Creative pay 2026
Copywriter salary in New Jersey (2026)
Writers and copywriters in New Jersey earn a median $81,590 a year ($39.23 an hour), according to BLS wage data for May 2025. That is close to the US median for the job ($76,910), 10th of 44 states and territories. The median for every job in New Jersey is $58,570, so this pays 39% more than the typical job there.
- $81,590median a year in New Jersey
- $39.23median an hour
- +6%vs the US median ($76,910)
- 1,180employee jobs (BLS estimate)
What is the salary range for a copywriter in New Jersey?
Half of writers and copywriters in New Jersey earn between $60,610 and $103,120. Pay is bunched more tightly than nationally: the 90th percentile is 2.6 times the 10th, against 3.2 times across the US.
| 10th percentile | $49,770 | $44,310 | $23.93 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 25th | $60,610 | $58,230 | $29.14 |
| Median | $81,590 | $76,910 | $39.23 |
| 75th | $103,120 | $101,950 | $49.58 |
| 90th percentile | $128,820 | $139,870 | $61.93 |
The mean (average) is $87,170, above the median, pulled up by the highest earners.
How does New Jersey compare with other states?
New Jersey sits 10th of 44, between Virginia ($85,000) and Oregon ($80,540).
| Massachusetts | $85,260 | +4% | 1,350 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Virginia | $85,000 | +4% | 1,530 |
| Oregon | $80,540 | −1% | 950 |
| Pennsylvania | $77,410 | −5% | 1,080 |
Which cities in New Jersey pay writers and copywriters best?
Of the 3 metro areas in New Jersey where BLS publishes a median for the job, Trenton-Princeton pays most, at $90,060, 10% above the state median.
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD | 560 | $84,130 | $40.45 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trenton-Princeton, NJ | 110 | $90,060 | $43.30 |
| Atlantic City-Hammonton, NJ | 50 | $60,700 | $29.18 |
How many writers and copywriters work in New Jersey?
BLS estimates 1,180 employee jobs, 0.28 in every 1,000 jobs in the state. It is about as common here as nationally (location quotient 0.90). The employment estimate is rough: its relative standard error is 20%.
Employees only. BLS does not count the self-employed, who are a large share of several creative jobs.
What do other creative jobs pay in New Jersey?
2 of the 4 other creative jobs below pay a higher median in New Jersey.
| UX/UI designer | $95,310 | 2,170 |
|---|---|---|
| Video editor | $82,890 | 620 |
| Graphic designer | $73,790 | 5,670 |
| Photographer | $40,520 | 1,460 |
What do freelance writers and copywriters charge?
Upwork, copywriters list $19 to $45 an hour, worldwide. New Jersey's employee median of $39.23 an hour is inside that range. The rate calculator works out an hourly rate from the salary you want.
Questions
What is the average copywriter salary in New Jersey?
The median is $81,590 a year and the mean is $87,170, from BLS data for May 2025 covering about 1,180 employee jobs.
How much does a copywriter make an hour in New Jersey?
The median hourly wage is $39.23. The bottom 10% earn under $23.93 and the top 10% over $61.93.
What does a starting copywriter earn in New Jersey?
BLS does not publish pay by experience. The lowest-paid quarter of writers and copywriters in New Jersey earn under $60,610 a year and the lowest-paid tenth under $49,770, which is the nearest guide to starting pay.
Get the Slice Weekly
One free email every Friday: tools for creators and the best advice we found from people who make things.
Where do these numbers come from?
US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 (published 15 May 2026). Occupation 27-3043, Writers and Authors. Employees only; annual figures are hourly times 2,080.
n = 1,180 jobs in the New Jersey estimate. Last updated 2 October 2026.
Get the data
Free · CSV and JSON · 2 files
This page’s own figures as a CSV, and the full files behind What creative jobs pay in 2026. One email unlocks every download on Slice’s data pages.
- This page’s figures (CSV) Every table and figure on this page, with its source line.
- Every role, country and source (CSV) One row per role, country and measure: percentiles for employees and every published freelance rate, with its source.
- The full dataset (JSON) Everything above plus every US state and metro table, the outlook figures and the source records.
Free to reuse under CC BY 4.0: credit “Slice (tryslicemedia.com)” and link to this page. Leave the box unticked and we send you nothing. Everything on this page stays free to read without an email.
Copywriter pay in other states
- District of Columbia $129,300
- Maryland $104,330
- Connecticut $98,460
- Louisiana $89,520
- California $86,480
- Washington $85,700
- Massachusetts $85,260
- Virginia $85,000
- Oregon $80,540
- Pennsylvania $77,410
- Colorado $76,830
- Indiana $75,820