Compare One Occupation Across States
Pick an occupation, then choose states to see its pay side by side.
Writers and Authors
Full writers and authors overview →U.S. mean $86,090 · median $76,910
| State | Rank | Mean | Median | Hourly | Mean vs U.S. | P10–P90 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| District of Columbia | #1 | $128,890 | $129,300 | $62 | +49.7% | $74,990–$172,480 |
| Connecticut | #2 | $110,420 | $98,460 | $53 | +28.3% | $52,250–$153,560 |
| Maryland | #3 | $109,650 | $104,330 | $53 | +27.4% | $59,560–$165,050 |
| California | #4 | $106,560 | $86,480 | $51 | +23.8% | $56,730–$193,080 |
| Vermont | #5 | $96,260 | $94,430 | $46 | +11.8% | $73,290–$132,810 |
| Massachusetts | #6 | $94,580 | $85,260 | $45 | +9.9% | $58,910–$138,950 |
| Washington | #7 | $90,740 | $85,700 | $44 | +5.4% | $50,600–$129,480 |
| Pennsylvania | #8 | $90,060 | $77,410 | $43 | +4.6% | $40,270–$178,490 |
| Virginia | #9 | $88,260 | $85,000 | $42 | +2.5% | $44,190–$131,040 |
| Oregon | #10 | $87,800 | $80,540 | $42 | +2% | $46,180–$158,190 |
| New Jersey | #11 | $87,170 | $81,590 | $42 | +1.3% | $49,770–$128,820 |
| Indiana | #12 | $85,430 | $75,820 | $41 | -0.8% | $51,640–$128,640 |
| Georgia | #13 | $83,270 | $74,710 | $40 | -3.3% | $38,460–$133,540 |
| Rhode Island | #14 | $82,940 | $70,190 | $40 | -3.7% | $42,060–$130,000 |
| Louisiana | #15 | $82,560 | $89,520 | $40 | -4.1% | $29,740–$114,810 |
| Texas | #16 | $81,210 | $69,990 | $39 | -5.7% | $49,070–$125,240 |
| Colorado | #17 | $81,030 | $76,830 | $39 | -5.9% | $42,810–$132,630 |
| New Hampshire | #18 | $79,310 | $71,830 | $38 | -7.9% | $43,200–$132,870 |
| Illinois | #19 | $77,240 | $68,220 | $37 | -10.3% | $41,830–$134,400 |
| Minnesota | #20 | $76,110 | $72,810 | $37 | -11.6% | $50,700–$103,890 |
| Florida | #21 | $74,890 | $68,080 | $36 | -13% | $41,650–$102,540 |
| Alabama | #22 | $72,720 | $66,950 | $35 | -15.5% | $39,830–$115,210 |
| North Carolina | #23 | $72,340 | $63,660 | $35 | -16% | $42,180–$117,820 |
| Utah | #24 | $71,670 | $64,530 | $34 | -16.7% | $36,260–$101,460 |
| Ohio | #25 | $69,630 | $65,930 | $33 | -19.1% | $40,190–$101,710 |
| Nebraska | #26 | $69,010 | $65,470 | $33 | -19.8% | $44,230–$93,600 |
| West Virginia | #27 | $67,860 | $64,410 | $33 | -21.2% | $24,340–$103,380 |
| Wisconsin | #28 | $67,210 | $64,370 | $32 | -21.9% | $47,410–$90,880 |
| Oklahoma | #29 | $66,250 | $58,770 | $32 | -23% | $38,230–$98,230 |
| Tennessee | #30 | $66,180 | $58,870 | $32 | -23.1% | $38,720–$100,910 |
| Missouri | #31 | $66,070 | $58,140 | $32 | -23.3% | $42,000–$98,930 |
| Idaho | #32 | $65,800 | $56,360 | $32 | -23.6% | $44,660–$108,890 |
| Nevada | #33 | $63,980 | $63,910 | $31 | -25.7% | $40,560–$83,130 |
| Arizona | #34 | $63,240 | $55,990 | $30 | -26.5% | $42,300–$90,990 |
| Iowa | #35 | $62,780 | $61,010 | $30 | -27.1% | $48,260–$88,560 |
| Kansas | #36 | $62,370 | $65,840 | $30 | -27.6% | $30,920–$92,660 |
| South Carolina | #37 | $58,440 | $51,920 | $28 | -32.1% | $38,210–$91,140 |
| South Dakota | #38 | $57,230 | $56,700 | $28 | -33.5% | $45,760–$68,890 |
| North Dakota | #39 | $57,180 | $50,860 | $27 | -33.6% | $35,000–$83,920 |
| Mississippi | #40 | $56,330 | $54,180 | $27 | -34.6% | $25,820–$85,550 |
| Kentucky | #41 | $55,440 | $48,780 | $27 | -35.6% | $39,580–$76,010 |
| Arkansas | #42 | $54,190 | $47,970 | $26 | -37.1% | $30,560–$79,350 |
| Wyoming | #43 | $52,430 | $49,650 | $25 | -39.1% | $41,170–$66,510 |
P10–P90 bars share one scale across the selected states; the blue band spans P10–P90 and the dot marks the median.