We’re going beyond salary and job titles. We’ve asked content designers about the details of their day-to-day work, so you can compare your experience with peers.
The content design industry is global, and so our survey is too. We’ve received responses from countries on every continent, (except Antarctica!)
That number will change based on where you live—we've included statistics for countries with more than 20 respondents below.
And that's just base salary. Many content designers in the United States earn bonuses and other benefits, like stock options.
This highest reported base salary actually comes from Europe—well above the median salary range in the US: $61,000 - $80,000.
| Country | Salary range |
|---|---|
| United States | US $121,000-$140,000 |
| United Kingdom | US $81,000-$100,000 |
| Canada | US $61,000-$80,000 |
| Israel | US $81,000-$100,000 |
| Australia | US $81,000-$100,000 |
| Median Group | Male | Female | |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | US $121,000-$140,000 | US $121,000-$140,000 | US $121,000-$140,000 |
| United Kingdom | US $81,000-$100,000 | US $61,000-$80,000 | US $81,000-$100,000 |
| Canada | US $61,000-$80,000 | US $81,000-$100,000 | US $81,000-$100,000 |
| Israel | US $81,000-$100,000 | US $61,000-$80,000 | N/A |
| Australia | US $81,000-$100,000 | US $81,000-$100,000 | US $81,000-$100,000 |
| Worldwide | US $81,000-$100,000 | US $81,000-$100,000 | US $101,000-$120,000 |
That number is a median range, and changes based on location—in the United States, you can expect to earn a base salary of US $141,000 - $160,000 with that same level of experience.
| (USD) | Less than 1 year | 1-3 years | 4-6 years | 7-9 years | 10+ years |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $1,000-9,000 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| $10,000-19,000 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| $20,000-40,000 | 0 | 14 | 5 | 1 | 1 |
| $41,000-60,000 | 3 | 38 | 13 | 5 | 3 |
| $61,000-80,000 | 5 | 42 | 24 | 6 | 7 |
| $81,000-100,000 | 6 | 36 | 38 | 7 | 9 |
| $101,000-120,000 | 4 | 29 | 23 | 16 | 8 |
| $121,000-140,000 | 1 | 16 | 28 | 12 | 9 |
| $141,000-160,000 | 1 | 10 | 19 | 12 | 12 |
| $161,000-180,000 | 0 | 4 | 9 | 8 | 9 |
| $181,000-200,000 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 3 | 7 |
| $201,000-220,000 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 |
| $221,000-240,000 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| $241,000-260,000 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| $261,000-300,000 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| $301,000-350,000 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| $401,000+ | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Bonuses are usually awarded for performance, profit sharing agreements, and seniority. But they're less common outside the United States—of those who receive bonuses, over 60% live in the US.
Just a reminder to ask for what you're worth: among those who did negotiate, only 14% were unsuccessful. Go for it!
| Do you receive any stock as part of your compensation? | Count |
|---|---|
| No, I did not receive any stock as part of my compensation | 242 |
| Yes, I am granted RSUs (no additional cost to you, company pays) | 202 |
| Yes, I am granted stock purchase options (you pay a low purchase price compared to market) | 91 |
| Bonuses | Count |
|---|---|
| No additional bonus paid | 254 |
| Additional 5-9% of salary | 104 |
| Additional 10-14% of salary | 81 |
| Additional 15-19% of salary | 40 |
| Additional 20-24% of salary | 22 |
| Additional 25-29% of salary | 9 |
| Additional 30-34% of salary | 2 |
| Additional 35-39% of salary | 1 |
| Additional 40-44% of salary | 2 |
| Higher than 45% of salary | 6 |
| Hiring bonus | 55 |
| Base annual salary | 221 |
| I did not negotitate | 214 |
| Equity options | 41 |
| Scope of role or job title | 34 |
| Vacation time | 27 |
| Annual bonus | 43 |
| I negotiated but was unsuccessful | 45 |
That equates to an annualized salary of at least US $126,880 (based on 40 hours per week, 52 weeks a year). That's right in line with the median worldwide range for content designers employed full-time.
| Hourly rate | Count | Annualiszed salary range (minimum) |
|---|---|---|
| Less than $19 | 9 | >$41,000 |
| $20-30 | 9 | $ 41,600.00 |
| $31-40 | 11 | $ 64,480.00 |
| $41-50 | 10 | $ 85,280.00 |
| $51-60 | 9 | $ 106,080.00 |
| $61-70 | 5 | $ 126,880.00 |
| $71-80 | 7 | $ 147,680.00 |
| $81-90 | 12 | $ 168,480.00 |
| $91-100 | 9 | $ 189,280.00 |
| $101-110 | 5 | $ 210,080.00 |
| $111-120 | 3 | $ 230,880.00 |
| $121-130 | 4 | $ 251,680.00 |
| $141-150 | 1 | $ 293,280.00 |
| $151-170 | 3 | $ 314,080.00 |
| $171-190 | 1 | $ 355,680.00 |
| $191-210 | 1 | $ 397,280.00 |
| $231-250 | 1 | $ 480,480.00 |
| $250 and higher | 1 | $ 520,000.00 |
That is the most common title in the industry, according to the survey. That's a large change from our 2019 survey, in which “UX writer” was the most common title.
Only 11% of respondents called themselves “content strategists.” They also said they collaborate most often with product managers, product designers, and UX researchers—the same most common collaborators as those who call themselves “content designers.”
| Titles | Count |
|---|---|
| Content Designer | 248 |
| UX Writer | 163 |
| Content Strategist or UX Content Strategist | 64 |
| Copywriter or UX Copywriter | 17 |
| Technical Writer | 14 |
| Designer or general UX | 14 |
Technical writers and translators topped the list of those with whom content designers collaborated the least.
Download your custom report to see the top collaborators for your stats.
| No collaboration | A little collaboration | Some collaboration | A lot of collaboration | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Translators | 166 | 231 | 119 | 42 |
| PMs | 16 | 51 | 206 | 285 |
| Marketers | 95 | 258 | 160 | 45 |
| Product Designers | 16 | 33 | 64 | 445 |
| UX researchers | 49 | 114 | 197 | 198 |
| Front-end developers | 43 | 193 | 223 | 99 |
| Support or help writers | 125 | 246 | 109 | 78 |
| Technical writers | 175 | 245 | 89 | 49 |
| Other content designers | 47 | 107 | 162 | 242 |
That changes based on your location. For instance, Canadian content designers were more likely to say "supporting too many designers" was a top problem.
Eleven lucky respondents said they support between 16-20 designers or projects.
Download your custom report to see the top challenges for your stats.
| What are the most common challenges you regularly face in your role? | Sum | % |
|---|---|---|
| Not included in important meetings | 303 | 57.39% |
| Supporting too many designers or projects | 271 | 51.33% |
| Pushback from stakeholders | 235 | 44.51% |
| Lack of influence | 218 | 41.29% |
| Too much energy spent explaining the role | 147 | 27.84% |
| Not paid enough | 86 | 16.29% |
| Lack of work-life balance | 66 | 12.50% |
| Lack of support from UX managers | 60 | 11.36% |
| Not familiar enough with tools | 48 | 9.09% |
The next most common? “Solving complex problems” followed by “collaborating with lots of people.”
The least common response was “teaching others about UX writing.”
| What part of your job brings you the most joy? | Sum | % |
|---|---|---|
| Crafting experiences with words | 357 | 67.61% |
| Solving complex problems | 294 | 55.68% |
| Collaborating with lots of people | 248 | 46.97% |
| Helping humans use tech | 223 | 42.23% |
| Getting paid to do work I love | 192 | 36.36% |
| Launching completed projects | 105 | 19.89% |
| Customer research | 93 | 17.61% |
| Teaching others UX writing | 77 | 14.58% |
Median salary ranges, bonuses, and stock compensation for your stats—see how much you may earn with more experience.
Colleagues, collaborators, challenges, and more—see which aspects of your career might change, and what you can do to prepare.
We’ve reviewed every report to give recommendations and guidance that makes sense for content designers at your level.**
* In our survey, we allowed users to self-identify. We received fewer than 10 responses worldwide for people who explicitly identify as non-binary, trans, and other gender identities, which is below our statistically significant threshold for providing breakout results. If you have any questions please reach us at info@uxcontent.com.
** Where relevant, we’ve provided some recommendations for career growth. These are general recommendations and may not apply to your specific situation.
This data is based on a survey we conducted in early 2023. Your personal circumstances may differ from the data we received—use this report as inspiration and not a guarantee of future results. For example, training and education may not guarantee future results such as higher compensation, seniority, or more responsibility in your role. Training provided by us is not a guarantee that you will achieve the outcomes listed in our report. In some areas, we’ve combined datasets in order to produce a statistically significant sample. For example, we may combine data from countries or combine gender identities. We’ll clearly note if that’s the case in your report.
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