BLS OEWS, May 2025

Content writer salary in the US

What content writers are paid in the US, from the 10th to the 90th percentile, with how your own pay compares. Figures from the BLS OEWS release dated May 2025.

Median annual pay

$76,910

Middle half earn

$58,230 to $101,950

People in this job, US

47,940

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Writers and Authors, national, annual pay, May 2025

10th percentile
$44,310
25th percentile
$58,230
Median
$76,910
75th percentile
$101,950
90th percentile
$139,870

Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025, SOC 27-3043. Percentiles across everyone employed in the occupation, not experience levels.

At a glance

What content writers earn across the US

  • The highest-paying large metros are San Jose, CA ($118,810), Washington, DC ($108,460), Seattle, WA ($98,730).
  • At the other end are San Juan, PR ($44,300), Louisville/Jefferson County, KY ($52,520), Jacksonville, FL ($56,760): the top metro's median is 168% higher than the lowest.
  • 13 of the 45 metros listed below pay a median above the national figure.
  • About 47,940 people are employed in this occupation across the US.
  • Pay varies widely within the job: the 90th percentile earns 3.2 times the 10th.

Worked from BLS OEWS, May 2025. Not adjusted for the cost of living.

By metro

Content writer pay by metro

Median annual pay in the largest US metros where BLS published figures for this occupation, highest first, May 2025.

BLS does not count content writers separately: they are part of Writers and Authors, so the metro figures are the same for every title in it. Each metro page covers the whole occupation.

Medians from BLS OEWS, May 2025.

Skills

What employers look for in a content writer

The skills our content writer resume example leads with, written for US employers.

  • Long-form articles
  • SEO writing
  • Keyword research
  • Content strategy
  • Editorial calendars
  • Interviewing subject experts
  • Style guides
  • AP style
  • Copy editing
  • CMS publishing

See the full content writer resume example, with bullets and keywords.

Negotiating

Using these numbers

Below $58,230 puts you in the bottom quarter for content writers in the US. That is worth raising, with evidence of what you deliver.

The median, $76,910, is the middle of the market, not a ceiling. An offer at or near it is a fair starting point to negotiate from.

Asking for $101,950 or more puts you in the top quarter, so it needs a reason an employer will accept: a wider scope, a competing offer, or a skill that is hard to hire for.

Percentiles are not experience levels. They describe everyone doing the job, so a senior hire can sit at the median of a market full of senior people.

About the numbers

What these figures are

The US Bureau of Labor Statistics surveys employers for its Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, and these figures are from the release dated May 2025. They cover wage and salary workers in Writers and Authors, a category that is often broader than a single job title. Self-employed people are not included.

They are base pay: bonuses, equity and overtime are not included, and they are not adjusted for the cost of living.

Questions

Questions about content writer pay in the US

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