How much does a Contributing Writer make in the United States?
As of September 01, 2026, the average salary for a Contributing Writer in the United States is $62,968 per year, which breaks down to an hourly rate of $30.
However, a Contributing Writer's salary can vary significantly. Here’s a look at the typical salary range:
Top Earners (90th percentile): $72,630
Majority Range (25th-75th percentile): $57,199 to $68,026
Key Factors That Influence Contributing Writer Salaries
A Contributing Writer's salary isn't a fixed number. It's shaped by several important factors.
Below, we'll explore how your years of experience, geographic location, education
and company size
can directly affect your earning potential.
How Experience Level Affects Contributing Writer Salaries?
Experience is a primary driver of a Contributing Writer's salary. As you build your skills and take on more complex tasks, your compensation generally increases. Here's how the average salary grows at different career stages:
How Do Contributing Writer Salaries Vary from State to State?
Your salary can change significantly depending on where you work. States with a higher cost of living and strong industrial sectors often pay more to attract Contributing Writers. For example, consider the average annual salaries in these key locations:
District of Columbia: $69,718.
California: $69,453.
Massachusetts: $68,528.
District of Columbia$69,718
California$69,453
Massachusetts$68,528
Washington$68,276
New Jersey$68,251
Alaska$68,163
Connecticut$67,294
New York$66,941
Hawaii$65,814
Rhode Island$65,285
Maryland$64,926
Minnesota$64,435
Colorado$64,246
Illinois$64,183
Oregon$63,944
Delaware$63,767
New Hampshire$63,657
Virginia$63,408
Pennsylvania$62,684
Nevada$62,319
North Dakota$62,199
Michigan$62,011
Wisconsin$61,941
Vermont$61,803
Texas$61,419
Maine$61,394
Arizona$61,356
Ohio$61,312
Georgia$60,732
Indiana$60,443
Wyoming$60,386
Utah$60,298
Iowa$60,260
Kansas$59,958
Louisiana$59,870
North Carolina$59,838
Missouri$59,826
Florida$59,580
Montana$59,448
Nebraska$59,322
Kentucky$59,253
South Carolina$59,001
Tennessee$58,843
Idaho$58,780
New Mexico$58,321
Oklahoma$58,220
Alabama$57,848
South Dakota$57,225
Arkansas$56,885
West Virginia$56,702
Mississippi$56,155
Top Paying Cities for Contributing Writers
Salaries can also vary between different cities.
Major metropolitan areas or cities with a high demand for technicians often offer more competitive pay.
Here are a few examples of average annual salaries in different U.S. cities:
San Jose: $79,421
San Francisco: $78,552
Oakland: $76,896
San Jose, CA$79,421
San Francisco, CA$78,552
Oakland, CA$76,896
New York, NY$72,500
Paramus, NJ$71,619
Queens Village, NY$71,616
Passaic, NJ$71,556
Bergenfield, NJ$71,550
Stamford, CT$71,412
Huntington, NY$71,386
Newark, NJ$70,921
Bridgeport, CT$70,788
Vallejo, CA$70,662
New Brunswick, NJ$70,637
Petaluma, CA$70,599
Middlesex, NJ$70,480
Somerset, NJ$70,436
Santa Cruz, CA$70,354
Boston, MA$69,970
Monterey, CA$69,749
Seattle, WA$69,604
Santa Rosa, CA$69,592
Los Angeles, CA$69,573
Juneau, AK$69,409
Washington, DC$69,340
Orange, CA$69,116
Santa Ana, CA$68,950
Long Beach, CA$68,887
Anaheim, CA$68,874
Anchorage, AK$68,843
Santa Maria, CA$68,654
Everett, WA$68,641
Danbury, CT$68,419
Bremerton, WA$68,333
Tacoma, WA$68,106
New Suffolk, NY$68,105
Sacramento, CA$68,087
Santa Barbara, CA$68,018
Trenton, NJ$67,948
San Diego, CA$67,948
Brockton, MA$67,879
Fairbanks, AK$67,725
Lompoc, CA$67,564
Lowell, MA$67,513
Ventura, CA$67,501
Nashua, NH$67,489
Stockton, CA$67,482
Modesto, CA$67,023
Poughkeepsie, NY$66,884
Olympia, WA$66,765
Kennewick, WA$66,765
New Haven, CT$66,739
Lawrence, MA$66,513
Hartford, CT$66,450
Riverside, CA$66,437
New Bedford, MA$66,374
Richland, WA$66,374
Bakersfield, CA$66,286
San Bernardino, CA$66,261
New Britain, CT$66,255
Atlantic City, NJ$66,255
New London, CT$66,229
Norwich, CT$66,211
Portsmouth, NH$66,198
Boulder, CO$66,064
Portland, OR$65,978
Worcester, MA$65,971
Minneapolis, MN$65,776
Philadelphia, PA$65,688
Honolulu, HI$65,480
Saint Paul, MN$65,450
Vineland, NJ$65,436
Providence, RI$65,253
Chicago, IL$65,071
Bellingham, WA$64,995
Springfield, MA$64,945
Baltimore, MD$64,926
Chico, CA$64,769
Pittsfield, MA$64,599
Manchester, NH$64,479
Spokane, WA$64,202
Denver, CO$64,196
Albany, NY$63,900
Troy, NY$63,874
Nassau, NY$63,807
Schenectady, NY$63,742
Wilmington, DE$63,692
Burlington, VT$63,604
Salem, OR$63,578
Portland, ME$63,383
Yakima, WA$63,320
Rochester, MN$63,125
Reno, NV$63,094
Fresno, CA$63,094
Milwaukee, WI$63,037
Detroit, MI$62,974
Ann Arbor, MI$62,963
Allentown, PA$62,955
Colorado Springs, CO$62,848
Syracuse, NY$62,817
Carson City, NV$62,817
Houston, TX$62,728
Eugene, OR$62,697
Gary, IN$62,621
Springfield, OR$62,571
Bismarck, ND$62,558
Galveston, TX$62,514
Medford, OR$62,420
Fort Collins, CO$62,395
Concord, NH$62,363
Austin, TX$62,344
Mesa, AZ$62,212
Reading, PA$62,206
Phoenix, AZ$62,199
Dallas, TX$62,181
Saint Cloud, MN$62,120
Madison, WI$62,036
Utica, NY$61,866
Rochester, NY$61,765
Des Moines, IA$61,759
Raleigh, NC$61,752
Atlanta, GA$61,658
Battle Creek, MI$61,639
Salt Lake City, UT$61,620
Lancaster, PA$61,526
Harrisburg, PA$61,438
Kansas City, MO$61,375
Champaign, IL$61,362
Kansas City, KS$61,362
Fort Worth, TX$61,356
Columbus, OH$61,345
Boca Raton, FL$61,331
Pittsburgh, PA$61,305
Richmond, VA$61,280
Indianapolis, IN$61,268
Cleveland, OH$61,261
Las Vegas, NV$61,186
Cincinnati, OH$61,186
Petersburg, VA$61,091
Huntsville, AL$60,997
Lansing, MI$60,955
Lebanon, PA$60,946
Pueblo, CO$60,940
Appleton, WI$60,921
Buffalo, NY$60,896
Dayton, OH$60,877
Racine, WI$60,865
Charlotte, NC$60,858
Saint Louis, MO$60,839
York, PA$60,802
Elkhart, IN$60,802
Gastonia, NC$60,790
Billings, MT$60,775
Beaumont, TX$60,758
Lorain, OH$60,745
Benton Harbor, MI$60,732
Toledo, OH$60,720
Binghamton, NY$60,688
Rock Hill, SC$60,682
Rockford, IL$60,650
Springfield, IL$60,625
Elyria, OH$60,619
Fargo, ND$60,619
Flagstaff, AZ$60,575
Fort Lauderdale, FL$60,537
Duluth, MN$60,499
Miami, FL$60,499
Cheyenne, WY$60,455
Grand Forks, ND$60,455
Bangor, ME$60,317
Cedar Rapids, IA$60,247
Durham, NC$60,221
Louisville, KY$60,216
Grand Rapids, MI$60,203
Hialeah, FL$60,197
Casper, WY$60,109
Scranton, PA$60,033
New Orleans, LA$60,015
Virginia Beach, VA$60,008
Akron, OH$59,977
Peoria, IL$59,895
Sarasota, FL$59,882
Nashville, TN$59,838
Omaha, NE$59,838
Green Bay, WI$59,838
Baton Rouge, LA$59,807
Charleston, SC$59,794
Jamestown, NY$59,763
Davenport, IA$59,763
Tucson, AZ$59,731
Saint Petersburg, FL$59,693
Tampa, FL$59,681
Evansville, IN$59,643
Port Arthur, TX$59,643
Bradenton, FL$59,618
Santa Fe, NM$59,504
Orlando, FL$59,391
Clearwater, FL$59,372
Canton, OH$59,240
La Crosse, WI$59,240
Albuquerque, NM$59,202
Newport News, VA$59,196
High Point, NC$59,177
Ogden, UT$59,152
Corpus Christi, TX$59,101
Norfolk, VA$59,064
Laramie, WY$59,064
Rock Island, IL$59,026
Saginaw, MI$59,013
Jacksonville, FL$59,007
Salisbury, NC$58,994
Boise, ID$58,982
Moline, IL$58,950
Fort Myers, FL$58,931
Memphis, TN$58,919
Tulsa, OK$58,887
Waterloo, IA$58,850
Spartanburg, SC$58,787
Lincoln, NE$58,755
Fort Wayne, IN$58,743
Provo, UT$58,736
Cedar Falls, IA$58,661
San Antonio, TX$58,636
Greensboro, NC$58,610
South Bend, IN$58,604
Savannah, GA$58,535
Muskegon, MI$58,510
Birmingham, AL$58,503
Winston Salem, NC$58,472
Lake Charles, LA$58,321
Anderson, IN$58,308
Lexington, KY$58,289
Augusta, GA$58,270
Greenville, SC$58,270
Lima, OH$58,220
Wichita, KS$58,214
Tuscaloosa, AL$58,214
Columbia, SC$58,157
Springfield, OH$58,144
Asheville, NC$58,044
Bloomington, IN$58,000
Knoxville, TN$57,773
Shreveport, LA$57,767
Wilmington, NC$57,685
Roanoke, VA$57,685
Topeka, KS$57,571
Frankfort, KY$57,564
Oklahoma City, OK$57,521
Chillicothe, OH$57,496
Longview, TX$57,490
Melbourne, FL$57,483
Sioux Falls, SD$57,382
Mobile, AL$57,376
Terre Haute, IN$57,351
Altoona, PA$57,313
Amarillo, TX$57,269
Killeen, TX$57,250
Fayetteville, AR$57,200
Chattanooga, TN$57,181
Sioux City, IA$57,124
Idaho Falls, ID$57,112
Lynchburg, VA$57,061
Gainesville, FL$56,979
Portsmouth, OH$56,948
Little Rock, AR$56,935
Lafayette, LA$56,910
Youngstown, OH$56,910
Daytona Beach, FL$56,872
Clarksville, TN$56,866
Pensacola, FL$56,860
Temple, TX$56,855
Hopkinsville, KY$56,671
Erie, PA$56,658
Florence, SC$56,633
Charleston, WV$56,532
Great Falls, MT$56,501
Macon, GA$56,413
Tallahassee, FL$56,406
Fayetteville, NC$56,394
Waco, TX$56,381
Helena, MT$56,337
Pine Bluff, AR$56,313
Vincennes, IN$56,236
Lubbock, TX$56,211
Alamogordo, NM$56,173
Twin Falls, ID$56,117
Rapid City, SD$56,098
Jackson, MS$55,985
Huntington, WV$55,980
Greenville, MS$55,978
Parkersburg, WV$55,914
Montgomery, AL$55,903
Wichita Falls, TX$55,840
Springfield, MO$55,840
Biloxi, MS$55,808
Monroe, LA$55,745
Johnstown, PA$55,701
Sumter, SC$55,676
Columbus, GA$55,670
Pascagoula, MS$55,550
Abilene, TX$55,550
Kingsport, TN$55,386
Albany, GA$55,386
Gulfport, MS$55,367
Alexandria, LA$55,160
Fort Smith, AR$55,002
El Paso, TX$54,832
Las Cruces, NM$54,549
Harlingen, TX$54,389
Pocatello, ID$54,379
Florence, AL$54,297
Brownsville, TX$54,284
Mcallen, TX$54,152
Dothan, AL$54,064
Columbus, MS$53,690
Altus, OK$53,397
Lawton, OK$53,277
Pierre, SD$53,050
What Skills Can Increase a Contributing Writer's Salary?
Demanded Skills for the Role:
Presentation (Mentioned in 3.53% Job Postings): Presentation conveys information from a speaker to an audience. Presentations are typically demonstrations, introduction, lecture, or speech meant to inform, persuade, inspire, motivate, build goodwill, or present a new idea/product.
PowerPoint (Mentioned in 2.4% Job Postings): A computer software created by Microsoft which allows the user to create slides with recordings, narrations, transitions and other features in order to present information.
Logistics (Mentioned in 1.59% Job Postings): In a general business sense, logistics is the management of the flow of things between the point of origin and the point of consumption to meet the requirements of customers or corporations.
Mastering certain specialized skills can lead to a significant increase in pay.
Here are examples of skills and the potential impact they can have on a Contributing Writer's salary.
Insight: Can increase your salary by up to 6%.
HTML: Can increase your salary by up to 3%.
Collaboration: Can increase your salary by up to 3%.
Contributing Writer Salary by Industry: Top Paying Sectors
For Contributing Writer roles, the industry you choose can affect earning potential
by as much as 27% (the gap between the highest and lowest paying industries).
Data shows that the Aerospace & Defense and Software & Networking
sectors offer the strongest compensation, at 12% above the average.
In contrast, Contributing Writer positions in Edu., Gov't. & Nonprofit or MFG Nondurable typically offer lower base pay,
as these industries often view Contributing Writer as a support function rather than a direct revenue driver.
The top paying industries for a Contributing Writer
Industry Sector
Average Annual Salary
Average Hourly Rate
Pay vs.Avg
Aerospace & Defense
$70,524
$34.0
12%
Software & Networking
$69,894
$34.0
11%
Construction
$69,264
$33.0
10%
Internet
$68,005
$33.0
8%
Pharmaceuticals
$66,746
$32.0
6%
How Education impacts a Contributing Writer's Salary?
Your level of education can impact your salary potential.
While many Contributing Writers enter the field with a Associate's Degree degree,
higher education can lead to more specialized and higher-paying roles.
According to our 100% employer-reported salary data,
the median salary for a Contributing Writer with a Associate's Degree is between
$60,901
and $64,695).
Contributing Writer Salary: Hourly Rate, Weekly Pay, and Monthly Pay
Understanding how a Contributing Writer's annual salary breaks down can help with budgeting.
Below, you can see the average hourly rate, weekly pay, and monthly pay for this role.
Use the buttons to switch between different pay periods.
Hourly
Monthly
Weekly
Yearly
Table View
Last Updated on September 01, 2026
$57,199
Average$62,968/year
$68,026
$4,767
Average$5,247/month
$5,669
$1,100
Average$1,211/week
$1,308
$27
Average$30/hour
$33
Annual Salary
Monthly Pay
Weekly Pay
Hourly Wage
75th Percentile
$68,026
$5,669
$1,308
$33
Average
$62,968
$5,247
$1,211
$30
25th Percentile
$57,199
$4,767
$1,100
$27
Salaries of Jobs related to Contributing Writer
Speech Writer$82,398
Proposal Writer$79,601
Grant Writer$79,565
Specifications Writer$74,537
Writer$72,219
SEO Writer$69,092
Creative Writer$67,384
Policy Writer$65,947
Ghost Writer$56,005
Contributing Editor$49,143
Sports Writer$34,902
Salary Trends for Contributing Writer
Salaries for a Contributing Writer can change over time,
reflecting shifts in market demand and the overall economy.
The median salary decreased from $56,858 in 2023
to around $56,398 in 2025,
reflecting changes in demand, location, experience, and the wider economy.
For a detailed analysis of Contributing Writer salary trends,
.
Average Annual Salary of Contributing Writer Over Time
$???
$56,858
$56,623
$56,398
$???
$???
2022
2023
2024
2025
2026
2027
Year
Average Annual Salary
2022
View More
2023
$56,858
2024
$56,623
2025
$56,398
2026
View More
2027
View More
Most common benefits for Contributing Writer
Social Security
401 (k)
Disability
Healthcare
Pension
Time Off (days)
Common company salaries for Contributing Writer
Here are companies hiring for Contributing Writer and their salaries, click below for more details.
C$128,509/per year
C R Bard IncBiotechnologythe United States
H$124,697/per year
Henry Schein CanadaBiotechnologythe United States
N$123,899/per year
Nordex IncBiotechnologythe United States
N$120,416/per year
Nipro CorpBiotechnologythe United States
E$115,870/per year
EnovisBiotechnologythe United States
A$114,553/per year
Advanced Research Projects Agency - EnergyBiotechnologythe United States
M$112,110/per year
MiniMed IncBiotechnologythe United States
L$111,500/per year
Labcorp Drug DevelopmentBiotechnologythe United States
L$110,229/per year
Life Technologies CorpBiotechnologythe United States
Z$106,224/per year
Zimmer BiometBiotechnologythe United States
P$103,077/per year
Promontory TherapeuticsBiotechnologythe United States
S$102,181/per year
Steris PLCBiotechnologythe United States
G$97,274/per year
Gavin Conferences Pty LtdBiotechnologythe United States
E$94,764/per year
Endeavor BioMedicinesBiotechnologythe United States
R$94,402/per year
Replay Holdings LLCBiotechnologythe United States
P$94,235/per year
Pleno IncBiotechnologythe United States
S$93,666/per year
Simulaids IncBiotechnologythe United States
N$88,880/per year
NOIRLab/CASBiotechnologythe United States
O$86,468/per year
Onward TechnologyBiotechnologythe United States
L$84,895/per year
LED Medical Diagnostics IncBiotechnologythe United States
E$84,682/per year
Eyeco LtdBiotechnologythe United States
P$84,523/per year
PaerosolBiotechnologythe United States
I$83,525/per year
IONIQ Sciences IncBiotechnologythe United States
S$82,815/per year
Stateside PPEBiotechnologythe United States
D$82,041/per year
Digi BioBiotechnologythe United States
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FAQ about Contributing Writer
1. What industry pays the highest salary for Contributing Writer?
The Aerospace & Defense industry offers the highest average compensation for Contributing Writer roles,
with salaries approximately 12% above the market median.
Where Does Our Salary Data Come From?
Salary.com provides salary estimates, histograms, trends, and comparisons using data from employer job postings and third-party sources.
