Average Salary

• As independent writers and authors, playwrights made an average salary of $101,110 per year in 2010, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. This salary was significantly higher than the average salary earned by all authors, writers and editors nationwide, who managed to bring home only $65,960 by comparison. Only those in the category of "lessors of nonfinancial intangible assets" made a higher average, as listed by the bureau.
  
  

Pay Scale

• Placing playwrights within the larger pay scale for all authors, writers and editors can provide some additional context. The Bureau of Labor Statistics indicates that those working in this field earned salaries ranging from $28,610 to more than $109,440, as of 2010. The median salary for those working in this field was $55,420 per year while those in the middle half of the pay scale earned salaries from $39,330 to $77,560.
  
  

Location

• Location seems to provide some indication of how much playwrights and other writers can expect to make. New York and California were the two states with the highest employment level for writers of all kinds in 2010 and were the leading states in terms of average salary. Those employed in New York made an average of $88,630 while those employed in California managed to bring home an average of $85,170. Aside from the District of Columbia, where the average salary was $80,540 per year, all other states reported annual salaries under $70,000 per year.
  
  

Determination of Pay

• According to the Dramatists Guild of America, the playwright who sells her work should be able to receive royalties on that work, even after any initial upfront fees are paid. The amount of the royalty depends on the size of the production. Playwrights also have the right to receive credit for their work in any live performance in which it is used. This billing compensation allows the playwright to establish her name within the live performance field and gain a reputation that may allow her to sell other work more easily in the future.