Salary data
Content Strategist Salary (May 2025 BLS Data)
The median annual pay for market research analysts and marketing specialists in the US is $78,760, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (May 2025); the top 10% earn more than $155,480. BLS has no content strategy occupation. Most content strategists in marketing are counted with marketing specialists, so this page shows that range and state medians, with a note on when the writers group fits better.
Key takeaways
- BLS has no content strategist occupation, so most content strategists in marketing are counted with market research analysts and marketing specialists.
- This page shows that group's national pay range and state medians from the BLS May 2025 survey.
- Content strategists whose job is mostly writing may compare better with the writers and authors group, shown on the copywriter salary page.
- Content leads who manage a team and budget are counted with marketing managers, which moves pay toward that range.
- In a salary conversation, the strongest evidence a content strategist can bring is content they planned that moved traffic, leads or sales.
How much does a content strategist make?
The median annual pay for market research analysts and marketing specialists in the US is $78,760. The middle half earn between $58,350 and $108,310, and the top 10% earn more than $155,480. About 899,580 people work in this occupation.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025. Occupation 13-1161.
The pay range for market research analysts and marketing specialists
Read the range, not only the median. Half of everyone in the group earns between the 25th and 75th percentile.
| Pay level | Annual pay |
|---|---|
| Bottom 10% earn less than | $43,390 |
| 25th percentile | $58,350 |
| Median | $78,760 |
| 75th percentile | $108,310 |
| Top 10% earn more than | $155,480 |
| Mean (average) | $89,490 |
US, all industries. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025.
Which BLS figure covers content strategist roles?
BLS doesn’t have a content strategist occupation. In marketing teams, content strategists are usually counted with market research analysts and marketing specialists (13-1161). Roles that are mostly writing can be counted with writers and authors instead, so if your job is mainly producing copy, the copywriter salary page may be closer. Content leads who manage a team and budget are counted with marketing managers.
What affects content strategist pay?
Level and scope move pay more than anything else. After that:
- Strategy or production: planning, measurement and owning a content program pays more than writing to a brief.
- SEO and data: content strategists who can show search and conversion results usually earn more.
- Industry: software and B2B companies invest heavily in content and tend to pay more for it.
- Management: leading writers and editors moves pay toward marketing manager levels.
Content strategist salary by state
The median for market research analysts and marketing specialists varies a lot by state, mostly with the cost of living and where the employers are. The table runs from highest to lowest.
| State | Median pay |
|---|---|
| Massachusetts | $101,810 |
| Delaware | $101,270 |
| New York | $98,580 |
| District of Columbia | $98,090 |
| Washington | $95,120 |
| California | $94,700 |
| Colorado | $93,050 |
| New Jersey | $88,190 |
| Minnesota | $87,510 |
| Rhode Island | $86,240 |
| Oregon | $79,150 |
| Illinois | $79,120 |
| North Carolina | $78,410 |
| Connecticut | $77,740 |
| Virginia | $76,980 |
| Maryland | $76,370 |
| Georgia | $75,850 |
| Florida | $75,450 |
| Vermont | $74,880 |
| Ohio | $72,790 |
| Texas | $72,520 |
| Maine | $71,980 |
| Arizona | $71,940 |
| Nevada | $71,840 |
| Kansas | $70,430 |
| Missouri | $70,140 |
| Tennessee | $69,790 |
| South Carolina | $69,440 |
| Pennsylvania | $68,760 |
| Montana | $68,080 |
| Michigan | $66,780 |
| Alaska | $66,710 |
| Iowa | $66,390 |
| Arkansas | $65,430 |
| Wisconsin | $64,800 |
| New Hampshire | $64,570 |
| Indiana | $63,700 |
| South Dakota | $63,490 |
| Utah | $62,630 |
| New Mexico | $61,950 |
| Oklahoma | $61,940 |
| North Dakota | $61,580 |
| Kentucky | $61,480 |
| Wyoming | $60,990 |
| Idaho | $60,970 |
| Nebraska | $60,000 |
| Louisiana | $59,690 |
| Alabama | $59,530 |
| Hawaii | $59,390 |
| Mississippi | $56,640 |
| West Virginia | $52,340 |
Highest first. States BLS doesn't publish a median for are left out. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025.
How to use this in a salary negotiation
Use the range to anchor, not to argue. Find where the role sits: an entry-level coordinator belongs near the 25th percentile, a senior lead running a team and budget near the 75th or above. Then check the posting, since a growing number of states require employers to publish a pay range. If the posting’s range and the BLS range disagree, the posting wins: it’s the budget for this job. The BLS figure is still useful when there’s no range at all, or when you’re asked for your number first. Our salary negotiation guide covers what to say and when. Talking pay can feel awkward, and having this range is what takes the guesswork out of it. Say your number the way you’d say it to a colleague: plainly, then pause.
FAQ
Is content strategy the same as copywriting?
No. Copywriters write; content strategists decide what to make, for whom and how to measure it. Many people do both early on and specialize later.
Which BLS figure should a content strategist use?
Marketing specialists for most in-house content strategy roles; writers and authors if the job is mostly writing; marketing managers for leads who manage a team.
How can a content strategist show their value in a salary talk?
With results: traffic, sign-ups or pipeline from content you planned. Numbers you can source are worth more than a portfolio of pieces.
What does a content strategist do?
A content strategist decides what a brand publishes and why: which topics and formats serve which audience, how content supports search, sales and the brand, and how to measure it. Writers and editors often carry out the plan. Our guide on how to become a content strategist covers the work and the path in.
How much does an SEO content strategist or senior content strategist make?
BLS doesn’t split out SEO or senior content roles, so both fall in the same market research analysts and marketing specialists range above. SEO content strategists with clear traffic results, and senior strategists who run a team or a whole program, usually sit toward the upper half. A content marketing manager title often moves you into the marketing managers group instead.