Writing and Editing

What the Numbers Say About Writing and Editing

0.1% of the federal civilian workforce (2,289,472 employees total, March 2025) works in the Writing and Editing occupation (OPM code 1082): 1,191 people, headcount down -1.7% versus the prior period, a modest but trackable signal for anyone considering this specialized federal career path.

The average salary for Writing and Editing is $127,133 per year, placing it 15.7% above the overall federal civilian average of $109,869. Salaries moved up by 1.9% from the prior period, a modest shift, consistent with routine locality pay and grade-level movement. Average length of service in this role is 13.3 years, a mid-length average tenure, reflecting a mix of career employees and those who transfer or exit mid-career.

Writing and Editing sits inside the Information and Arts Group family (code 10), which contains 16 related occupations across the federal government. Candidates browsing USAJOBS for Writing and Editing postings should also review these sibling occupations, since federal hiring managers often cross-post positions across closely related codes when recruitment is difficult. All figures here come directly from OPM FedScope Employment Cubes, the same official source referenced in federal workforce planning, budget justifications, and GAO reports.

Writing and Editing makes up 6.0% of the 19,923 employees across the Information and Arts Group family, ranking #4 of 16 occupations in that family by headcount. Its average salary ranks in the top half (94th percentile) of pay among Information and Arts Group occupations.