2027 Salary Guide · Marketing & Creative
Copywriters on staff earned a median of $76,910 in May 2025, the BLS figure for Writers and Authors, which works out to about $37 an hour. Planning for 2027, that is about $82,000. The catch is that BLS wage data only covers employees, and 65% of writers and authors are self-employed, so freelance copywriting income is not in these numbers at all.
Outlook
BLS projects little or no change in employment for writers and authors from 2025 to 2035, and says the growing use of AI for writing is expected to dampen demand. It still expects about 11,900 openings a year, mostly to replace writers who leave the field.
BLS Employment Projections via O*NET OnLine. Projections cover Writers and Authors as a whole.
Reading the data
The BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey covers wage and salary workers only; it does not include the self-employed. For writers and authors that is a big gap: the BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook lists 65% of them as self-employed. The figures on this page describe copywriters on an agency, brand or publisher payroll.
Freelance copywriters set rates by project, word or hour, and there is no BLS figure for that income. If you compare a freelance rate with the staff numbers here, remember that a freelancer pays for their own health insurance, equipment, unbilled time and both halves of Social Security and Medicare tax.
The second thing to know is the outlook. BLS projects little or no change in writer employment through 2035 and names AI writing tools as the main reason. It also says writers will still be needed for online media and advertising.
Pay distribution
BLS reports copywriters inside Writers and Authors, which also includes authors and other writers. The middle half earned $58,230 to $101,950; at 2,080 hours a year that is roughly $28 to $49 an hour.
Typical for the Copywriter title: $58,230 to $101,950 (25th to 75th percentile of Writers and Authors)
| Percentile | BLS, May 2025 | 2027 planning estimate |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $44,310 | $47,000 |
| 25th percentile | $58,230 | $62,000 |
| Median | $76,910 | $82,000 |
| 75th percentile | $101,950 | $108,500 |
| 90th percentile | $139,870 | $148,500 |
Where the work leads
Median pay in May 2025 for the occupations copywriters most often move into. These are BLS figures for each occupation, not for former copywriters.
Senior copywriters in agencies can move up to associate creative director and creative director. BLS counts creative directors with art directors, median $114,850, and creative directors sit near the top of that range.
Writing documentation, help content and product interface text. Technical writers had a median of $90,390.
Planning and running a content program rather than writing every piece. Marketing specialists, where content strategists are counted, had a median of $78,760, and manager titles sit well above it.
Press releases, speeches and media pitches. PR specialists had a median of $74,750, with management roles above $146,000.
Local pay
Washington, DC has the highest median among the metros with published data, $108,460, followed by Seattle and Hartford. Chicago and DC have the most staff writers with wage data, about 2,120 and 2,060. BLS counts about 7,220 writers in New York and 1,560 in the Bay Area but does not publish their pay, so those rows are blank. Phoenix is lowest, about $49,590 below DC.
| Metro area | Median | 10th – 90th | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Washington, DC | $108,460 +41% | $69,090 – $171,410 | 2,060 |
| Seattle | $98,730 +28% | $60,540 – $136,720 | 520 |
| Hartford | $97,160 +26% | $51,680 – $145,640 | 140 |
| Portland | $87,560 +14% | $52,620 – $159,470 | 600 |
| Baltimore | $87,020 +13% | $56,680 – $163,630 | 240 |
| Boston | $85,260 +11% | $59,150 – $138,950 | 1,130 |
| Philadelphia | $84,130 +9% | $52,080 – $182,160 | 560 |
| San Diego | $82,590 +7% | $44,460 – $163,830 | 350 |
| Atlanta | $81,990 +7% | $53,790 – $133,440 | 490 |
| Albany | $78,050 +1% | $48,010 – $131,810 | 90 |
| Metro area | Median | 10th – 90th | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles | $77,250 +0% | $60,740 – $162,030 | — |
| Minneapolis-St. Paul | $76,470 -1% | $56,370 – $104,520 | 570 |
| Houston | $76,120 -1% | $48,670 – $116,090 | 400 |
| Chicago | $75,940 -1% | $43,440 – $134,710 | 2,120 |
| Detroit | $75,760 -1% | $48,870 – $121,330 | 510 |
| Austin | $75,380 -2% | $50,640 – $161,380 | 420 |
| Tampa | $72,560 -6% | $43,840 – $100,010 | 400 |
| Providence | $70,620 -8% | $50,200 – $120,660 | 120 |
| Denver | $69,100 -10% | $42,060 – $132,620 | 860 |
| Raleigh | $69,100 -10% | $50,890 – $128,740 | 360 |
| Miami | $66,470 -14% | $45,910 – $95,430 | 1,270 |
| Buffalo | $65,630 -15% | $47,830 – $111,610 | 90 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth | $64,520 -16% | $49,920 – $122,200 | 850 |
| Charlotte | $63,720 -17% | $43,960 – $129,470 | 420 |
| Nashville | $63,270 -18% | $44,230 – $98,560 | 520 |
| Phoenix | $58,870 -23% | $45,200 – $90,980 | 420 |
BLS metro estimates, May 2025. Percent compares the metro median with the national median. "Jobs" is BLS estimated employment in the metro; blank where BLS does not publish it.
For hiring managers
A steady weekly load suits a staff hire. Launches, campaigns and seasonal peaks suit contract or freelance help. Contract-to-hire lets you test a writer on real work first.
BLS annual figures assume 2,080 hours a year, so the $76,910 median equals about $37 an hour. A contract rate needs to sit above that to cover what an employee's benefits would.
Ad concepts, long-form content, email, UX text and technical writing are different skills. Ask for samples in the format the job needs.
Say whether writers are expected to edit and fact-check AI drafts, and how much original writing the role involves. It changes who applies.
Compare
Technical writers earn about $13,480 more than copywriters at the median, and creative directors, the senior end of the agency creative path, far more. PR specialists and content marketing roles sit close to copywriter pay.
| Role | BLS median | 2027 estimate | Outlook |
|---|---|---|---|
| Copywriter | $76,910 | $82,000 | Little or no change |
| Technical Writer | $90,390 | $96,000 | Slower than average |
| Creative Director | $114,850 | $122,000 | Average |
| Content Marketing Manager | $78,760 | $83,500 | Much faster than average |
| Public Relations Specialist | $74,750 | $79,500 | Slower than average |
FAQ
BLS reports copywriters within Writers and Authors, whose national median was $76,910 in May 2025. The middle half earned between $58,230 and $101,950, and the top tenth more than $139,870. With two years of wage growth at 3.1% a year, the 2027 planning median is about $82,000. These figures cover staff writers only.
BLS annual wage figures assume 2,080 working hours a year, so the $76,910 median equals about $37 an hour for a staff writer. The middle half works out to roughly $28 to $49 an hour. Freelance rates are usually higher per hour because they must cover benefits, taxes and time between projects.
There is no reliable government figure. The BLS wage survey excludes the self-employed, and the BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook lists 65% of writers and authors as self-employed. Freelance income depends on rates, specialty and how many billable hours a writer can keep filled.
BLS expects it to slow demand. It projects little or no change in employment for writers and authors from 2025 to 2035 and says increasing use of AI for writing is projected to dampen demand. It still expects about 11,900 openings a year, mostly from writers leaving the field.
BLS does not publish writer pay for the New York metro area, even though it counts about 7,220 writers there, the most of any metro in this guide. Among metros with published figures, Washington, DC is highest at $108,460; Boston is $85,260 and Philadelphia $84,130.
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