How to read these rates
Employee references are annual US median wages for the cited BLS occupation, which may cover several career paths. Freelance examples add $15,000 for benefits and $20,000 for business costs, then divide by 1,200 billable hours a year. Annual figures are rounded to the nearest $1,000 and hourly figures to the nearest dollar. Figures are before personal taxes, with no percentage fees. Open a guide to see the source or adjust the assumptions in the calculator.
Content writing
- Employee reference
- $77K/yr
- Freelance example
- $93/hr
BLS · May 2025 · Writers and authors
Create concise campaign messages that connect audience intent, credible claims, and format constraints across a defined set of advertising placements.
View career → Advertising copywriter
Content writing
- Employee reference
- $90K/yr
- Freelance example
- $105/hr
BLS · May 2025 · Technical writers
Explain interface behavior through tested requests, parameter descriptions, error examples, and task-oriented guides that developers can follow independently.
View career → API documentation writer
Content writing
- Employee reference
- $77K/yr
- Freelance example
- $93/hr
BLS · May 2025 · Writers and authors
Review proposal responses for requirement coverage, evidence consistency, and evaluability while separating editorial improvements from commercial or delivery commitments.
View career → Bid response editor
Content writing
- Employee reference
- $77K/yr
- Freelance example
- $93/hr
BLS · May 2025 · Writers and authors
Organize a person's history into an accurate, readable narrative that distinguishes remembered experience, documented fact, and interpretation.
View career → Biography writer
Content writing
- Employee reference
- $77K/yr
- Freelance example
- $93/hr
BLS · May 2025 · Writers and authors
Turn a brand's intended character into practical language guidance and examples that writers can apply consistently across different customer situations.
View career → Brand voice writer
Content writing
- Employee reference
- $77K/yr
- Freelance example
- $93/hr
BLS · May 2025 · Writers and authors
Turn a documented project into a credible account of the problem, decisions, implementation, and outcomes without inventing evidence or causal claims.
View career → Case study writer
Content writing
- Employee reference
- $78K/yr
- Freelance example
- $94/hr
BLS · May 2025 · Editors
Check written material for grammar, consistency, clarity, and adherence to an agreed style while preserving intended meaning and identifying unresolved author questions.
View career → Copyeditor
Content writing
- Employee reference
- $78K/yr
- Freelance example
- $94/hr
BLS · May 2025 · Editors
Help an author resolve structural, argumentative, or narrative problems before sentence-level polishing through prioritized feedback and a practical revision plan.
View career → Developmental editor
Content writing
- Employee reference
- $77K/yr
- Freelance example
- $93/hr
BLS · May 2025 · Writers and authors
Structure commercial or lifecycle messages around a specific customer situation, credible offer, and clear action without confusing copy decisions with delivery performance.
View career → Email copywriter
Content writing
- Employee reference
- $78K/yr
- Freelance example
- $94/hr
BLS · May 2025 · Editors
Trace factual claims to reliable evidence and document unresolved questions so publishers can make informed decisions before material is released.
View career → Fact-checking editor
Content writing
- Employee reference
- $77K/yr
- Freelance example
- $93/hr
BLS · May 2025 · Writers and authors
Explain food traditions, techniques, or experiences with specific observation, respectful sourcing, and clear evidence behind factual or historical claims.
View career → Food feature writer
Content writing
- Employee reference
- $77K/yr
- Freelance example
- $93/hr
BLS · May 2025 · Writers and authors
Shape another person's ideas and experiences into coherent written material while establishing voice, factual approval, and agreed attribution or confidentiality boundaries.
View career → Ghostwriter
Content writing
- Employee reference
- $73K/yr
- Freelance example
- $90/hr
BLS · May 2025 · Fundraisers
Improve a funding narrative's clarity, evidence, and alignment with published application criteria without inventing program outcomes or assuming authority over the budget.
View career → Grant narrative editor
Content writing
- Employee reference
- $90K/yr
- Freelance example
- $105/hr
BLS · May 2025 · Technical writers
Create findable support material that answers real user tasks and separates routine guidance from situations requiring a human or technical escalation.
View career → Knowledge base writer
Content writing
- Employee reference
- $78K/yr
- Freelance example
- $94/hr
BLS · May 2025 · Editors
Review localized copy for clarity, consistency, context, and functional fit while coordinating language questions with qualified translators and the source-content owner.
View career → Localization editor
Content writing
- Employee reference
- $77K/yr
- Freelance example
- $93/hr
BLS · May 2025 · Writers and authors
Write focused newsletter messages that connect a defined editorial or commercial purpose to a clear reader benefit and next action.
View career → Newsletter copywriter
Content writing
- Employee reference
- $77K/yr
- Freelance example
- $93/hr
BLS · May 2025 · Writers and authors
Rewrite complex public-facing information so readers can understand what applies to them, what action to take, and where uncertainty remains.
View career → Plain language writer
Content writing
- Employee reference
- $90K/yr
- Freelance example
- $105/hr
BLS · May 2025 · Technical writers
Organize organizational policy information into usable procedures, definitions, and decision paths while leaving substantive policy decisions with the authorized owner.
View career → Policy documentation writer
Content writing
- Employee reference
- $77K/yr
- Freelance example
- $93/hr
BLS · May 2025 · Writers and authors
Turn verified product specifications and use cases into concise descriptions that help customers assess fit, differences, and limitations before purchasing.
View career → Product description writer
Content writing
- Employee reference
- $78K/yr
- Freelance example
- $94/hr
BLS · May 2025 · Editors
Check near-final material for overlooked text and layout errors while respecting approved content and the limits of the final production stage.
View career → Proofreader
Content writing
- Employee reference
- $90K/yr
- Freelance example
- $105/hr
BLS · May 2025 · Technical writers
Translate product changes into audience-relevant updates that explain impact, prerequisites, limitations, and actions without repeating internal development shorthand.
View career → Release notes writer
Content writing
- Employee reference
- $64K/yr
- Freelance example
- $83/hr
BLS · May 2025 · School and career counselors and advisors
Help job seekers express relevant experience and demonstrated outcomes clearly for a specific role without overstating skills, credentials, or results.
View career → Resume writer
Content writing
- Employee reference
- $77K/yr
- Freelance example
- $93/hr
BLS · May 2025 · Writers and authors
Develop scenes, dialogue, and visual action into a producible script that makes character intentions and story progression understandable on screen.
View career → Screen scriptwriter
Content writing
- Employee reference
- $78K/yr
- Freelance example
- $94/hr
BLS · May 2025 · Editors
Review a manuscript's representation choices through an explicitly defined perspective while explaining concerns as contextual editorial feedback rather than universal audience judgments.
View career → Sensitivity reader
Content writing
- Employee reference
- $78K/yr
- Freelance example
- $94/hr
BLS · May 2025 · Editors
Improve search-oriented material by aligning reader intent, factual quality, structure, and internal references rather than relying on repeated keywords.
View career → SEO content editor
Content writing
- Employee reference
- $77K/yr
- Freelance example
- $93/hr
BLS · May 2025 · Writers and authors
Translate a speaker's purpose and audience context into spoken language with a clear argument, natural rhythm, and credible supporting material.
View career → Speechwriter
Content writing
- Employee reference
- $78K/yr
- Freelance example
- $94/hr
BLS · May 2025 · Editors
Shape timed on-screen text so viewers can follow dialogue while respecting reading speed, scene changes, speaker clarity, and the supplied recording.
View career → Subtitling editor
Content writing
- Employee reference
- $77K/yr
- Freelance example
- $93/hr
BLS · May 2025 · Writers and authors
Rebuild campaign meaning for a different language or cultural context while preserving the approved proposition and explaining necessary creative departures.
View career → Transcreation writer
Content writing
- Employee reference
- $77K/yr
- Freelance example
- $93/hr
BLS · May 2025 · Writers and authors
Develop practical or narrative travel material through specific observation, reliable sourcing, and clear distinctions between current information and personal impressions.
View career → Travel feature writer
Content writing
- Employee reference
- $90K/yr
- Freelance example
- $105/hr
BLS · May 2025 · Technical writers
Explain a substantial problem and proposed approach through organized reasoning, primary evidence, and clearly bounded technical or commercial assumptions.
View career → White paper writer