Technical Writer Job Outlook 2006-2016

Below are snippets of information about the job outlook for technical writers. This information comes directly from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook (online). The links for the blocks of text or tables are included above each selection:

Job prospects. Job prospects, especially for applicants with solid communication and technical skills, are expected to be good. The growing reliance on technologically sophisticated products in the home and the workplace and the increasing complexity of medical or scientific information needed for daily living will create many new job opportunities for technical writers. However, competition will exist for technical writing positions with more desirable companies and for workers who are new to the occupation. In addition to job openings created by employment growth, some openings will arise as experienced workers retire, transfer to other occupations, or leave the labor force. Also, many freelancers may not earn enough money by freelancing to remain in the occupation, thus generating additional job openings.

Occupational title

SOC Code

Employment, 2008

Projected
employment,
2018

Change, 2008-2018

Number

Percent

Technical writers

27-3042

48,900

57,800

8,900

NOTE: Data in this table are rounded. See the discussion of the employment projections table in the Handbook introductory chapter on Occupational Information Included in the Handbook.

NOTE: Data in this table are rounded. See the discussion of the employment projections table in the Handbook introductory chapter on Occupational Information Included in the Handbook.
Occupational title	SOC Code	Employment, 2008	Projected employment, 2018	Change, 2008-2018
Occupational title	SOC Code	Employment, 2008	Projected employment, 2018	Number	Percent
Authors, Writers, and editors	---	281,300	303,300	22,100	8
Editors	27-3041	129,600	129,200	-400	0
Writers and authors	27-3043	151,700	174,100	22,500	15

Employment

Employment
RSE

Mean hourly
wage

Mean annual
wage

Wage RSE

47,460

1.9 %

$30.87

$64,210

0.7 %

Percentile

10%

25%

50%
(Median)

75%

90%

Hourly Wage

$17.55

$22.64

$29.62

$37.94

$46.86

Annual Wage

$36,500

$47,100

$61,620

$78,910

$97,460

Area name

Employment(1)

Employment percent relative standard error(3)

Hourly mean wage

Annual mean wage(2)

Wage percent relative standard error(3)

Annual median wage(2)

Alabama

540

8.0

24.95

51900

1.9

50870

Alaska

130

20.5

27.57

57340

3.7

55610

Arizona

820

15.8

30.29

63010

3.3

61600

Arkansas

170

13.6

21.69

45120

3.9

45760

California

6760

3.7

36.96

76880

1.9

75680

Colorado

1210

10.7

31.78

66100

1.1

65590

Connecticut

(8)-

28.13

58510

2.9

56430

Delaware

120

21.7

26.31

54720

2.3

53920

District of Columbia

570

18.6

33.76

70220

1.8

68530

Florida

1640

8.8

27.04

56240

2.5

55640

Georgia

1530

10.0

31.37

65240

5.4

65680

Idaho

280

30.3

27.75

57710

4.7

53730

Illinois

1540

11.5

30.21

62840

3.2

60750

Indiana

730

20.3

29.35

61050

9.8

52770

Iowa

460

7.2

29.08

60480

11.5

49410

Kansas

720

5.3

24.99

51980

1.8

50850

Kentucky

430

43.6

24.29

50520

3.1

52800

Louisiana

190

15.9

23.68

49250

3.0

48380

Maine

17.3

22.53

46860

3.5

44900

Maryland

2010

6.0

31.98

66510

1.5

65250

Massachusetts

2480

6.6

37.68

78380

2.1

78800

Michigan

2030

10.6

29.75

61890

2.1

58850

Minnesota

1170

7.4

30.17

62750

1.3

62810

Mississippi

280

35.0

22.90

47630

5.5

49870

Missouri

670

5.7

26.44

55000

3.8

53730

Montana

20.3

22.03

45830

3.2

45750

Nebraska

240

11.3

22.51

46810

2.6

45500

Nevada

260

18.5

25.58

53200

5.6

52400

New Hampshire

220

10.5

34.96

72720

2.5

72290

New Jersey

1750

8.1

31.61

65760

2.2

62150

New Mexico

390

10.3

33.92

70550

8.6

64690

New York

1890

7.6

30.81

64070

2.1

61660

North Carolina

950

8.3

30.31

63040

1.5

60890

North Dakota

8.2

21.94

45640

4.2

45270

Ohio

1400

7.4

26.88

55910

2.8

55170

Oklahoma

320

14.8

21.99

45750

4.6

43390

Oregon

720

10.9

30.98

64450

2.5

66610

Pennsylvania

1580

7.7

28.77

59840

2.0

59520

Puerto Rico

21.9

19.02

39570

5.4

35550

Rhode Island

120

17.4

29.00

60320

3.3

60600

South Carolina

390

9.4

24.72

51410

4.3

51600

South Dakota

20.1

21.02

43720

1.4

43470

Tennessee

400

9.6

27.02

56200

2.3

55060

Texas

3290

6.0

28.24

58750

1.3

57750

Utah

690

10.8

24.76

51500

2.0

49940

Vermont

250

32.6

23.40

48680

4.5

46310

Virginia

2440

7.3

33.22

69090

1.9

66650

Washington

1630

4.8

35.36

73560

5.9

74400

West Virginia

20.6

20.51

42650

4.8

40520

Wisconsin

760

6.7

26.12

54330

1.6

52790

Wyoming not included

Total*

46600

27.70**

57630**

56163**

Footnotes:
(1) Estimates for detailed occupations do not sum to the totals because the totals include occupations not shown separately. Estimates do not include self-employed workers.
(2) Annual wages have been calculated by multiplying the hourly mean wage by 2,080 hours; where an hourly mean wage is not published, the annual wage has been directly calculated from the reported survey data.
(3) The relative standard error (RSE) is a measure of the reliability of a survey statistic. The smaller the relative standard error, the more precise the estimate.
(8) Estimate not released.
*Total line not derived from BLS Create Customized Tables; it's my calculation.
**Alaska not included.

SOC code: Standard Occupational Classification code -- see http://www.bls.gov/soc/home.htm
Data extracted on May 13, 2010

For my perspicacious audience, why is it not appropriate to derive the hourly mean rate, annual mean wage, and annual median wage by adding up the totals for each category and dividing by the number of values in each category (50 in these blue highlighted cases)? That's how I got the total line, but it's wrong...why?

National estimates for this occupation: