

Much like the West Coast, the average cost of living in East Coast states tends to be above the national cost of living average. Minneapolis: 5 percent above the national average.Denver: 12 percent above the national average.Chicago: 23 percent above the national average.The average cost of living in Midwest states tends to be closer to the national cost of living average. Seattle: 49 percent above the national average.San Francisco: 80 percent above the national average.Los Angeles: 43 percent above the national average.US West CoastĬompare these salaries with the average cost of living in each location: To develop an accurate estimate of the effective technical writer salary, it makes sense to consider both the median salaries and cost of living when reviewing technical writer salary offerings. Again, research can help you target job markets where you can benefit from a high average salary and low expenses (cost of living).

In contrast, salaries in the highest paying cities can be offset by the higher cost of living.Īnother thing to note is that with the increase in remote work, many employers have shifted to role-based compensation, rather than location-based. One thing to note is that the effective salary (salary minus the cost of living) is higher in areas where the salaries are high but the average cost of living is low. You can expect to receive a higher level of compensation in locations where the demand for your skillset and experience outweighs the supply. Job markets with higher demand allow professionals to demand higher levels of compensation. This is part of the reason why salaries in some urban areas, such as Silicon Valley and San Francisco, are higher than salaries for similar roles in other urban locations such as Houston, Texas. The cost of living is largely dependent on location and specifically on the cost of housing. Location affects salaries in two ways: cost of living and demand. The job description for a VP of technical writing includes making strategic decisions for the department such as those related to hiring and training and development, maximizing the company's operating performance, and helping to achieve the company's financial goals. This role is often the senior-most role within the technical writing department of an organization and usually requires more than ten years of experience. A principal technical writer needs to have the skills to manage a team, manage projects and achieve monthly goals. Many principal technical writers have previous career experience in roles such as technical writer or technical writer lead.

This position is usually the first step for technical writers who want to move into management. This is a senior position that not only involves writing and content creation but also requires the supervision and training of other technical writers.
Technical writer salary professional#
Senior Technical Writer: $111,219Īt least five years of professional experience is preferred for the senior technical writer role. Relevant work experience or an advanced degree in a relevant discipline may allow candidates to take on the role with less experience and draw high salaries as well. Most companies require two to five years of experience for the technical writer role. Since this is an entry-level role, larger companies have even started recruiting out of colleges and universities to fill their junior technical writer positions. Most companies prefer a college degree for this entry level technical writer position and anywhere from zero to two years of previous work experience. The easiest way for a new graduate or someone making a major career change to break into technical writing is to join an organization as a junior technical writer.
Technical writer salary plus#
The total compensation - average base salary plus add ons - for professionals with more experience falls in the higher salary ranges. Provided that other factors such as qualification, experience and industry are kept constant, the average technical writer salary is determined to a large extent by seniority, in other words by experience. Salaries Along the Technical Writer Career Path
