today.

    What are Top 10 Highest Paying Cities for Technical Writer Jobs

    We've identified 10 cities where the typical salary for a Technical Writer job is above the national average. Topping the list is Surry, VA, , with Scotts Valley, CA, and Nome, AK, close behind in the second and third positions. Nome, AK, beats the national average by $19,480 (24.0%), and Surry, VA, furthers that trend with another $35,497 (43.8%) above the $81,001 average.

    With these 10 cities having average salaries higher than the national average, the opportunities for economic advancement by changing locations as a Technical Writer appears to be exceedingly fruitful.

    Finally, another factor to consider is the average salary for these top 10 cities varies very little at 17% between Surry, VA, and South San Francisco, CA, , reinforcing the limited potential for much wage advancement. The possibility of a lower cost of living may be the best factor to use when considering location and salary for a Technical Writer role.

    City

    Annual Salary

    Hourly Wage

    Surry, VA

    $116,498

    $56.01

    Scotts Valley, CA

    $104,823

    $50.40

    Nome, AK

    $100,481

    $48.31

    Cupertino, CA

    $99,934

    $48.05

    Berkeley, CA

    $99,181

    $47.68

    Redwood City, CA

    $99,174

    $47.68

    Vineyard Haven, MA

    $97,895

    $47.06

    San Carlos, CA

    $97,807

    $47.02

    Sitka, AK

    $97,580

    $46.91

    South San Francisco, CA

    $97,337

    $46.80

    What are Top 5 Best Paying Related Technical Writer Jobs in the U.S.

    We found a few related jobs that pay more than jobs in the Technical Writer category.

    For example Vice President Software Development jobs pay as much as $103,999 (128.4%) more than the average Technical Writer salary of $81,001. If you're qualified, finding work as a Vice President Software Development may help you make more money than that of the average Technical Writer position.

    Job Title

    Annual Salary

    Hourly Wage

    Vice President Software Development

    $185,000

    $88.94

    Robotic Process Automation Manager

    $116,607

    $56.06

    Ltd Module Development Engineer

    $96,155

    $46.23

    Literary Manager

    $61,351

    $29.50

    Copy Center Manager

    $49,405

    $23.75

    About Our Data

    ZipRecruiter salary estimates, histograms, trends and comparisons are derived from both employer job postings and third party data sources.

    Infographic detailing Technical Writer salary across the United States as of July 2026. Displays a bar chart with salary percentiles, a national average salary of $81,001 per year or $38.94 an hour, and a color-coded map showing state-by-state salary variations.