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Technical Writers: apprenticeship hours and pay
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Approved apprenticeship titles
One apprenticeship title on the Department of Labor's approved list fall under Technical Writers, trained competency-based, hybrid, time-based. The shortest approved term is 2,000 hours, for Technical Content Professional (hybrid).
| Title | RAPIDS code | Approach and term |
|---|---|---|
| Technical Content Professional | 3037 | Competency-Based: 2,500 hours Competency-Based: 2,500 hours Hybrid: 2,000 to 4,000 hours Hybrid: 2,500 to 3,000 hours Time-Based: 2,500 hours Time-Based: 2,500 hours |
Time-based programs count hours on the job; competency-based programs move on when the apprentice shows the skills; hybrid programs use both, within a range of hours (29 CFR 29.5(b)(2)). Each registered program sets its own term inside what the approved title allows.
What technical writers earn, by state
New Jersey has the highest state median for technical writers ($122,320) and Puerto Rico the lowest ($46,950), across the 46 states with a published figure.
| State | Median pay | Hourly | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Jersey | $122,320 | $58.81 | 1,550 |
| District of Columbia | $117,810 | $56.64 | 440 |
| Massachusetts | $109,200 | $52.50 | 1,850 |
| Washington | $104,070 | $50.03 | 1,620 |
| California | $104,000 | $50.00 | 5,280 |
| Rhode Island | $102,360 | $49.21 | 150 |
| Connecticut | $101,870 | $48.98 | 770 |
| Maryland | $100,990 | $48.55 | 1,780 |
| Colorado | $100,610 | $48.37 | 1,320 |
| New York | $98,310 | $47.26 | 1,610 |
| New Hampshire | $96,300 | $46.30 | 230 |
| New Mexico | $94,970 | $45.66 | 420 |
| Virginia | $93,600 | $45.00 | 2,280 |
| Delaware | $90,370 | $43.45 | 80 |
| Nevada | $88,750 | $42.67 | 230 |
| Illinois | $88,700 | $42.65 | 1,040 |
| Vermont | $87,860 | $42.24 | 60 |
| Pennsylvania | $87,620 | $42.12 | 1,330 |
| North Carolina | $86,320 | $41.50 | 2,860 |
| Florida | $86,240 | $41.46 | 2,550 |
| Alabama | $85,840 | $41.27 | 630 |
| Michigan | $85,270 | $40.99 | 970 |
| Oregon | $84,000 | $40.38 | 590 |
| Minnesota | $83,270 | $40.03 | 910 |
| Alaska | $83,200 | $40.00 | 130 |
| Texas | $82,750 | $39.78 | 3,340 |
| South Carolina | $82,540 | $39.68 | 700 |
| Kentucky | $81,070 | $38.97 | 340 |
| Missouri | $80,840 | $38.86 | 500 |
| Utah | $80,270 | $38.59 | 570 |
| Wisconsin | $80,030 | $38.48 | 910 |
| Arizona | $79,780 | $38.36 | 730 |
| Tennessee | $79,550 | $38.24 | 480 |
| Ohio | $76,480 | $36.77 | 1,350 |
| Indiana | $75,510 | $36.30 | 540 |
| Montana | $75,070 | $36.09 | 160 |
| Kansas | $73,550 | $35.36 | 480 |
| Georgia | $73,070 | $35.13 | 1,680 |
| North Dakota | $72,990 | $35.09 | 70 |
| Oklahoma | $69,760 | $33.54 | 600 |
| Iowa | $66,520 | $31.98 | 640 |
| Mississippi | $65,220 | $31.36 | 70 |
| Louisiana | $63,790 | $30.67 | 320 |
| South Dakota | $63,350 | $30.46 | 70 |
| Arkansas | $61,180 | $29.41 | 150 |
| Puerto Rico | $46,950 | $22.57 | 60 |
Finding a program
The public sponsor file names the organizations that run registered apprenticeships but not the occupations each one trains, so this guide names no sponsor. Search apprenticeship.gov's Apprenticeship Finder for this title, or ask your American Job Center which local programs train it.
Apprenticeship sponsors by state (25,633) · All approved occupations
Sources: apprenticeship.gov approved occupations list (Last-Modified October 8, 2026); BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (all industries; blanks are figures BLS does not publish).