Program Writer Salary
$28.5K - $38.5K
3% of jobs
$38.5K - $48.5K
7% of jobs
$48.5K - $58.5K
12% of jobs
$60.5K is the 25th percentile. Wages below this are outliers.
$58.5K - $68.5K
16% of jobs
The median wage is $75.9K / yr.
$68.5K - $78.5K
17% of jobs
$78.5K - $88.5K
14% of jobs
$94.9K is the 75th percentile. Wages above this are outliers.
$88.5K - $98.5K
11% of jobs
$98.5K - $108.5K
9% of jobs
$108.5K - $118.5K
6% of jobs
$118.5K - $128.5K
3% of jobs
$128.5K - $138.5K
3% of jobs
$28.5K
$76K
$137.5K
$81,001
/year
$38.94
/hour
Program Writer Salary Comparison by Location
Nationwide
United States
$81,001
Columbus
Ohio
$78,239
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How much does a Program Writer make?
As of Jun 8, 2026, the average annual pay for a Program Writer in the United States is $81,001 a year.
Just in case you need a simple salary calculator, that works out to be approximately $38.94 an hour. This is the equivalent of $1,557/week or $6,750/month.
While ZipRecruiter is seeing annual salaries as high as $137,500 and as low as $28,500, the majority of Program Writer salaries currently range between $60,000 (25th percentile) to $98,000 (75th percentile) with top earners (90th percentile) making $120,500 annually across the United States. The average pay range for a Program Writer varies greatly (by as much as 38000), which suggests there may be many opportunities for advancement and increased pay based on skill level, location and years of experience.
A Program Writer in your area makes on average $78,239 per year, or $2,762 (3.410%) less than the national average annual salary of $81,001. Ohio ranks number 30 out of 50 states nationwide for Program Writer salaries.
To estimate the most accurate annual salary range for Program Writer jobs, ZipRecruiter continuously scans its database of millions of active jobs published locally throughout America.
Find your next high paying job as a Program Writer on ZipRecruiter today.
What are Top 10 Highest Paying Cities for Program Writer Jobs
We've identified 10 cities where the typical salary for a Program Writer job is above the national average. Topping the list is Nome, AK, , with Cupertino, CA, and Sitka, AK, close behind in the second and third positions. Sitka, AK, beats the national average by $16,579 (20.5%), and Nome, AK, furthers that trend with another $19,480 (24.0%) above the $81,001 average.
With these 10 cities having average salaries higher than the national average, the opportunities for economic advancement by changing locations as a Program Writer appears to be exceedingly fruitful.
Finally, another factor to consider is the average salary for these top 10 cities varies very little at 5% between Nome, AK, and Mountain View, CA, , reinforcing the limited potential for much wage advancement. The possibility of a lower cost of living may be the best factor to use when considering location and salary for a Program Writer role.
City | Annual Salary | Hourly Wage |
|---|---|---|
Nome, AK | $100,481 | $48.31 |
Cupertino, CA | $99,934 | $48.05 |
Sitka, AK | $97,580 | $46.91 |
Berkeley, CA | $96,936 | $46.60 |
Wyoming, WY | $96,604 | $46.44 |
San Francisco, CA | $95,433 | $45.88 |
Santa Clara, CA | $95,100 | $45.72 |
Sunnyvale, CA | $95,067 | $45.71 |
San Jose, CA | $94,932 | $45.64 |
Mountain View, CA | $94,846 | $45.60 |
What are Top 5 Best Paying Related Program Writer Jobs in the U.S.
We found a few related jobs that pay more than jobs in the Program Writer category.
For example Script Writer jobs pay as much as $108,999 (134.6%) more than the average Program Writer salary of $81,001. If you're qualified, finding work as a Script Writer may help you make more money than that of the average Program Writer position.
Job Title | Annual Salary | Hourly Wage |
|---|---|---|
Script Writer | $190,000 | $91.35 |
Engineering Technical Writer | $95,225 | $45.78 |
Documentation Writer | $74,847 | $35.98 |
Manager Writer | $59,525 | $28.62 |
Writers Assistant | $45,709 | $21.98 |
About Our Data
ZipRecruiter salary estimates, histograms, trends and comparisons are derived from both employer job postings and third party data sources.
