Writers and Authors Salary — Lansing, Michigan

The average Writers and Authors in Lansing, Michigan earns $72,480 a year.

$72,480 / year, mean
↓ 12.7% below national average 67th percentile in Michigan

Lansing sits roughly in the middle of the pack for this role within Michigan — neither a standout nor a laggard. That's noticeably below the national average for writers and authors, worth factoring into any relocation math. Cost of living here is close to the national average — not a major factor either way. This estimate comes from a smaller sample than most cities in this dataset — treat the exact figure with a bit more caution.

Percentile within Michigan

0th 50th 100th
Employment (this metro)
30
Estimate confidence
RSE 16.9%
Cost of living 95 #103 most expensive of 188 cities in this dataset 100 = U.S. average · Source: BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024
Crime index 1688 #77 safest of 188 cities in this dataset Per 100k residents · Source: FBI Crime Data Explorer
Median home value $250,377 #136 priciest of 188 cities in this dataset Source: zillow_real
Median household income $70,886 #101 highest of 188 cities in this dataset Source: Census Bureau ACS 5-year

Combining these four figures gives a fuller picture than salary alone: Lansing ranks #103 for cost of living and #136 for home prices among the 188 cities in this pilot dataset, which matters as much as the headline salary number when comparing where to live.

San Jose $120,540 Santa Rosa $113,000 Oxnard $102,320 San Diego $101,560 Baltimore $101,430 Deltona $99,910 Seattle $98,430 Los Angeles $98,070 Philadelphia $95,850 San Luis Obispo $94,260 Portland $94,070 Austin $92,620 Sacramento $92,290 Albany $88,960 Riverside $88,320 Trenton $84,730 Santa Maria $84,700 Detroit $83,390 Medford $82,240 Bakersfield $81,820 Rochester $81,120 Charlottesville $80,940 Chicago $80,510 Syracuse $80,160 Houston $79,840 Harrisburg $79,410 Dallas $78,900 San Antonio $78,740 Fresno $78,550 Glens Falls $78,160 Orlando $77,770 Tampa $76,290 Bend $75,820 Buffalo $75,260 Virginia Beach $74,730 Fort Wayne $73,160 Lansing $72,480 Richmond $71,390 Tallahassee $70,840 Lancaster $70,700 Fort Myers $70,180 Miami $69,200 Charleston $68,970 Spokane $65,180 Sarasota $63,530 Atlantic City $63,280 Jacksonville $62,210 Louisville $57,290 Lexington $56,940 Ann Arbor $46,040
CityMean salaryvs. Lansing
Albany, New York$88,960+22.7%
Ann Arbor, Michigan$46,040-36.5%
Atlantic City, New Jersey$63,280-12.7%
Austin, Texas$92,620+27.8%
Bakersfield, California$81,820+12.9%
Baltimore, Maryland$101,430+39.9%
Bend, Oregon$75,820+4.6%
Buffalo, New York$75,260+3.8%
Fort Myers, Florida$70,180-3.2%
Charleston, West Virginia$68,970-4.8%
Charlottesville, Virginia$80,940+11.7%
Chicago, Illinois$80,510+11.1%
Dallas, Texas$78,900+8.9%
Deltona, Florida$99,910+37.8%
Detroit, Michigan$83,390+15.1%
Fort Wayne, Indiana$73,160+0.9%
Fresno, California$78,550+8.4%
Glens Falls, New York$78,160+7.8%
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania$79,410+9.6%
Houston, Texas$79,840+10.2%
Jacksonville, Florida$62,210-14.2%
Lancaster, Pennsylvania$70,700-2.5%
Lexington, Kentucky$56,940-21.4%
Los Angeles, California$98,070+35.3%
Louisville, Kentucky$57,290-21.0%
Medford, Oregon$82,240+13.5%
Miami, Florida$69,200-4.5%
Sarasota, Florida$63,530-12.3%
Orlando, Florida$77,770+7.3%
Oxnard, California$102,320+41.2%
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania$95,850+32.2%
Portland, Oregon$94,070+29.8%
Richmond, Virginia$71,390-1.5%
Riverside, California$88,320+21.9%
Rochester, New York$81,120+11.9%
Sacramento, California$92,290+27.3%
San Antonio, Texas$78,740+8.6%
San Diego, California$101,560+40.1%
San Jose, California$120,540+66.3%
San Luis Obispo, California$94,260+30.0%
Santa Maria, California$84,700+16.9%
Santa Rosa, California$113,000+55.9%
Seattle, Washington$98,430+35.8%
Spokane, Washington$65,180-10.1%
Syracuse, New York$80,160+10.6%
Tallahassee, Florida$70,840-2.3%
Tampa, Florida$76,290+5.3%
Trenton, New Jersey$84,730+16.9%
Virginia Beach, Virginia$74,730+3.1%
Gross salary
72,480/yr
Estimated take-home
56,319/yr
Est. total withheld
22.3%

Single filer, federal + Michigan state tax + FICA, 2025 rates. Does not include state-specific payroll withholdings beyond income tax (see Data transparency). Not tax advice — verify with a professional for your specific situation.

Data transparency

Sources used for this page

Official occupation and area metadata behind the visible salary, cost, housing and safety signals.

Occupation 27-3043 SOC code
Official area Lansing-East Lansing, MI BLS metro/geographic area
Area code 29620 Stable geographic key
Reference year 2025 BLS OEWS
Cost: bea_realHousing: zillow_realCrime: latest availableNet-pay source: mi_treasury_verificado 2025
Metro also includes
East Lansing
No additional caveats are attached to this row.
Methodology

How this page is built

The salary figure is the mean annual wage reported by the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) program for this occupation and metro area. Percentile and national-average comparisons are calculated directly from the 188 cities currently in this dataset, not from a fixed external benchmark. Cost of living, crime and housing figures come from BEA, FBI and Zillow respectively — see "Data transparency" above for the exact sources and reference years used on this specific page.

Confidence: the RSE (relative standard error) shown under Overview indicates how reliable the salary estimate is for this metro — a lower RSE means a larger underlying sample.