Writers and Authors
SOC 27-3043 · 2024-2034
Originate and prepare written material, such as scripts, stories, advertisements, and other material.
How the U.S. Department of Labor describes this work. Published in English only.
What California expects of this job
- Typical pay in California
- $88,901per year
- Projected openings
- 23,670
- Projected change
- +7%
- 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
- Time Management
Pay by region
| Region | Typical pay in California | Projected openings |
|---|---|---|
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara MSA (San Benito and Santa Clara Counties) | $110,740 | 1,180 |
| San Francisco-San Mateo-Redwood City MD (San Francisco and San Mateo Counties) | $102,634 | 3,200 |
| San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles MSA (San Luis Obispo County) | $98,856 | 100 |
| Santa Rosa-Petaluma MSA (Sonoma County) | $98,732 | 180 |
| Oakland-Fremont-Berkeley MD (Alameda and Contra Costa Counties) | $95,081 | 870 |
| San Rafael MD (Marin County) | $92,853 | 170 |
| North Coast Region (Del Norte, Humboldt, Lake, and Mendocino Counties) | $83,705 | 80 |
| Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom MSA (El Dorado, Placer, Sacramento, and Yolo Counties) | $82,657 | 1,090 |
| Vallejo MSA (Solano County) | $82,164 | 70 |
| Anaheim-Santa Ana-Irvine MD (Orange County) | $81,305 | 1,660 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale MD (Los Angeles County) | $80,800 | 12,360 |
| Modesto MSA (Stanislaus County) | $77,850 | 70 |
| Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura MSA (Ventura County) | $76,864 | 330 |
| Salinas MSA (Monterey County) | $75,867 | 100 |
| Bakersfield-Delano MSA (Kern County) | $74,789 | 100 |
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad MSA (San Diego County) | $73,330 | 1,970 |
| Fresno MSA (Fresno and Madera Counties) | $71,861 | 270 |
| Chico MSA (Butte County) | $70,752 | 100 |
| Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario MSA (Riverside and San Bernardino Counties) | $67,722 | 950 |
| Eastern Sierra-Mother Lode Region (Alpine, Amador, Calaveras, Inyo, Mariposa, Mono, and Tuolumne Counties) | $67,105 | 30 |
| North Valley-Northern Mountains Region (Colusa, Glenn, Lassen, Modoc, Nevada, Plumas, Sierra, Siskiyou, Tehama, and Trinity Counties) | $66,756 | 70 |
| Redding MSA (Shasta County) | $64,486 | 30 |
| Santa Maria-Santa Barbara MSA (Santa Barbara County) | $53,413 | 230 |
| Visalia MSA (Tulare County) | $44,425 | 60 |
| Merced MSA (Merced County) | Not reported | 30 |
| Napa MSA (Napa County) | Not reported | 20 |
| Santa Cruz-Watsonville MSA (Santa Cruz County) | Not reported | 80 |
| Stockton-Lodi MSA (San Joaquin County) | Not reported | 70 |
What the pay actually ranges across
- The lowest-paid tenth earn under
- $58,318
- A quarter earn under
- $77,644
- Half earn under
- $88,901
- Three quarters earn under
- $131,449
- The highest-paid tenth earn over
- $198,485
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Public Relations Specialists | $87,410 | 31,480 | +8.2% |
| Advertising Sales Agents | $81,092 | 9,540 | -4.9% |
| Market Research Analysts and Marketing Specialists | $96,289 | 122,600 | +9.4% |
| Advertising and Promotions Managers | $170,036 | 3,210 | +2.6% |
| Editors | $100,774 | 15,620 | +2.8% |
| Art Directors | $141,637 | 30,370 | +5.5% |
Programs that train for this job — 4
Data Journalism Certificate of Achievement
City College of San Francisco · San Francisco · $860
Creative Writing Certificate of Achievement
City College of San Francisco · San Francisco · $860
Film, TV, & Elect. Media: Basic Writing for Digital Medium Cert. of Accomplishment
Diablo Valley College · Pleasant Hill · $1,361
Film, TV, & Elec Media: Basic Writing for Digital Medium Cert. of Accomplishment
Diablo Valley College · Pleasant Hill · $1,281