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The percentiles by state in the new database are useless.
National percentiles in the old survey were also useless.
The way you got anything out of them was to compare the
50th percentile in the table against the median salary by
zipcode for your area and calculate a ratio that you
applied to the rest of the national percentiles.
Unfortunately, there is no data by zipcode in the new
database. I calculated the ratio for SV from the 2005
survey, though, and it does seem to still reflect reality
to some extent, so I guess you can still make some use
of the survey that way for personal scorekeeping, but
I'm doubtful of its persuasive value in an effort to
convince a company's execs to increase a salary range.
There is also no longer any differentiation by job type,
so if you fall into any of the other categories from the
2005 survey other than "technical writer" (a job title
I have not had since 1993), the new database is
ignoring you completely.
I am also scratching my head at the metro area data, as
it says there are more "technical writers" employed in
the LA metro area than there are in Silicon Valley. I
suppose a higher supply in LA is one possible reason
why salaries are abysmally lower there than in SV,
but I suspect it has more to do with the large number
of "technical writer" postings I see in SoCal job
listings that require only a high school diploma.
> Well, I've just looked at the data that is available online at STC.org for
> "free" (if you are a member), and I am somewhat appalled.
>
> I must not be living in the real world or something, but the salaries quoted
> look very low based on what I *know* people are making here, and based on
> what I make. (I can't believe I am in the 90th percentile!) And, I am in a
> state that is in the bottom four to tech writing salaries anyway.
>
> Those numbers could set technical writer salaries back 20 years.
>
> I'd like to know what those of you on this list think, if you have access to
> the numbers. Am I totally wacked out, or do the numbers look wrong to you
> too? (Gene, your input would be interesting, esp. since you are in CA).
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