Technical Writers
SOC 27-3042 · 2024-2034
Write technical materials, such as equipment manuals, appendices, or operating and maintenance instructions. May assist in layout work.
How the U.S. Department of Labor describes this work. Published in English only.
What California expects of this job
- Typical pay in California
- $106,911per year
- Projected openings
- 4,340
- Projected change
- +1.9%
- Usually needs
- Bachelor's degree
Skills this work uses most
O*NET, the U.S. Department of Labor's occupation database, rates how important each of these is to this work, and they are listed in that order, most important first. The ratings themselves are not shown, because the data carries the number without the scale it was measured on. The names are as published, in English.
- Writing
- Reading Comprehension
- Active Listening
- Speaking
- Critical Thinking
- Active Learning
Pay by region
| Region | Typical pay in California | Projected openings |
|---|---|---|
| San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles MSA (San Luis Obispo County) | $187,408 | 30 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara MSA (San Benito and Santa Clara Counties) | $139,573 | 840 |
| San Francisco-San Mateo-Redwood City MD (San Francisco and San Mateo Counties) | $137,502 | 670 |
| Oakland-Fremont-Berkeley MD (Alameda and Contra Costa Counties) | $131,524 | 370 |
| Santa Cruz-Watsonville MSA (Santa Cruz County) | $120,098 | 20 |
| Santa Maria-Santa Barbara MSA (Santa Barbara County) | $112,455 | 60 |
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad MSA (San Diego County) | $105,204 | 510 |
| Anaheim-Santa Ana-Irvine MD (Orange County) | $103,172 | 640 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale MD (Los Angeles County) | $103,172 | 6,240 |
| Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura MSA (Ventura County) | $92,467 | 50 |
| Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario MSA (Riverside and San Bernardino Counties) | $84,146 | 150 |
| Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom MSA (El Dorado, Placer, Sacramento, and Yolo Counties) | $82,575 | 210 |
| Bakersfield-Delano MSA (Kern County) | $82,318 | 40 |
What the pay actually ranges across
- The lowest-paid tenth earn under
- $71,579
- A quarter earn under
- $86,608
- Half earn under
- $106,911
- Three quarters earn under
- $145,235
- The highest-paid tenth earn over
- $180,423
A median is one point. These are the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics' 2026 figures for California, and they say how far apart the people doing this job actually are. Read them as the spread across everyone already in the work — not as a starting wage and not as a promise about where anyone lands.
Similar work
O*NET, the U.S. Department of Labor's occupation database, names these as occupations involving work similar to this one — its own reading of the job, not a grouping by code. They keep O*NET's order, and only those California publishes a projection for are shown.
| Occupation | Typical pay in California | Projected openings | Projected change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Computer Occupations, All Other | $138,203 | 59,320 | +11.1% |
| Editors | $100,774 | 15,620 | +2.8% |
| Project Management Specialists | $122,938 | 89,550 | +6.8% |
| Management Analysts | $103,162 | 154,880 | +11.5% |
| Data Scientists | $145,554 | 40,180 | +37.1% |
| Social Science Research Assistants | $61,937 | 8,470 | +7.9% |
Programs that train for this job — 4
Time Management and Effective Communication Skills
Glendale Community College · Glendale · $1,900
Technical Writing Course
Loyola Marymount University - LMU Extension · Los Angeles · $3,355
Grant Writing and Administration Certificate (Online)
California State University, Dominguez Hills · Carson · $630
Technical Writing Certificate (Online)
California State University, Dominguez Hills · Carson · $1,738