Occupations · Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media
Writers and Authors
Originate and prepare written material, such as scripts, stories, advertisements, and other material.
O*NET 30.3 Database (USDOL/ETA) · occupation code 27-3043.00
What it pays
A single “average salary” hides the spread. This is the whole distribution — the gap between the bottom and top bar is usually the number that matters.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2024 · national, cross-industry · annual wage
Pay over time
Median up 71% between 2003 and 2024, before inflation. The band shows the 10th to 90th percentile.
BLS OEWS, one release per year. Before May 2011 only national estimates were published, so geography detail starts there.
Where the jobs are
| Metro area | Median wage | Employed |
|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | $79,080 | 4,460 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | $106,340 | 2,310 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI | $69,150 | 1,590 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA | $97,680 | 1,330 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | $78,870 | 1,070 |
| Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO | $59,780 | 970 |
| Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI | $68,640 | 780 |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD | $75,890 | 720 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | $90,320 | 720 |
| San Diego-Carlsbad, CA | $71,390 | 670 |
| Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA | $72,000 | 660 |
| Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA | $84,520 | 580 |
BLS OEWS May 2024, metropolitan estimates · the 12 areas with the most people in this occupation
Typical education to enter: Bachelor's degree · BLS Employment Projections 2024–34
What people in this job actually do
Ordered by how important the work is rated.
- Develop advertising campaigns for a wide range of clients, working with an advertising agency's creative director and art director to determine the best way to present advertising information.
- Vary language and tone of messages based on product and medium.
- Present drafts and ideas to clients.
- Discuss with the client the product, advertising themes and methods, and any changes that should be made in advertising copy.
- Review advertising trends, consumer surveys, and other data regarding marketing of goods and services to determine the best way to promote products.
- Write articles, bulletins, sales letters, speeches, and other related informative, marketing and promotional material.
- Conduct research and interviews to determine which of a product's selling features should be promoted.
- Invent names for products and write the slogans that appear on packaging, brochures and other promotional material.
O*NET 30.3 task ratings, importance scale
Skills that matter most
Importance, rated 1 to 5.
O*NET 30.3 skills, importance scale
Software and tools
A dot marks what O*NET flags as in demand.
O*NET 30.3 software skills · hot-technology flag
What this work is actually like
Conditions rated against the average across all occupations — only what makes this job different is listed.
O*NET 30.3 Job Zones
Working conditions that stand out
O*NET 30.3 work context, frequency scale · observed 2022-08
How people actually get in
Share of workers by the education they hold.
O*NET 30.2 education, training and experience · observed 2022-08
What kind of person the work suits
Occupational interest profile, rated 1 to 7.
O*NET 30.2 occupational interests (RIASEC)
What you take with you
Skills rated for how well they transfer into other occupations.
O*NET 30.3 transferable skills, importance scale
Knowledge the work draws on
Abilities it leans on
O*NET 30.3 abilities and knowledge, importance scale
How this job is advertised
The same work is posted under many titles — this is what to search for.
O*NET 30.3 job titles reported for this occupation
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What changed since 2015
Comparing O*NET release 20.1 (2015-10-01) with 30.3 (2026-05-01). Signs, not colour alone, carry the meaning. 3 entries that were only relabelled between releases are left out.
Now listed 35
No longer listed 8
Diff across the O*NET releases held here in full since October 2015, following occupations through merges and retirements. O*NET re-surveys occupations on a rolling cycle, so “no change” can also mean “not re-surveyed”.
Related jobs
O*NET 30.3 related occupations
Also called
O*NET 30.3 alternative titles
The same work in Europe
| ESCO occupation | ISCO | Match |
|---|---|---|
| writer | 2641.4 | broader |
| advertising copywriter | 2431.1 | broader |
| speechwriter | 2641.4.3 | broader |
| blogger | 2642.1.1 | broader |
Official ESCO ↔ O*NET crosswalk (ESCO Secretariat with USDOL/ETA)
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