I was surprised by some of these numbers from a National Endowment for the Arts study reported in Publisher’s Weekly . Twenty-five years ago, the median earnings from a study like this were below the poverty level. Maybe they still are. What is considered the poverty level now? Perhaps it is a higher number than I think it is.
Authors & Writers by the Numbers
185,276: Total number of authors and writers, 2005
39: % increase in authors between 1990 and 2005
51.9: % of authors who work full-time writing
$50,800: Median income for full-time authors, 2005
$38,700: Median income for entire civilian labor force, 2005
$38,800: Median income for all authors, 2005
$47,300: Median income for male authors, 2005
$33,300: Median income for female authors, 2005
54.9: % of authors who are female
10.8: % of authors who are minorities
26.8: % of authors under age 35
83.1: % of authors with at least a bachelor’s degree
45.9: % of authors who are self-employed
50,000: Estimated number of writers living in California and New York
1: Rank of Santa Fe, N.Mex., among cities, authors per capita
Source: National Endowment for the Arts study Artists in the Workforce: 1990–2005
