Salary Database

Note: All 2013 STC members receive a free copy of the 2013 Salary Database. The 2013 Salary Database will be published in June, and members will receive an email  at that time with instructions on how to download the Salary Database. The information below refers to the 2012 Salary Database, which is still available for purchase.

The STC Salary Database is a tool that can be used to conduct more powerful job searches, make a strong case for a raise, or prepare department payroll budgets. The data in the Salary Database are drawn from the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics' (BLS) Occupational Employment Statistics (OES).

What Does this Year's Salary Database Tell Us?

In 2011, employment for technical writers enjoyed its first increase in three years, regaining almost half of the 3,470 lost since 2008. While the traditional, large centers of technical writer employment, such as Washington, DC; Boston; New York; Los Angeles; San Francisco; and Seattle, continued to dominate the profession, this year's job gains were found in some surprising new markets, such as Oklahoma City, and an unexpected strength in jobs markets that had suffered severe contractions in recent years, including Detroit, which is hiring again thanks to a resurgence in the automotive manufacturing.

In another interesting discovery, the industry series data underscore the growing importance of exports and global markets both to the U.S. economy and to the technical communication profession. Industries that exhibited the largest increases in technical writer positions were also those reporting the strongest demand for foreign sales.

How Can I Use the Salary Database?

Using 2011 data, the 2011-2012 Salary Database is an à la carte item, available for purchase by members and nonmembers. Excel files with the original data are also available for those who wish to be able to format the data in other ways.

Use the STC Salary Database if you are:

  • An employee looking for solid facts to back up a raise request
  • A manager seeking salary figures to assist with setting budgets or bidding for projects
  • A freelancer investigating average hourly fees for a different industry or city
  • A job-seeker needing insight on what industries and what geographic areas hold the most new jobs
  • Any technical communicator in need of either annual or hourly wage information

Because the BLS Occupational Employment Statistics, from which the Salary Database was drawn, is one of the most referenced wage guides by human resource professionals, STC members who use this tool will benefit from the same market intelligence that is relied upon when employers evaluate raises and make salary offers to new hires. The STC Salary Database not only provides firm numbers to back up fair requests and fair offers, giving technical communicators the insight they need in a tough job market, it also provides users with a competitive edge. Get the edge you need with the STC Salary Database.

Read an excerpt of the 2011 Salary Database, with the table of contents, Introduction, and snippets from each section.

 Listen to a podcast interview with the economist who wrote the Salary Database and a recruiter discussing what's included and how it can work for you. Available in both WMV format and MP3 format.

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Important notes before you buy:

  • If you are not logged in, the pricing for the Salary Database will show up as nonmember pricing until the very end of the process. Members will see member pricing only if they are logged in.
  • To purchase a product, click on the bolded title of the product you wish to purchase.
  • If you purchase the PDF report or one of the three Excel spreadsheets, you will see a link to download your purchase at the bottom of the final screen. If you do not see the link, or need to download the product again later, visit your My Downloads page.
  • If you purchase the complete four-in-one kit (see below), you will be prompted to email Kevin Cuddihy to fulfill the order after payment. Click the "download" button for an email form.
  • All new members and returning members who renewed by 3 January 2012 were sent an email with access to the Salary Database, as promised when you joined/renewed. If you did not receive this email and wish to have the Salary Database, email Kevin Cuddihy. This applies only to 2012 members, not 2013. If you're looking for the 2013 Salary Database, that will not be published until June 2013.

Three Ways to Purchase

STC members and customers may choose to purchase the 2011-2012 Salary Database as a single Complete Report in PDF format, as a series of Excel Workbooks, or both. Click the "Buy Now" button above and click on the item you wish to purchase.

Complete Report

The Complete Report is a single PDF containing data tables for all three datasets in a book format. In addition to detailed data tables, the Complete Report also provides a year-in-review analysis of the labor markets for technical writers by STC Consulting Economist, Richard O'Sullivan, and a series of national maps displaying the regional changes in technical writer employment and wages from the previous year. The Complete Report is available for $10 to members and $49 to nonmembers.

Alternatively, members and customers may purchase the STC Salary Database as Excel Workbooks. These workbooks are very helpful for those who would like to undertake their own cross-regional analyses or industry comparisons without the bother of having to convert the tables from an Acrobat file. Data users are able to download one, two, or all three of the workbooks and immediately start their own customized work (see below for details on the workbooks available). The Excel Workbooks can be purchased separately by members for $10 each and by nonmembers for $49 each.

Excel Workbooks

STC offers three Excel Workbooks to allow you to format, analyze, and manipulate the data easily. Each series is available for purchase separately.

  • The Geographic Series contains all of the employment and wage data for the most recent three years for:
    • All 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico
    • All 11 Combined Statistical Areas (CSAs)
    • All Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs)
    • The nonmetropolitan areas in which technical writers worked that year
  • The Industry Series provides industry employment and wage data for technical writers for all industries that employed technical writers during the most recent three years. The data are available at three levels of detail:
    • Major Industry Groups (2-digit North American Industrial Classification System [NAICS] codes); e.g., Healthcare and Social Assistance Services
    • Industry Groups (3-digit NAICS codes); e.g., hospitals
    • Industry Subsectors (4-digit NAICS codes) e.g., general medical and surgical hospitals
  • The Profession Series provides employment and wage data for all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico for technical writers and four competing professions for 2009 through 2011.

Purchase the Package and Save

Order the Complete Report in PDF format and all three Excel Workbooks together and save! Members pay only $30 for all four products, while nonmembers can purchase the Complete Report and the set of three Excel Workbooks for just $149.

Feedback

STC is always looking for ways to better serve members. Users of STC's Salary Database are invited to share their ideas for making this report even more valuable to a job search, hiring, or budgeting process. Send us your suggestions.