Pay by state · 54 areas
Search Marketing Strategist Salary by State (2026)
Search Marketing Strategists earn the most in Massachusetts at $101,810 a year and the least in West Virginia at $52,340 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). The national median is $78,760. The table below covers all 50 states, DC, U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam and Puerto Rico, with a cost-of-living adjusted column.
- Highest median
- $101,810Massachusetts
- National median
- $78,760BLS OEWS, May 2025
- Lowest median
- $52,340West Virginia
- Areas reporting
- 54of 54 OEWS areas
Top and bottom
Highest- and lowest-paying states for search marketing strategists
Ranked on the state median among the 50 states and DC. After cost of living, Delaware comes out ahead instead. Territories are in the full table but not ranked here.
Highest median pay
- 1Massachusetts$101,810
- 2Delaware$101,270
- 3New York$98,580
- 4District of Columbia$98,090
- 5Washington$95,120
Lowest median pay
- 1West Virginia$52,340
- 2Mississippi$56,640
- 3Hawaii$59,390
- 4Alabama$59,530
- 5Louisiana$59,690
All states
Search Marketing Strategist salary in every state
Sort by any column. Employment is the number of search marketing strategists OEWS estimates in that state; blank cells are estimates BLS suppressed because the sample was too small.
| # | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | MAMassachusetts | $101,810 | $77,220 | $133,460 | 39,710 | $96,268 |
| 2 | DEDelaware | $101,270 | $78,040 | $135,880 | 3,570 | $101,465 |
| 3 | NYNew York | $98,580 | $72,600 | $129,430 | 80,500 | $91,345 |
| 4 | DCDistrict of Columbia | $98,090 | $74,990 | $132,300 | 6,340 | $89,253 |
| 5 | WAWashington | $95,120 | $67,590 | $139,560 | 24,460 | $88,886 |
| 6 | CACalifornia | $94,700 | $65,290 | $134,630 | 119,070 | $85,531 |
| 7 | COColorado | $93,050 | $64,380 | $126,670 | 27,880 | $90,294 |
| 8 | NJNew Jersey | $88,190 | $68,150 | $113,480 | 22,990 | $81,053 |
| 9 | MNMinnesota | $87,510 | $63,850 | $123,720 | 21,280 | $88,734 |
| 10 | RIRhode Island | $86,240 | $63,270 | $103,340 | 3,210 | $84,318 |
| 11 | OROregon | $79,150 | $60,860 | $107,990 | 11,310 | $76,576 |
| 12 | ILIllinois | $79,120 | $60,210 | $104,800 | 40,560 | $79,153 |
| 13 | NCNorth Carolina | $78,410 | $58,430 | $109,810 | 30,700 | $83,127 |
| 14 | CTConnecticut | $77,740 | $58,210 | $104,380 | 9,930 | $75,031 |
| 15 | VAVirginia | $76,980 | $56,930 | $105,620 | 25,610 | $76,139 |
| 16 | MDMaryland | $76,370 | $57,040 | $100,340 | 13,570 | $72,762 |
| 17 | GAGeorgia | $75,850 | $51,440 | $107,260 | 27,810 | $78,770 |
| 18 | FLFlorida | $75,450 | $52,650 | $99,600 | 60,770 | $72,959 |
| 19 | VTVermont | $74,880 | $61,290 | $89,990 | 860 | $76,441 |
| 20 | OHOhio | $72,790 | $52,420 | $98,070 | 27,370 | $78,459 |
| 21 | TXTexas | $72,520 | $52,060 | $98,320 | 63,350 | $74,719 |
| 22 | MEMaine | $71,980 | $54,460 | $98,820 | 2,390 | $74,168 |
| 23 | AZArizona | $71,940 | $49,980 | $97,800 | 15,850 | $71,456 |
| 24 | NVNevada | $71,840 | $51,320 | $95,680 | 5,780 | $71,855 |
| 25 | KSKansas | $70,430 | $52,850 | $96,760 | 8,090 | $78,196 |
| 26 | MOMissouri | $70,140 | $48,680 | $100,710 | 14,890 | $77,232 |
| 27 | TNTennessee | $69,790 | $51,820 | $96,520 | 13,040 | $75,966 |
| 28 | SCSouth Carolina | $69,440 | $51,410 | $100,020 | 11,920 | $74,070 |
| 29 | PAPennsylvania | $68,760 | $49,790 | $96,670 | 31,040 | $70,471 |
| 30 | MTMontana | $68,080 | $53,190 | $80,730 | 1,460 | $71,932 |
| 31 | MIMichigan | $66,780 | $49,990 | $97,820 | 24,220 | $69,406 |
| 32 | AKAlaska | $66,710 | $53,560 | $82,480 | 570 | $65,173 |
| 33 | IAIowa | $66,390 | $50,010 | $85,680 | 8,880 | $75,648 |
| 34 | ARArkansas | $65,430 | $47,730 | $102,420 | 6,250 | $75,261 |
| 35 | WIWisconsin | $64,800 | $52,450 | $89,560 | 15,600 | $68,867 |
| 36 | NHNew Hampshire | $64,570 | $52,370 | $96,450 | 4,200 | $61,988 |
| 37 | INIndiana | $63,700 | $49,110 | $86,080 | 14,400 | $68,253 |
| 38 | SDSouth Dakota | $63,490 | $52,150 | $88,360 | 1,530 | $71,670 |
| 39 | UTUtah | $62,630 | $46,010 | $85,450 | 14,510 | $63,350 |
| 40 | NMNew Mexico | $61,950 | $48,770 | $78,740 | 1,610 | $67,182 |
| 41 | OKOklahoma | $61,940 | $45,370 | $82,750 | 6,620 | $70,512 |
| 42 | NDNorth Dakota | $61,580 | $48,880 | $79,880 | 1,550 | $69,223 |
| 43 | KYKentucky | $61,480 | $47,950 | $78,290 | 6,290 | $68,191 |
| 44 | WYWyoming | $60,990 | $47,590 | $78,010 | 850 | $65,799 |
| 45 | IDIdaho | $60,970 | $47,370 | $84,310 | 3,780 | $63,847 |
| 46 | NENebraska | $60,000 | $47,600 | $79,110 | 3,780 | $66,590 |
| 47 | VIU.S. Virgin Islands | $59,990 | $37,370 | $66,580 | 90 | N/A |
| 48 | LALouisiana | $59,690 | $45,760 | $82,660 | 5,360 | $67,670 |
| 49 | ALAlabama | $59,530 | $46,330 | $79,690 | 8,390 | $67,021 |
| 50 | HIHawaii | $59,390 | $42,040 | $79,390 | 1,610 | $54,015 |
| 51 | MSMississippi | $56,640 | $42,840 | $73,980 | 2,620 | $65,139 |
| 52 | WVWest Virginia | $52,340 | $38,250 | $69,550 | 1,650 | $58,482 |
| 53 | GUGuam | $42,240 | $36,310 | $56,830 | 80 | N/A |
| 54 | PRPuerto Rico | $39,330 | $28,290 | $54,950 | 2,420 | N/A |
Method
How the cost-of-living adjustment works
The adjusted column divides each state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity (RPP) and multiplies by 100. RPPs measure how much a fixed basket of goods, services and rents costs in one state relative to the national average, so the result restates local pay in national-average dollars.
For search marketing strategists, that changes the ranking: Massachusetts leads on raw pay at $101,810, while Delaware leads once prices are taken into account at $101,465.
Source: BEA Regional Price Parities by State, 2024 (public domain). The adjustment is NueCareer's calculation, not a BLS or BEA published statistic.
Questions
Search Marketing Strategist pay by state: FAQ
Which state pays search marketing strategists the most?
Massachusetts reports the highest median wage for search marketing strategists at $101,810 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025), followed by Delaware ($101,270) and New York ($98,580).
Which state pays search marketing strategists the least?
Among the 50 states and DC, West Virginia reports the lowest median for search marketing strategists at $52,340 a year, $49,470 below the highest-paying state (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Among the territories, U.S. Virgin Islands reports $59,990, Guam reports $42,240 and Puerto Rico reports $39,330.
In which states do search marketing strategists earn over $100,000?
2 of the 50 states and DC have a median of $100,000 or more: Massachusetts ($101,810) and Delaware ($101,270) (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Is the highest-paying state the best for search marketing strategists after cost of living?
Not on this data. Massachusetts pays the most on paper ($101,810) but ranks 2nd of 51 once each median is divided by the state's BEA Regional Price Parity ($96,268). Delaware leads after that adjustment at $101,465, from a raw median of $101,270. BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024; the adjustment is NueCareer's calculation.