Technical Writers
Arts, Audio/Video Technology and CommunicationsO*NET 27-3042.00United States
Write technical materials, such as equipment manuals, appendices, or operating and maintenance instructions. May assist in layout work.
- Median annual earnings
- $90,474
- Projected change
- +5.6%
- Typical education
- Bachelor's degree
- Employment
- 45.74K jobs
50th percentile, United States
2025 to 2035
35.5% of the workforce
Growing to 48.31K by 2035
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ASU learning related to this career
These courses and certificates are connected through catalog career relationships and Lightcast skill tags.
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The work
What technical writers do
Tasks reported for this occupation, ordered by how often they come up in the role.
- Organize material and complete writing assignment according to set standards regarding order, clarity, conciseness, style, and terminology.
- Maintain records and files of work and revisions.
- Edit, standardize, or make changes to material prepared by other writers or establishment personnel.
- Select photographs, drawings, sketches, diagrams, and charts to illustrate material.
- Develop or maintain online help documentation.
- Interview production and engineering personnel and read journals and other material to become familiar with product technologies and production methods.
- Study drawings, specifications, mockups, and product samples to integrate and delineate technology, operating procedure, and production sequence and detail.
- Arrange for typing, duplication, and distribution of material.
- Assist in laying out material for publication.
- Observe production, developmental, and experimental activities to determine operating procedure and detail.
- Analyze developments in specific field to determine need for revisions in previously published materials and development of new material.
- Review manufacturer's and trade catalogs, drawings and other data relative to operation, maintenance, and service of equipment.
- Draw sketches to illustrate specified materials or assembly sequence.
- Review published materials and recommend revisions or changes in scope, format, content, and methods of reproduction and binding.
- Confer with customer representatives, vendors, plant executives, or publisher to establish technical specifications and to determine subject material to be developed for publication.
Pay and outlook
What the job pays and where it is heading
Annual earnings range
Reported earnings by percentile, United States
- 10th percentile
- $55,973
- 25th percentile
- $69,552
- 50th percentile
- $90,474
- 75th percentile
- $118,115
- 90th percentile
- $153,101
The gold marker shows the median. Half earn more than $90,474 and half earn less.
Employment outlook
2025 to 2035 projection
+5.6%average or slower
202545,735 jobs
2035 projected48,310 jobs
2,575 more positions over the decade, before replacement hiring.
Preparation
Education levels
What people currently working in the career hold. These are not entry requirements.
- Bachelor's degree
- 35.5%
- Associate degree
- 35.3%
- Some college
- 15.9%
- Certificate
- 6.9%
- Master's or Professional degree
- 5.5%
- Doctoral degree or more
- 1%
Skills
Skills employers ask for
Technical skills appearing most often in job postings for this occupation.
How the work gets done
Core competencies
Broad capabilities associated with strong performance in this occupation.
- Writing
- Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
- Reading Comprehension
- Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
- Active Listening
- Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
- Speaking
- Talking to others to convey information effectively.
- Critical Thinking
- Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
- Active Learning
- Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
- Judgment and Decision Making
- Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
- Time Management
- Managing one's own time and the time of others.
- Monitoring
- Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
- Coordination
- Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
- Persuasion
- Persuading others to change their minds or behavior.
- Complex Problem Solving
- Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
- Social Perceptiveness
- Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
- Negotiation
- Bringing others together and trying to reconcile differences.
- Instructing
- Teaching others how to do something.
- Operations Analysis
- Analyzing needs and product requirements to create a design.
- Learning Strategies
- Selecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things.
- Systems Analysis
- Determining how a system should work and how changes in conditions, operations, and the environment will affect outcomes.
- Quality Control Analysis
- Conducting tests and inspections of products, services, or processes to evaluate quality or performance.
- Management of Personnel Resources
- Motivating, developing, and directing people as they work, identifying the best people for the job.
In the market
Job titles and employers
Recent job postings in United StatesCommon job titles
- 01Technical Writers5,514 postings
- 02Proposal Writers1,074 postings
- 03Medical Writers828 postings
- 04Medical Writing Managers396 postings
- 05Medical Affairs Managers387 postings
- 06Technical Writers/Editors349 postings
- 07Technical Publications Writers305 postings
- 08Quality Evaluators223 postings
- 09Technical Writing Specialists209 postings
- 10Proposal Coordinators204 postings
- 11UX Writers204 postings
- 12Report Writers190 postings
- 13Regulatory Medical Writers169 postings
- 14Technical Proposal Writers162 postings
- 15IT Technical Writers143 postings
- 16Software Technical Writers136 postings
- 17Technical Writing Interns124 postings
- 18Clinical Scientists118 postings
- 19Oncology Physicians109 postings
- 20Rare Disease Specialists108 postings
Top employers
- 01inVentiv Health938 postings
- 02Parexel671 postings
- 03GovCIO466 postings
- 04Maximus386 postings
- 05Bausch Health344 postings
- 06Actalent226 postings
- 07Accenture223 postings
- 08Thermo Fisher Scientific156 postings
- 09Otsuka America154 postings
- 10Edwards Lifesciences152 postings
- 11Leidos120 postings
- 12Capital One114 postings
- 13Cardinal Health111 postings
- 14Syneos Health111 postings
- 15Insight Global107 postings
- 16The Hartford106 postings
- 17Rxbenefits104 postings
- 18Robert Half101 postings
- 19Contact Government Services100 postings
- 20Northrop Grumman86 postings
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