Marketing managers salary
| Measure | Annual | Hourly |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $90,260 | $43.39 |
| Median (50th percentile) | $166,790 | $80.19 |
| Mean (average) | $177,770 | $85.47 |
| 90th percentile | $293,610 | $141.16 |
These wages describe everyone employed in the occupation, from new entrants to experienced workers. They are not starting salaries and not earnings of graduates from any particular program. Verified data
Marketing managers pay by state and metro area
Table: median wage and employment for all 51 states and territories
| State | Median | 10th pct | 90th pct | Employment | Location quotient |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $120,160 | $70,790 | $225,300 | 1,540 | 0.29 |
| Alaska | $116,270 | $79,640 | $196,800 | 240 | 0.29 |
| Arizona | $132,220 | $86,010 | $225,150 | 4,870 | 0.59 |
| Arkansas | $136,520 | $67,340 | $223,680 | 1,860 | 0.56 |
| California | $193,620 | $104,370 | $326,400 | 54,660 | 1.18 |
| Colorado | $182,730 | $121,560 | $289,870 | 6,010 | 0.82 |
| Connecticut | $169,240 | $101,330 | $283,930 | 5,800 | 1.34 |
| Delaware | Data unavailable | 1,060 | 0.86 | ||
| District of Columbia | $177,170 | $107,400 | $291,740 | 3,470 | 1.95 |
| Florida | $142,620 | $78,250 | $261,310 | 24,820 | 0.98 |
| Georgia | $160,760 | $94,390 | $277,180 | 8,510 | 0.69 |
| Guam | $79,890 | $46,870 | $139,050 | 120 | 0.74 |
| Hawaii | $117,770 | $68,610 | $218,210 | 570 | 0.36 |
| Idaho | $142,090 | $76,690 | $251,590 | 1,320 | 0.61 |
| Illinois | $162,860 | $95,990 | $276,340 | 21,140 | 1.36 |
| Indiana | $136,260 | $82,380 | $233,460 | 3,350 | 0.41 |
| Iowa | $131,120 | $80,160 | $203,180 | 2,210 | 0.56 |
| Kansas | $154,510 | $97,870 | $243,790 | 1,570 | 0.43 |
| Kentucky | $128,930 | $77,340 | $204,550 | 1,930 | 0.38 |
| Louisiana | $120,650 | $72,800 | $208,180 | 940 | 0.19 |
| Maine | $135,380 | $92,710 | $232,310 | 1,320 | 0.81 |
| Maryland | $154,160 | $82,830 | $256,260 | 6,510 | 0.93 |
| Massachusetts | $212,020 | $122,350 | $310,510 | 14,270 | 1.54 |
| Michigan | $138,510 | $80,260 | $222,910 | 6,620 | 0.59 |
| Minnesota | $173,300 | $103,160 | $303,350 | 8,500 | 1.13 |
| Mississippi | $100,940 | $61,790 | $209,090 | 770 | 0.26 |
| Missouri | $130,550 | $76,160 | $226,700 | 6,550 | 0.88 |
| Montana | $165,580 | $90,670 | $212,760 | ||
| Nebraska | $110,570 | $74,510 | $194,650 | 1,910 | 0.73 |
| Nevada | $107,550 | $66,660 | $221,890 | 3,430 | 0.87 |
| New Hampshire | $143,280 | $96,990 | $229,920 | 1,460 | 0.84 |
| New Jersey | $180,040 | $126,760 | $298,870 | 13,510 | 1.24 |
| New Mexico | $122,980 | $77,540 | $204,770 | 800 | 0.36 |
| New York | $181,200 | $104,140 | $324,310 | 54,000 | 2.19 |
| North Carolina | $165,480 | $96,760 | $274,100 | 10,790 | 0.86 |
| North Dakota | $125,580 | $78,340 | $198,340 | 180 | 0.16 |
| Ohio | $132,330 | $77,490 | $224,990 | 10,620 | 0.75 |
| Oklahoma | $126,920 | $69,990 | $210,760 | 1,420 | 0.33 |
| Oregon | $161,560 | $93,220 | $280,020 | 4,960 | 0.99 |
| Pennsylvania | $150,810 | $76,990 | $246,320 | 13,840 | 0.9 |
| South Carolina | $143,290 | $79,870 | $275,430 | 3,760 | 0.64 |
| South Dakota | $167,750 | $101,350 | $233,820 | 220 | 0.19 |
| Tennessee | $131,990 | $78,790 | $222,680 | 7,730 | 0.93 |
| Texas | $147,880 | $81,820 | $259,200 | 44,680 | 1.25 |
| Utah | $139,830 | $79,400 | $229,240 | 6,100 | 1.38 |
| Virgin Islands | $97,760 | $74,030 | $134,870 | 60 | 0.73 |
| Virginia | $187,820 | $107,710 | $292,430 | 6,890 | 0.66 |
| Washington | $172,270 | $98,220 | $293,590 | 8,880 | 0.98 |
| West Virginia | $98,750 | $70,970 | $194,200 | 300 | 0.17 |
| Wisconsin | $133,600 | $83,990 | $211,990 | 4,890 | 0.65 |
| Wyoming | $161,580 | $96,690 | $220,380 | 100 | 0.14 |
A location quotient above 1 means the occupation is more concentrated in that state than in the nation overall.
Metro areas with the most jobs
Highest paying metro areas
Job outlook for marketing managers
- Average annual openings, 2025 to 2035: 34,000. Openings include new jobs plus replacement needs when workers retire or leave the occupation. Official projection
- Share of workers who are self-employed (2025): 5.3%.
- Read the official BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook profile.
These are official BLS projections. ConnectPrep does not alter them or present its own forecasts as official statistics.
Education and training for marketing managers
- Typical entry education
- Bachelor's degree
- Related work experience
- 5 years or more
- On-the-job training
- None
- O*NET Job Zone
- Job Zone Four: Considerable Preparation Needed
Highest education of people working in this occupation
O*NET describes this preparation level as: Most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.
Degrees and programs that lead to this career
Programs officially mapped to this occupation in the NCES and BLS CIP to SOC crosswalk. A mapping means the program commonly prepares students for the occupation, not that every graduate works in it. Official crosswalk
- Consumer Merchandising/Retailing Management CIP 19.0203
- Apparel and Textile Marketing Management CIP 19.0905
- Pharmaceutical Marketing and Management CIP 51.2011
- Marketing/Marketing Management, General CIP 52.1401
- Marketing Research CIP 52.1402
- International Marketing CIP 52.1403
- Digital Marketing CIP 52.1404
- Marketing, Other CIP 52.1499
- Hospitality and Recreation Marketing Operations CIP 52.1910
Skills, knowledge, and daily work
Most important skills
Most important knowledge areas
Typical tasks
- Formulate, direct, or coordinate marketing activities or policies to promote products or services, working with advertising or promotion managers.
- Use sales forecasting or strategic planning to ensure the sale and profitability of products, lines, or services, analyzing business developments and monitoring market trends.
- Identify, develop, or evaluate marketing strategy, based on knowledge of establishment objectives, market characteristics, and cost and markup factors.
- Direct the hiring, training, or performance evaluations of marketing or sales staff and oversee their daily activities.
- Evaluate the financial aspects of product development, such as budgets, expenditures, research and development appropriations, or return-on-investment and profit-loss projections.
- Develop pricing strategies, balancing firm objectives and customer satisfaction.
- Initiate market research studies, or analyze their findings.
- Compile lists describing product or service offerings.
Technology skills
- Atlassian JIRA (in demand)
- Microsoft Excel (in demand)
- Microsoft Office software (in demand)
- Microsoft PowerPoint (in demand)
- Salesforce software (in demand)
- Structured query language SQL (in demand)
- Adobe Acrobat (hot technology)
- Adobe After Effects (hot technology)
- Adobe Creative Cloud software (hot technology)
- Adobe Illustrator (hot technology)
- Adobe InDesign (hot technology)
- Adobe Photoshop (hot technology)
- Amazon Redshift (hot technology)
- Amazon Web Services AWS software (hot technology)
- Apache Cassandra (hot technology)
- Apache Hadoop (hot technology)
Transferable skills for career changers: Persuasion, Complex Problem Solving, Judgment and Decision Making, Systems Evaluation, Social Perceptiveness, Coordination.
Common job titles: BD Director (Business Development Director), BD Manager (Business Development Manager), Brand Manager, Market Development Executive, Market Development Manager, Marketing Communications Manager, Marketing Coordinator, Marketing Director, Product Manager, Product Marketing Manager.
Is it worth it? Model the cost of getting there
Use the ROI calculator to compare the cost of the education this career usually requires against staying on your current path. It starts from the official wage distribution above, and you can change every assumption.
Frequently asked questions
How much do marketing managers make?
The national median annual wage for marketing managers was $166,790 in May 2025, according to the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program. The lowest paid 10 percent earned less than $90,260 and the highest paid 10 percent earned more than $293,610. These figures cover all workers in the occupation, not only new entrants.
What education do marketing managers need?
BLS lists bachelor's degree as the typical education needed to enter this occupation, with 5 years or more of related work experience and none on-the-job training typically needed to become competent.
Is marketing managers a growing career?
BLS projects employment of marketing managers to change +6.9% from 2025 to 2035, compared with +3.5% for all occupations. About 34,000 openings are projected each year on average, including openings from workers who retire or change occupations.
Which states pay marketing managers the most?
By median annual wage in May 2025, the highest paying states were Massachusetts ($212,020), California ($193,620), Virginia ($187,820). Pay differences partly reflect differences in living costs.