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The 2016–2017 Salary Database Is Now Available for Download or Purchase

The 2016–2017 Salary Database is now available for download. All 2018 members receive a free copy in their membership confirmation email of the Salary Database PDF, which includes charts, maps, and an evaluation by an economist, as well as the Excel Workbook. Nonmembers may purchase the publication for $149. Visit www.stc.org/salary-database/for full details.

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), the main resource of human resource departments across the United States.

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
  • A global technical communicator looking for rates to charge or pay for a project or consultant in the United States
  • Any technical communicator in need of either annual or hourly wage information

This year’s data offers new insights into how the emerging recovery has and will continue to influence the demand for technical writers. In 2016, employment rates for technical communicators increased modestly, but 2016 still represents the highest employment level for the occupation since being individually tracked by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. “Technical writer” as a profession has seen employment growth every year since 2011, with an average annual employment increase of 1.9%. Globalization and export markets continue to be important to the U.S. economy, showing an increase in 2016 in translators and interpreters. The Database also highlights the largest and fastest-growing industries and geographic areas in terms of both wage growth and job growth.

2018 members now receive the Excel Workbook for free, which can be used to format, analyze, and manipulate the data easily. Visit https://www.stc.org/salary-database/ for more information on the Salary Database. (If you did not receive your copy of the Salary Database, please email stc@stc.org.)