THE 2006 WritersUA Salary Survey

Experience • Gender • Location • Training • Management • Organization Size • Satisfaction • Contractors/Part-Timers • Canada and Others • Survey Home

The data values for those identifying themselves as contractors or part-time workers are significantly different than from the broader population. So we separated that data from the main set.

Contractors

Of 904 total respondents, 81 indicated that they work as either an independent contractor or through an agency. We were only able to create reliable averages for the group of 65 U.S. contractors.

Average income is not a very descriptive statistic for this group because (1) many contractors are paid for every hour they work, and (2) a number of contractors work less than full-time. We converted reported income to an average hourly wage using the average number of weekly work hours submitted by the respondents. We assumed 50 weeks of work per year.

This pegs the average hourly wage at $38.95, an increase from last year's average of $37.47. The hourly wage rates range from a high of $78 to a minimum of $13. Forty percent of the respondents earn between $40 and $50 per hour.

On average, contractors receive an hourly wage rate that is 17% higher than their salaried counterparts average of $33.23. This gap has increased from 14% in 2005. However, it is still below the 25% difference that existed in the 2003 survey. This should be unsettling for contractors as very few of them receive non-monetary benefits, bonuses, or long-term contracts. These workers are expected to make up for the lack of this security through the overall higher wage rates that they receive. In addition, small business taxes cost many contractors 30 to 40% of their earnings. Coupled with the lack of insurance, vacation, and profit-sharing benefits, the reason people choose to work on contract often has more to do with quality of life issues than with compensation.

Part-Timers

We received responses from 37 people who indicated they work fewer than 35 hours per week. We separated these responses from the rest of the data. This group does not include those who identify themselves as contractors.

• Their weekly work load ranges from 8 to 32 hours.
• Of the thirty-seven part-timers, eleven are men.
• Half of the part-timers work in organizations with just fifty total employees.