# Technical Writers

US SOC code 27-3042. Markdown version of https://futurehistory.earth/timeline/27-3042

Also called: Tech writer, Documentation writer, Documentation engineer, Technical documentation specialist, API documentation writer.

## In brief

In May 2025, [BLS](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm25nat.zip) counted **45,500** US technical writers, with median pay of **$90,390** a year. Of the BLS counts since 2003, the highest was **55,530**, in May 2024. The earliest figure here is [an estimate](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Technical_writer) of **15,000** from 1960, not measured the same way as today's count. The last full technology era for technical writers: Docs-as-Code (Markdown, Git, static site generators), 2014 to 2023.

## What the sources say

### Official outlook

BLS projects employment to change +0.8% from 2025 to 2035. Source: [BLS Employment Projections 2025-35](https://data.bls.gov/projections/nationalMatrix?queryParams=27-3042&ioType=o).

### AI exposure studies

- **63.3%** of this job's tasks are exposed to large language models. Not a forecast of job losses. [Eloundou and others, 2023](https://github.com/openai/GPTs-are-GPTs/blob/main/data/occ_level.csv)

Data as of BLS OEWS May 2025; BLS Employment Projections 2025-35. BLS publishes these counts as yearly survey snapshots and cautions against reading them as a precise trend. In May 2021 BLS changed how it estimates these counts (a model-based method using three years of survey data) and moved fully to the 2018 occupation codes, so part of a change across 2021 can come from the method rather than the work.

## Technical Writers employment and pay by year

- On record since: 1940
- Latest US employment: 45,500 (May 2025). Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 [3]
- Latest US median pay: $90,390 (May 2025). Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 [7]
- Outlook: +0.8% by 2035. Source: BLS Employment Projections 2025-35 [25]

### In other countries

The latest figure each country's statistics agency publishes for this job. Each uses its own occupation definition, survey basis and currency, so the numbers are not directly comparable with each other or with the US figures.

- **Canada** (NOC 51112)
  - Employment, 2020: 8,325. Source: Statistics Canada Census 2021 [4]. Statistics Canada Census of Population 2021: number of persons with employment income in NOC 51112 Technical writers, Canada, reference year 2020. A recipients basis (anyone with employment income during the year), slightly broader than a point-in-time employed count. Statistics Canada Open Licence.
  - Median pay, 2020: C$78,000. Source: Statistics Canada Census 2021 [11]. Statistics Canada Census of Population 2021 (Table 98-10-0586): median employment income for NOC 51112 Technical writers, Canada, reference year 2020, full-year full-time workers (the basis comparable to the US OEWS full-time median). Statistics Canada Open Licence.

### All 27 years of cited US data

| Year | US employment | Annual pay (median unless marked) | Source |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1960 | 15,000 (estimate) | n/a | Est., Wikipedia [1] |
| 1970 | n/a | $9,500 (estimate) | Est., American Professional Guide [5] |
| 1980 | 30,000 (estimate) | n/a | Est., ClickHelp [2] |
| 2000 | 52,000 (estimate) | $46,000 (estimate) | Est., Wikipedia (employment) [1]; Est., Society for Technical Communication (pay) [6] |
| 2003 | 44,690 | $51,590 | BLS OEWS May 2003 [3] |
| 2004 | 45,100 | $53,490 | BLS OEWS May 2004 [3] |
| 2005 | 46,250 | $55,160 | BLS OEWS May 2005 [3] |
| 2006 | 45,330 | $58,050 | BLS OEWS May 2006 [3] |
| 2007 | 46,740 | $60,390 | BLS OEWS May 2007 [3] |
| 2008 | 47,460 | $61,620 | BLS OEWS May 2008 [3] |
| 2009 | 46,270 | $62,730 | BLS OEWS May 2009 [3] |
| 2010 | 43,990 | $63,280 | BLS OEWS May 2010 (employment) [3]; BLS OEWS 2010 (pay) [8] |
| 2011 | 45,120 | $64,610 | BLS OEWS May 2011 [3] |
| 2012 | 46,160 | $65,500 | BLS OEWS May 2012 [3] |
| 2013 | 47,300 | $67,900 | BLS OEWS May 2013 [3] |
| 2014 | 48,210 | $69,030 | BLS OEWS May 2014 [3] |
| 2015 | 49,770 | $70,240 | BLS OEWS May 2015 [3] |
| 2016 | 49,780 | $69,850 | BLS OEWS May 2016 [3] |
| 2017 | 49,960 | $70,930 | BLS OEWS May 2017 [3] |
| 2018 | 50,350 | $71,850 | BLS OEWS May 2018 [3] |
| 2019 | 50,760 | $72,850 | BLS OEWS May 2019 [3] |
| 2020 | 48,880 | $74,650 | BLS OEWS May 2020 [3] |
| 2021 | 47,620 | $78,060 | BLS OEWS May 2021 [3] |
| 2022 | 48,620 | $79,960 | BLS OEWS May 2022 [3] |
| 2023 | 47,970 | $80,050 | BLS OEWS May 2023 (employment) [3]; BLS OEWS May 2023 (pay) [9] |
| 2024 | 55,530 | $91,670 | BLS OEWS May 2024 [3] |
| 2025 | 45,500 | $90,390 | BLS OEWS May 2025 [3] |

## Sources (87)

### Employment series

1. [Wikipedia — Technical writer (history of the profession, STC founding context)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Technical_writer), Wikipedia
2. [ClickHelp — "History of Technical Writing" (profession history overview, 1970s-1980s demand growth)](https://clickhelp.com/clickhelp-technical-writing-blog/history-of-technical-writing/), ClickHelp
3. BLS OEWS, national cross-industry estimates (flat file), Bureau of Labor Statistics. Editions: [2003](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm03nat.zip), [2004](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm04nat.zip), [2005](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm05nat.zip), [2006](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm06nat.zip), [2007](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm07nat.zip), [2008](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm08nat.zip), [2009](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm09nat.zip), [2010](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm10nat.zip), [2011](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm11nat.zip), [2012](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm12nat.zip), [2013](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm13nat.zip), [2014](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm14nat.zip), [2015](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm15nat.zip), [2016](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm16nat.zip), [2017](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm17nat.zip), [2018](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm18nat.zip), [2019](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm19nat.zip), [2020](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm20nat.zip), [2021](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm21nat.zip), [2022](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm22nat.zip), [2023](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm23nat.zip), [2024](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm24nat.zip), [2025](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm25nat.zip)
4. [Statistics Canada, Census of Population 2021, Table 98-10-0586 (Employment income statistics by occupation unit group, NOC 2021), income reference year 2020](https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/t1/tbl1/en/tv.action?pid=9810058601), Statistics Canada

### Wage series

5. [American Professional Guide — "The Rise of Technical Writing: Historical Context in the USA" (historical wage context)](https://americanprofessionguide.com/technical-writing-in-the-usa/), American Professional Guide
6. [Society for Technical Communication (STC) — Salary Database and historical survey context](https://www.stc.org/salary-database/), Society for Technical Communication
7. BLS OEWS, national cross-industry estimates (flat file), Bureau of Labor Statistics. Editions: [2003](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm03nat.zip), [2004](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm04nat.zip), [2005](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm05nat.zip), [2006](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm06nat.zip), [2007](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm07nat.zip), [2008](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm08nat.zip), [2009](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm09nat.zip), [2011](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm11nat.zip), [2012](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm12nat.zip), [2013](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm13nat.zip), [2014](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm14nat.zip), [2015](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm15nat.zip), [2016](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm16nat.zip), [2017](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm17nat.zip), [2018](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm18nat.zip), [2019](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm19nat.zip), [2020](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm20nat.zip), [2021](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm21nat.zip), [2022](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm22nat.zip), [2025](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm25nat.zip)
8. [BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook — Technical Writers, 2012-13 edition (2010 median annual wage $63,280)](https://www.bls.gov/ooh/media-and-communication/technical-writers.htm), Bureau of Labor Statistics
9. [BLS OEWS May 2023 — Technical Writers (27-3042), median annual wage $80,050](https://www.bls.gov/oes/2023/may/oes273042.htm), U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
10. [BLS OEWS May 2024, national cross-industry estimates (flat file)](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm24nat.zip), U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
11. [Statistics Canada, Census of Population 2021, Table 98-10-0586 (Employment income statistics by occupation unit group, NOC 2021), income reference year 2020](https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/t1/tbl1/en/tv.action?pid=9810058601), Statistics Canada

### Tool eras

12. [MATC Group — "Heroes in the Shadows: Technical Writers of WWII" (wartime documentation era)](https://www.matcgroup.com/documentation/heroes-in-the-shadows-technical-writers-of-wwii/), MATC Group
13. [ClickHelp — "History of Technical Writing" (profession origins and tools)](https://clickhelp.com/clickhelp-technical-writing-blog/history-of-technical-writing/), ClickHelp
14. [Wikipedia — IBM Selectric typewriter (introduction and Magnetic Tape Selectric variant)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IBM_Selectric_typewriter), Wikipedia
15. [Society for Technical Communication — About STC (history of professional organization)](https://www.stc.org/about-stc/), Society for Technical Communication
16. [History of Information — "Aldus PageMaker: The First Widely-Used Desktop Publishing Program" (July 1985)](https://www.historyofinformation.com/detail.php?entryid=1235), History of Information
17. [Wikipedia — Adobe PageMaker (history including FrameMaker and technical writing positioning)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adobe_PageMaker), Wikipedia
18. [American Professional Guide — "The Rise of Technical Writing: Historical Context in the USA"](https://americanprofessionguide.com/technical-writing-in-the-usa/), American Professional Guide
19. [Darwin Information Typing Architecture — Wikipedia (IBM origins 2001, OASIS standard 2005)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Darwin_Information_Typing_Architecture), Wikipedia
20. [Heretto — "What is DITA?" (DITA history and adoption in regulated industries)](https://help.heretto.com/en/heretto-ccms/get-started/introduction-to-dita/what-is-dita), Heretto
21. [Write the Docs — Docs as Code guide (community definition and toolchain)](https://www.writethedocs.org/guide/docs-as-code/), Write the Docs
22. [Tom Johnson — I'd Rather Be Writing: AI in Tech Writing Series, 2025](https://idratherbewriting.com/ai/), I'd Rather Be Writing
23. [BLS National Employment Matrix — 27-3042 Technical Writers (2024-2034 projections: +0.9%, 56.4k to 56.9k)](https://data.bls.gov/projections/nationalMatrix?queryParams=27-3042&ioType=o), Bureau of Labor Statistics
24. [Mintlify — AI Documentation Platform (product launch 2022)](https://www.mintlify.com/), Mintlify

### Forecasts and exposure studies

25. [BLS Employment Projections 2025-35, National Employment Matrix: 27-3042 Technical writers (2025: 46.4 thousand; 2035: 46.7 thousand; +0.8%)](https://data.bls.gov/projections/nationalMatrix?queryParams=27-3042&ioType=o), Bureau of Labor Statistics
26. [Eloundou, Manning, Mishkin & Rock (2023), "GPTs are GPTs", occupation-level exposure data occ\_level.csv (O\*NET-SOC 27-3042.00, human-rated β 0.633)](https://github.com/openai/GPTs-are-GPTs/blob/main/data/occ_level.csv), OpenAI

### Historical notes

27. [ClickHelp — "History of Technical Writing" (BINAC manual, 1949, Joseph D. Chapline)](https://clickhelp.com/clickhelp-technical-writing-blog/history-of-technical-writing/), ClickHelp
28. [Society for Technical Communication — About STC (founding history, 1953)](https://www.stc.org/about-stc/), Society for Technical Communication
29. [Write the Docs — Conference history and Docs as Code guide](https://www.writethedocs.org/guide/docs-as-code/), Write the Docs

### Predecessors & successors

30. [MATC Group — "Heroes in the Shadows: Technical Writers of WWII"](https://www.matcgroup.com/documentation/heroes-in-the-shadows-technical-writers-of-wwii/), MATC Group
31. [Wikipedia — Technical writer (emergence of the profession from technical backgrounds)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Technical_writer), Wikipedia
32. [Society for Technical Communication — About STC (professionalization and educational pathway development)](https://www.stc.org/about-stc/), Society for Technical Communication
33. [Write the Docs — Docs as Code guide (developer-to-writer transitions in the Docs-as-Code era)](https://www.writethedocs.org/guide/docs-as-code/), Write the Docs
34. [Tom Johnson — I'd Rather Be Writing: AI in Tech Writing Series, 2025 (Documentation Engineer pathway)](https://idratherbewriting.com/ai/), I'd Rather Be Writing
35. [O\*NET 27-3042.00 — adjacent occupation transitions (BLS data)](https://www.onetonline.org/link/summary/27-3042.00), O\*NET / BLS

### Present-day analysis

- [BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook — Technical Writers, 2024-25](https://www.bls.gov/ooh/media-and-communication/technical-writers.htm), accessed 2026-05-23
- [O\*NET 30.3 — Technical Writers (27-3042.00)](https://www.onetonline.org/link/summary/27-3042.00), accessed 2026-05-23
- [Eloundou et al. 2024 — GPTs are GPTs (Science)](https://arxiv.org/abs/2303.10130), accessed 2026-05-23
- [Goldman Sachs — The Potentially Large Effects of AI on Economic Growth, 2023](https://www.goldmansachs.com/insights/articles/generative-ai-could-raise-global-gdp-by-7-percent.html), accessed 2026-05-23
- [STC (Society for Technical Communication) — Salary Database 2024](https://www.stc.org/salary-database/), accessed 2026-05-23
- [Tom Johnson — I'd Rather Be Writing: AI in Tech Writing Series, 2025](https://idratherbewriting.com/ai/), accessed 2026-05-23
- [Write the Docs — Conference Proceedings and Blog 2025](https://www.writethedocs.org/blog/), accessed 2026-05-23
- [Mintlify — AI Documentation Platform](https://www.mintlify.com/), accessed 2026-05-23
- [Scribe AI — Workflow Documentation Automation](https://scribe.com/), accessed 2026-05-23
- [Tango AI — Step-by-Step Guide Generator](https://www.tango.ai/), accessed 2026-05-23
- [GitHub Copilot — AI Coding Assistant](https://github.com/features/copilot), accessed 2026-05-23

How to read these figures: https://futurehistory.earth/methodology. Every figure links to its own source; gaps stay gaps.