Salary data · BLS OEWS May 2025
Writer & Author salary in St. Louis, MO-IL
$57,390
Median annual
$27.59
Median hourly
$67,100
Mean annual
300
Employed
In St. Louis, MO-IL, a typical writer earned $57,390 a year in May 2025 (median), with an average of $67,100. About 300 people work in this occupation there.
That is 25% below the national median of $76,910. Compared with all occupations in St. Louis, MO-IL (median $49,990), writers earn 15% more. Its location quotient of 0.73 means the job is less common here than nationally.
Pay varies widely: the lowest-paid 10% earned less than $45,380, while the top 10% earned more than $100,350. Many writers are self-employed, and BLS wage surveys cover employees only, so freelance income can differ.
Pay distribution
| Percentile | Annual | Hourly |
|---|---|---|
| 10th | $45,380 | $21.82 |
| 25th | $49,890 | $23.99 |
| Median | $57,390 | $27.59 |
| 75th | $76,910 | $36.97 |
| 90th | $100,350 | $48.24 |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025. Estimates exclude self-employed workers; "—" means the estimate was not released.