- According to May 2010 BLS reports, the mean hourly wage for writers and authors was $65,960. The median annual salary that year was $55,420. The lowest-paid 10th percentile earned an annual mean salary of $28,610 or less, while the lowest-paid 25th percentile made $39,330 or less. The highest-paid 25th percentile earned an annual salary of $77,560 or more, while the highest-paid 10th percentile got $109,440 or more.
- The mean hourly wage for writers and authors in 2010 was $31.71, according to the BLS. The median hourly wage that year was $26.64. The lowest-paid 10th percentile earned an hourly wage of $13.76 or less, while the lowest-paid 25th percentile made $18.91 or less. The highest-paid 25th percentile earned an hourly wage of $37.29 or more, while the highest-paid 10th percentile got $52.62 or more.
- Annual salaries for scriptwriters vary by industry. The independent artists, writers and performers industry was one of the top-paying industries for writers and authors in 2010, according to the BLS, with an hourly mean wage of $48.61 and an annual mean salary of $113,830. The radio and television broadcasting industry was one of the lower-paying industries for writers and authors in 2010, with an hourly mean wage of $31.79 and an annual mean salary of $66,110.
- Annual salaries for scriptwriters and other writers vary by geographical location of employment, the BLS reports. New York held the highest level of employment for this occupation in 2010, with an estimated 6,840 jobs that year. Scriptwriters employed in New York earned an hourly mean wage of $42.61 and an annual mean salary of $88,630, the highest wages by state for writers and authors in 2010. Other top-paying states for this occupation were California, with an hourly mean wage of $40.95 and an annual mean salary of $85,170, and Washington, with an hourly mean wage of $33.06 and an annual mean salary of $68,760.
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