Technical Writers pay range in Los Angeles
New workers and the lowest-paid 10% earn about $66,580 a year or less, while the top 10% make $137,250 or more. The middle half of technical writers in Los Angeles earn between $80,070 and $113,580.
- $67K10th
- $80K25th
- $104KMedian
- $114K75th
- $137K90th
median average · bar = middle 50% of workers
| Pay level | Per year | Per month | Per hour* |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average | $103,080 | $8,590 | $49.56 |
| Median | $104,000 | $8,667 | $50.00 |
| Entry level (25th percentile) | $80,070 | $6,672 | $38.50 |
| Experienced (75th percentile) | $113,580 | $9,465 | $54.61 |
*Hourly figures assume 2,080 paid hours a year.
Technical Writers salary after taxes in Los Angeles
On the average salary of $103,080, a single filer in Los Angeles takes home about $75,852 a year, or $6,321 a month and $2,917 every two weeks. Taxes take 26% of gross pay.
Single filer, standard deduction: federal income tax (2026 brackets), Social Security, Medicare and state income tax (2025 rules). California State Disability Insurance (1.3% of wages, paid by employees) is not included.
Is Los Angeles a good place for technical writers? Pay vs. cost of living
Prices in the Los Angeles area are 14% above the U.S. average (BEA price parity 113.6), so the average $103,080 buys what about $90,767 would buy in a typical U.S. metro. This job pays 1.9 times the median wage of all jobs in Los Angeles ($55,850). A typical home costs $968,608, or 9.4 years of this average salary before tax.
Technical Writers salary in other California cities
Los Angeles ranks 7th of 11 California metro areas for this job; San Jose pays the most ($139,970).
- San Jose$139,970
- San Francisco$137,560
- Santa Rosa$127,330
- Santa Maria$111,700
- San Diego$109,020
- Sacramento$103,570
- Los Angeles$103,080
- Oxnard$102,480
- Riverside$90,160
- Bakersfield$86,730
Highest-paying cities for technical writers
San Jose, CA pays this job the most of the metro areas we cover ($139,970).
- San Jose, CA$139,970
- San Francisco, CA$137,560
- Santa Rosa, CA$127,330
- Boulder, CO$115,710
- Boston, MA$115,210
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Technical Writers salary in Los Angeles: questions
How much do technical writers make an hour in Los Angeles?
$49.56 an hour on average, and $50.00 at the median (BLS, May 2025).
What is the entry-level technical writers salary in Los Angeles?
The lowest-paid 10% earn about $66,580 a year and the 25th percentile is $80,070, a fair guide to starting pay.
What is the technical writers take-home pay in Los Angeles?
About $75,852 a year ($6,321 a month) for a single filer on the average salary of $103,080. California State Disability Insurance (1.3% of wages, paid by employees) is not included.
Do technical writers earn more in Los Angeles than elsewhere?
The average here is 4% more than the U.S. metro average for this job ($99,139).
Sources and how to read this page
- Wages: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 estimates for metropolitan areas. SOC code 27-3042; area Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA (31080). Relative standard error of the mean wage: 1.6%.
- Cost of living: Bureau of Economic Analysis regional price parities (RPP), 2024; 100 = U.S. average.
- Home value: Zillow Home Value Index. Typical-wage figure: OEWS all occupations, same metro.
- Take-home pay: Single filer, standard deduction: federal income tax (2026 brackets), Social Security, Medicare and state income tax (2025 rules). California State Disability Insurance (1.3% of wages, paid by employees) is not included.
- Job concentration: location quotient 0.80, this job is less common than in the U.S. overall (location quotient 0.80).
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