The average salary for a technical writer in California is around $104,000 per year.
Avg Salary
Technical writers earn an average yearly salary of $104,000.
Wages typically start from $69,630 and go up to $175,510.
44% above national average Updated in 2025
Technical writer earnings by seniority
Top-level technical writer earnings begin at:
$84.38 per hour
$175,510 per year
Senior-level technical writer earnings begin at:
$67.92 per hour
$141,280 per year
Mid-level technical writer earnings begin at:
$50.00 per hour
$104,000 per year
Junior-level technical writer earnings begin at:
$40.51 per hour
$84,250 per year
Starting level technical writer earnings begin at:
$33.48 per hour
$69,630 per year
Approximate values based on highest and lowest earning segments.
Technical writer salary by state
| State Name | Average Salary |
|---|---|
| New York | $98,310 |
| New Hampshire | $96,300 |
| New Mexico | $94,970 |
| Virginia | $93,600 |
| Delaware | $90,370 |
| Nevada | $88,750 |
| Illinois | $88,700 |
| Vermont | $87,860 |
| Pennsylvania | $87,620 |
| North Carolina | $86,320 |
| Florida | $86,240 |
| Alabama | $85,840 |
| Michigan | $85,270 |
| Oregon | $84,000 |
| Minnesota | $83,270 |
| Alaska | $83,200 |
| Texas | $82,750 |
| South Carolina | $82,540 |
| Kentucky | $81,070 |
| Missouri | $80,840 |
| Utah | $80,270 |
| Wisconsin | $80,030 |
| Arizona | $79,780 |
| Tennessee | $79,550 |
| Ohio | $76,480 |
| Indiana | $75,510 |
| Montana | $75,070 |
| Kansas | $73,550 |
| Georgia | $73,070 |
| North Dakota | $72,990 |
| Oklahoma | $69,760 |
| Iowa | $66,520 |
| Wyoming | $65,700 |
| Mississippi | $65,220 |
| Louisiana | $63,790 |
| South Dakota | $63,350 |
| Maine | $61,490 |
| Arkansas | $61,180 |
| Nebraska | $59,080 |
| Idaho | $58,996 |
| Hawaii | $58,280 |
| Puerto Rico | $41,560 |
| West Virginia | $37,110 |
| New Jersey | $122,320 |
| District of Columbia | $117,810 |
| Massachusetts | $109,200 |
| Washington | $104,070 |
| California | $104,000 |
| Rhode Island | $102,360 |
| Connecticut | $101,870 |
| Maryland | $100,990 |
| Colorado | $100,610 |
How do technical writer salaries compare to similar careers?
Technical writers earn about the same as related careers in California. On average, they make less than computer systems analysts but more than operations research analysts.
| Career | Median Salary |
|---|---|
| Computer systems analyst salary | $128K |
| Bioinformatics scientist salary | $114K |
| Web developer salary | $120K |
| Database administrator salary | $113K |
| Computer programmer salary | $117K |
| Technical writer salary | $104K |
| Computer systems administrator salary | $106K |
| Editor salary | $98K |
| Distance learning coordinator salary | $100K |
| Operations research analyst salary | $102K |
Source: CareerExplorer (Aggregated)