Outlook

• The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics expects the rate of employment for lyricists to increase by 8 percent between 2008 and 2018. This rate is approximately equal to the average rate of growth for all occupations over this time period. The increasing use of multimedia to reach consumers will continue to drive the employment growth rate for lyricists. The declining cost of self-publishing will cause many employed lyricists to become freelancers.
  
  

National Salaries

• The average salary for lyricists in 2010 was $61,400 per year, according to CBsalary. The bottom fourth of lyricists earned $45,949 on average, and the average annual salary for the top fourth was $90,603. The average annual salary for all writers as of 2010 was close to $65,960, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The average for the bottom fourth was $39,330 per year and the top quarter of writers earned an average of $77,560.
  
  

Industry Profile

• Writers working as independent artists typically earn the highest salaries with an average of $101,110 per year. Publishers pay their writers an average of $56,210 per year, and writers at advertising and public relations firms make an average $72,710 per year. Writers working in radio and television make an average of $66,110 per year.
  
  

Geographic Profile

• The highest-paid lyricists work in Washington, D.C., according to Simply Hired, where the average annual salary is $127,000 in 2011. Lyricists in New York earn an average of $95,000 per year, and those in California have average salaries of $91,000 per year. The average salary of a lyricist in Maryland is $91,000 per year, and lyricists in Washington state earn an average of $89,000 per year.