Marketing Managers Salary: $161,030 Median Pay (2026 stats)
Executive Summary
About 384,980 marketing managers work nationally, and $161,030 is the BLS national median annual wage. Employment in the series shown fell about 6% from the first to the last year; projections imply about 3.5% annual growth.
Marketing Managers: what the data shows
Common questions about marketing managers careers, answered from BLS OEWS and O*NET in this repository.
What is a marketing managers?
Marketing Managers is tracked by the Bureau of Labor Statistics under SOC 11-2021.
U.S. employment in our OEWS extract is about 384,980 workers.
What does a marketing managers do?
O*NET work activities rated highest for this occupation include Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates, Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships, Working with Computers, Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work, Making Decisions and Solving Problems, Getting Information, and related tasks. See Work Activities for the full list.
How much does a marketing managers make?
BLS national median annual wage: $161,030 (May 2024 in our extract).
Mean annual wage in our occupational extract: $209,972 — higher than the median, which often reflects top earners in the distribution.
Wage percentiles below are from the California OEWS extract (not national unless noted).
| Wage percentile | Annual wage |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $99,705 |
| 25th percentile | $133,572 |
| Median (50th) | $181,463 |
What skills do you need?
O*NET ratings for this occupation emphasize skills such as Active Learning, Active Listening, Reading Comprehension, Social Perceptiveness, Speaking, Critical Thinking, and knowledge areas including Sales and Marketing, English Language, Administration and Management, Customer and Personal Service. See Education & Skills for detail.
Is marketing managers in demand?
Historical employment trend in our series implies about 3.5% annual growth (compound rate in the extract).
Five-year projected employment change: 18.7%.
Ten-year projected employment change: 41.0%.
Current U.S. headcount: 384,980.
We report federal series only—compare wages, growth, and openings against your target market.
Where do marketing managerss work?
Top industries by employment share in our OEWS industry extract:
| Industry | Employment | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Cross-industry | 384,980 | 19.3% |
| Cross-industry, Private Ownership only | 378,820 | 19.0% |
| Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 97,200 | 4.9% |
| Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 97,200 | 4.9% |
| Management of Companies and Enterprises | 50,050 | 2.5% |
| Management of Companies and Enterprises | 50,050 | 2.5% |
See Industry for charts.
What degrees lead to this career?
Common majors for Marketing Managers in O*NET:
See Related degrees.
What careers are related?
Other occupations linked through shared degree pathways in our mapping:
| Occupation | U.S. employment | Median wage |
|---|---|---|
| Sales & Office Occupations | 1,441,580 | — |
| Computer Systems Analysts | 497,800 | $103,790 |
| Accountants and Auditors | 1,448,290 | $81,680 |
| Personal Financial Advisors | 270,480 | $102,140 |
| Financial Analysts | 340,580 | $101,350 |
| General and Operations Managers | 3,584,420 | $102,950 |
| Public Relations Specialists | 280,590 | $69,780 |
Employment
Employment and salary information for the Marketing Managers workforce.
Employment Over Time
384,980 U.S. workforce (OEWS)
California employment for Marketing Managers grew from 124,540 in 2009 to 215,700 in 2025 (73.2%).
Historical employment for Marketing Managers from the California OEWS series, 2009–2025. The U.S. workforce figure is national and is not the endpoint of this line.
Yearly Wage Ranking
$161,030 Median pay (BLS national)
Marketing Managers earn $161,030 as the BLS national median annual wage.
Wage ranking compared to other occupations.
Wage Distribution
This chart shows the distribution of average salaries by income buckets for Marketing Managers.
Salary distribution for Marketing Managers.
Employment Growth Projections
3.5% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR)
256,090 Projected Employment (5 years)
Projected growth: 18.7%
304,045 Projected Employment (10 years)
Projected growth: 41.0%
This occupation is projected to grow at 3.5% annually, indicating strong future demand.
Historical employment trends and future projections for Marketing Managers.
Industry
Information on the industries that employ Marketing Managers and on wages for those in the field.
Occupations by Industries
This graphic shows the share of Marketing Managers employed by various industries.
Industry distribution for Marketing Managers.
Wage Trends by Industry
20.0% Average Annual Wage Growth Rate
Historical wage growth trends by industry for Marketing Managers.
Geographic Distribution
Employment and wage information by geographic location for Marketing Managers.
State employment and wages are from the U.S. BLS OEWS May 2024 state extract. Metropolitan areas use the national MSA file when available.
Top States by Employment
Top States by Employment:
- CA: 56,300 employees, $206,150 avg wage
- NY: 49,480 employees, $195,720 avg wage
- TX: 43,920 employees, $153,550 avg wage
- IL: 21,670 employees, $158,900 avg wage
- FL: 20,630 employees, $148,110 avg wage
- MA: 13,520 employees, $200,400 avg wage
- PA: 12,700 employees, $155,840 avg wage
- NJ: 11,750 employees, $190,930 avg wage
- NC: 11,020 employees, $162,740 avg wage
- WA: 9,770 employees, $184,580 avg wage
Top 10 states by employment for Marketing Managers.
Top Metropolitan Areas
Top Metropolitan Areas:
- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ: 49,750 employees, $199,840 avg wage
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA: 19,180 employees, $181,150 avg wage
- Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN: 17,970 employees, $162,300 avg wage
- Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX: 17,040 employees, $155,510 avg wage
- San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA: 12,820 employees, $228,200 avg wage
- Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH: 11,440 employees, $204,310 avg wage
- Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV: 9,480 employees, $189,850 avg wage
- Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX: 9,210 employees, $156,470 avg wage
- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA: 7,590 employees, $284,960 avg wage
- Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD: 7,270 employees, $169,770 avg wage
Top 10 metropolitan statistical areas by employment for Marketing Managers.
Diversity
Demographic information on Marketing Managers in the US.
Gender and Age
The U.S. workforce for Marketing Managers is about 384,980 people in our OEWS extract.
Gender and age distribution for Marketing Managers.
Races
Racial and ethnic shares when present in the career dataset. If the chart area shows a notice instead, occupational race/ethnicity fields are not yet populated for this extract.
Race and ethnicity distribution for Marketing Managers.
Education & Skills
Data on higher education choices and required skills for Marketing Managers.
Majors
The most common majors achieved by Marketing Managers in 2023 were Marketing, Business, Communications.
Common majors for Marketing Managers.
Education Levels
The main educational levels achieved by Marketing Managers workers.
Education level distribution for Marketing Managers.
Skills
Marketing Managers need many skills, but most especially Active Learning, Active Listening, Reading Comprehension, Social Perceptiveness, Speaking.
Required skills for Marketing Managers.
Knowledge & Abilities
Knowledge areas and abilities required for Marketing Managers.
Knowledge Areas
The most important knowledge areas for Marketing Managers include Sales and Marketing, English Language, Administration and Management, Customer and Personal Service, Communications and Media.
Knowledge areas required for Marketing Managers.
Abilities
Key abilities needed for Marketing Managers include Written Comprehension, Oral Expression, Oral Comprehension, Written Expression, Deductive Reasoning.
Required abilities for Marketing Managers.
Work Activities
Common work activities performed by Marketing Managers.
Daily Activities
Marketing Managers spend their time on activities such as Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates, Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships, Working with Computers, Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work, Making Decisions and Solving Problems.
Most important work activities for Marketing Managers.
About
Marketing Managers
Marketing Managers earn $161,030 as the BLS national median annual wage.
SOC Code
11-2021 - Marketing Managers
Insights and Analysis
High earnings profile: Marketing Managers reports an average salary of $209,972, placing it among stronger-paying occupations.
Labor market presence: The current workforce is approximately 384,980 workers, indicating sustained demand.
Forward outlook: Projected annual growth is 3.5%, which should inform long-term career planning.
Data Sources
This page uses data from the following sources:
- College Scorecard - U.S. Department of Education
- Institutional characteristics, costs, completion rates, and earnings data
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: collegescorecard.ed.gov
- Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)
- Employment and wage data by occupation
- Latest data: May 2024
- Source: bls.gov/oes
- O*NET Online - U.S. Department of Labor
- Occupational skills, knowledge, abilities, and work activities
- Database version: 28.0 (August 2023)
- Source: onetcenter.org
- IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) - National Center for Education Statistics
- Institutional data, completions, enrollment, and financial aid
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: nces.ed.gov/ipeds
- Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS)
- Demographic and workforce data
- Latest data: 2023 ACS 5-Year Estimates
- Source: census.gov/acs
Data Processing: All data has been processed, cleaned, and aggregated for presentation. Where specific data points are unavailable, estimates are based on available data and clearly marked.
Last Updated: Data reflects the most recent available information as of January 2025.
Methodology
Data for this profile is sourced from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS), and O*NET Online.
All wage figures represent annual averages and may vary by location, industry, and experience level.