State medians come from the same OEWS release as the national figures. The cost-of-living column divides each state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity, restating pay in national-average dollars so a high-cost state and a low-cost one can be compared directly.
Marketing Manager Salary (2026): Data, Outlook & How to Become One
Marketing Managers earn a median of $166,790 per year ($80.19/hr) (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Employment is projected to grow 6.6% through 2034, with about 34,300 openings a year (BLS EP, 2024–2034). Typical entry-level education: Bachelor's degree.
SOC 11-2021ManagementLast updated August 15, 2026
- Median pay
- $166,790
- Projected growth
- +6.6%
- Openings a year
- 34,300
- Typical education
- Bachelor's
BLS OEWS, May 2025
BLS EP, 2024–2034
BLS EP, 2024–2034
BLS EP, 2024–2034
Also advertised as: Account Supervisor, Brand Manager, Business Development Director, Business Development Manager, Commercial Lines Manager, Market Development Executive.
How much do Marketing Managers make?
10th percentile$90,260
Entry / lowest-paid tenth
25th percentile$123,020
Lower quartile
Median (50th)$166,790
Half earn more, half earn less
75th percentile$216,410
Upper quartile
90th percentile$293,610
Top-paid tenth
| Median annual wage | $166,790 |
|---|---|
| Median hourly wage | $80.19/hr |
| Mean annual wage | $177,770 |
| People employed | 395,240 |
Versus all US occupations
At $166,790, Marketing Managers earn 227% above the $50,980 median across all US occupations, a difference of $115,810 a year.
Versus management occupations
Inside the Management group, where the middle occupation pays $126,060, this is 32% above the group median.
Pay range
The top 10% earn $293,610 or more while the bottom 10% earn $90,260, a gap of 3.3×. That is an unusually wide spread, which usually tracks specialisation, employer type and years of experience.
Rank in the bank
This median pays more than 96% of the 923 occupations in the NueCareer career bank.
Highest-paying state
Massachusetts pays the most at $212,020, and still leads at $200,478 once local prices are taken into account.
Which states pay Marketing Managers the most?
| State | Median | COL-adjusted | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Massachusetts | $212,020 | $200,478 | 14,270 |
| California | $193,620 | $174,874 | 54,660 |
| Virginia | $187,820 | $185,769 | 6,890 |
| Colorado | $182,730 | $177,318 | 6,010 |
| New York | $181,200 | $167,901 | 54,000 |
| New Jersey | $180,040 | $165,470 | 13,510 |
| District of Columbia | $177,170 | $161,209 | 3,470 |
| Minnesota | $173,300 | $175,723 | 8,500 |
| Washington | $172,270 | $160,980 | 8,880 |
| Connecticut | $169,240 | $163,343 | 5,800 |
Is Marketing Manager a growing career?
Marketing Managers6.6%
All US occupations3.1%
+6.6% projected growth vs 3.1% for all occupations.
Much faster than average
BLS projects employment of Marketing Managers to change 6.6% over 2024–2034, roughly 2.1× the 3.1% projected for all occupations. That is 26,700 more jobs.
Annual openings
About 34,300 openings are projected each year, 8.4% of the 407,000 jobs that existed in 2024. Most come from workers leaving the occupation, not from growth alone.
Overall employment of advertising, promotions, and marketing managers is projected to grow 6 percent from 2024 to 2034, faster than the average for all occupations.
Many of those openings are expected to result from the need to replace workers who transfer to different occupations or exit the labor force, such as to retire.
Projected employment of advertising, promotions, and marketing managers varies by occupation (see table).
Marketing managers will continue to be in demand as organizations use marketing campaigns to maintain and expand their market share. These managers will be sought after for their advice on crafting pricing strategies and finding new ways to reach customers.
How to become a Marketing Manager
Advertising, promotions, and marketing managers typically need a bachelor’s degree. They also typically need work experience in a related occupation.
| Typical entry-level education | Bachelor's degree |
|---|---|
| Preparation needed (O*NET job zone) | Medium preparation |
| Work experience in a related occupation | 5 years or more |
| Typical on-the-job training | None |
What education people in the job have
O*NET incumbent survey: the highest level of education reported by people already working as marketing managers.
- Bachelor's Degree55.8%
- Master's Degree24.4%
- First Professional Degree10.5%
- High School Diploma3.5%
- Associate's Degree (or other 2-year degree)3.0%
What does a Marketing Manager do?
Plan, direct, or coordinate marketing policies and programs, such as determining the demand for products and services offered by a firm and its competitors, and identify potential customers. Develop pricing strategies with the goal of maximizing the firm's profits or share of the market while ensuring the firm's customers are satisfied. Oversee product development or monitor trends that indicate the need for new products and services.
Advertising, promotions, and marketing managers plan programs to generate interest in products or services. They work with art directors, advertising sales agents, financial staff, and others to develop strategies and materials.
Day-to-day tasks
- Identify, develop, or evaluate marketing strategy, based on knowledge of establishment objectives, market characteristics, and cost and markup factors.
- Formulate, direct, or coordinate marketing activities or policies to promote products or services, working with advertising or promotion managers.
- Coordinate or participate in promotional activities or trade shows, working with developers, advertisers, or production managers, to market products or services.
- Initiate market research studies, or analyze their findings.
- Use sales forecasting or strategic planning to ensure the sale and profitability of products, lines, or services, analyzing business developments and monitoring market trends.
- Compile lists describing product or service offerings.
- Evaluate the financial aspects of product development, such as budgets, expenditures, research and development appropriations, or return-on-investment and profit-loss projections.
- Direct the hiring, training, or performance evaluations of marketing or sales staff and oversee their daily activities.
O*NET core tasks, ordered by reported importance.
Where marketing managers work
| Advertising, public relations, and related services | 39% |
|---|---|
| Self-employed workers | 21% |
| Information | 10% |
| Management of companies and enterprises | 5% |
| Wholesale trade | 3% |
BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2024–2034 edition.
Core skills
- Reading Comprehension3.9/5
- Active Listening3.9/5
- Speaking3.9/5
- Critical Thinking3.9/5
- Active Learning3.9/5
- Monitoring3.8/5
- Writing3.3/5
- Learning Strategies3.1/5
Transferable skills
- Social Perceptiveness3.9/5
- Persuasion3.8/5
- Judgment and Decision Making3.8/5
- Negotiation3.6/5
- Complex Problem Solving3.6/5
- Coordination3.5/5
- Systems Evaluation3.5/5
- Time Management3.5/5
Tools and software
- Accounting software · in demand
- Analytical or scientific software · in demand
- Application server software · in demand
- Business intelligence and data analysis software · in demand
- Cloud-based data access and sharing software · in demand
- Cloud-based management software · in demand
- Content workflow software · in demand
- Customer relationship management CRM software · in demand
- Data base management system software · in demand
- Data base user interface and query software · in demand
- Data mining software · in demand
- Desktop publishing software · in demand
“In demand” marks an O*NET Employer-Based Hot Technology, software named in real job postings for this occupation.
What personality type suits a Marketing Manager?
Interest profile: O*NET Occupational Interests, scored 1–7
Realistic1.0
Investigative2.9
Artistic2.5
Social2.8
Enterprisingprimary7.0
Conventionalprimary4.7
Day to day this is work built around leading, persuading, selling and making decisions, combined with organising, following procedures and working precisely with data.
Closest MBTI types
NueCareer fit scores: cosine similarity between each MBTI type's interest vector and this occupation's O*NET interest profile. Not a BLS or O*NET figure; the method is documented on our methodology page.
Marketing Manager: frequently asked questions
How much do Marketing Managers make?
Marketing Managers earn a median of $166,790 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025). That is 227% above the $50,980 median for all US occupations. That works out at $80.19/hr. The middle half earn between $123,020 and $216,410. The top 10% earn $293,610 or more.
Do you need a degree to become a Marketing Manager?
Yes. BLS reports a bachelor's degree as the typical entry-level education for Marketing Managers, and O*NET rates the preparation needed as medium preparation. Employers typically expect 5 years or more of related work experience first. In O*NET's survey of people already doing the job, 55.8% hold bachelor's degree.
Is Marketing Manager a growing career?
Yes, strongly. Employment is projected to grow 6.6% over 2024–2034, more than double the 3.1% projected for all occupations (BLS EP, 2024–2034). BLS still projects about 34,300 openings a year, mostly from workers retiring or moving to other work.
What does a Marketing Manager do?
Advertising, promotions, and marketing managers plan programs to generate interest in products or services. A core O*NET task: identify, develop, or evaluate marketing strategy, based on knowledge of establishment objectives, market characteristics, and cost and markup factors. Employers most often ask for Accounting software, Analytical or scientific software, Application server software.
Which states pay Marketing Managers the most?
The highest state medians for Marketing Managers are Massachusetts ($212,020), California ($193,620), Virginia ($187,820) (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
What personality type suits a Marketing Manager?
O*NET scores Marketing Managers highest on the Enterprising and Conventional interest areas, so the work mixes leading, persuading, selling and making decisions with organising, following procedures and working precisely with data. On NueCareer's MBTI-to-interest mapping the closest types are ENTJ, ESTJ, ESFJ. Personality is a fit signal, not a gate. The free NueCareer quiz scores your own profile against all 923 occupations in the bank.