Salary data
Digital Marketing 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. Most digital marketing roles below manager level are counted by BLS as marketing specialists. This page shows that occupation's pay range and state medians; digital marketing managers are counted with marketing managers, linked below.
Key takeaways
- BLS has no digital marketing occupation, so digital marketing specialist, coordinator and analyst pay is read from the market research analysts and marketing specialists group (13-1161).
- Digital marketing managers are counted with marketing managers, which is a higher-paid BLS group than marketing specialists.
- The average (mean) digital marketing salary in the BLS table runs above the median, because a smaller number of high earners pull the average up.
- Entry-level digital marketing jobs usually pay near the 25th percentile of the specialist range, and senior specialists near the 75th or above.
- Digital marketing roles closest to revenue, such as paid acquisition and lifecycle marketing, tend to pay more than general digital roles.
How much do digital marketing jobs pay?
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 digital marketing roles?
BLS has no digital marketing occupation. Specialists, coordinators and analysts who run paid search, paid social, email or SEO are counted in market research analysts and marketing specialists (13-1161). Digital marketing managers, who run the team or the budget, are counted with marketing managers, so for those roles see the marketing manager salary page. The specialist group is very large and includes researchers too, so it’s a reasonable but rough guide for any one digital role.
What is the average digital marketing salary?
The table above shows both the median and the mean (average). The mean usually sits above the median because a smaller group of high earners pulls the average up, so the median is the better guide to what a typical digital marketer earns. Quote the median when you compare offers, and look at the percentiles to see where your level fits.
How much do entry-level digital marketing jobs pay?
Entry-level digital marketing coordinators and junior specialists usually sit near the 25th percentile of the range above. You move up fastest by owning a channel end to end and showing results you can measure, such as a campaign’s cost per lead or an email program’s revenue. How to get a job in digital marketing covers how to get that first role.
Which digital marketing jobs pay the most?
Jobs that manage a team or a budget pay the most, because BLS counts them with marketing or advertising managers rather than specialists. Use this table to find the right salary page for your title:
| Digital marketing title | BLS group used | Salary page |
|---|---|---|
| Digital marketing coordinator or specialist | Marketing specialists | This page |
| Digital marketing analyst or marketing analyst | Marketing specialists | Marketing analyst salary |
| SEO specialist | Marketing specialists | SEO specialist salary |
| Social media manager | Marketing specialists | Social media manager salary |
| Digital marketing manager, head of growth | Marketing managers | Marketing manager salary |
| Paid media or advertising manager | Advertising and promotions managers | Advertising manager salary |
What affects digital marketing pay?
Level and scope move pay more than anything else. After that:
- Channel: roles tied directly to revenue, like paid acquisition or lifecycle, often pay more than general digital roles.
- Technical depth: analytics, attribution and marketing automation skills tend to command more.
- Industry: e-commerce and software pay more than most local businesses and agencies.
- Agency or in-house: in-house roles usually pay more than agency roles at the same level.
Digital marketing 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
Do digital marketers earn more than traditional marketers?
BLS doesn’t split them, so there’s no official answer. In practice, pay depends more on level and on how close the role sits to revenue than on whether it’s digital.
How much does a digital marketing manager make?
BLS counts digital marketing managers with marketing managers. See the marketing manager salary page for that range.
How much do freelance digital marketers make?
BLS figures don’t include self-employed people, so there’s no official number. Freelance income depends on your rate, how many hours you can bill and how steady your clients are. Our freelance digital marketing guide covers how to price your work.
What digital skills pay the most?
Skills that tie spend to results: paid media buying at scale, analytics and attribution, and lifecycle or CRM marketing. They’re easier to price because the results are measurable.