Marketing data
Marketing Statistics 2026: Jobs, Pay, Growth and Ad Spend
About 2.1 million people in the US work in marketing, PR, events and creative occupations, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Marketing managers earn the most of these, and marketing jobs are projected to grow about twice as fast as employment overall to 2035. Consumer companies typically spend 4–10% of revenue on advertising.
Key takeaways
- The Bureau of Labor Statistics counts about 2.1 million employees in nine marketing, PR, events and creative occupations, almost 900,000 of them market research analysts and marketing specialists.
- Marketing managers have the highest median pay of the marketing occupations BLS tracks, and the median is highest in Massachusetts.
- BLS projects employment of marketing managers and marketing specialists to grow about twice as fast as employment overall from 2025 to 2035; graphic designers are projected to shrink.
- The median consumer company in our SEC sample spends about 6% of revenue on advertising.
Every figure on this page comes from a public source we name and link: the Bureau of Labor Statistics for jobs, pay and growth, O*NET for education, companies’ own filings with the SEC for advertising spend, and Spencer Stuart’s study of S&P 500 executives for CMO tenure. Nothing is estimated or taken from a vendor survey, and the figures update when the sources do.
How many people work in marketing?
About 2.1 million people work in the 9 marketing, PR, events and creative occupations here, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics' May 2025 wage survey. The largest is market research analysts and marketing specialists, with 899,580; the count leaves out the self-employed.
| Occupation | Employed | Median pay | Growth, 2025–2035 | Openings a year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Market research analysts and marketing specialists | 899,580 | $78,760 | +7.0% | 82,000 |
| Marketing managers | 395,240 | $166,790 | +6.9% | 34,000 |
| Public relations specialists | 283,380 | $74,750 | +1.8% | 23,000 |
| Graphic designers | 197,830 | $62,960 | -1.7% | 16,000 |
| Meeting, convention, and event planners | 142,860 | $61,160 | +5.8% | 16,800 |
| Public relations managers | 74,850 | $146,910 | +5.7% | 6,100 |
| Art directors | 53,070 | $114,850 | +4.2% | 12,200 |
| Writers and authors | 47,940 | $76,910 | -0.3% | 11,900 |
| Advertising and promotions managers | 21,470 | $133,660 | -3.7% | 2,300 |
Employment and median annual pay from the May 2025 wage survey (employees only); growth and openings from the projections. Sources: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; BLS Employment Projections, 2025–2035.
BLS counts occupations, not job titles. Brand managers, marketing directors, VPs of marketing and CMOs are all counted as marketing managers, and most coordinator, SEO, social and digital roles as market research analysts and marketing specialists. Each salary page explains where its title sits.
How much do marketers earn?
Marketing managers have the highest median pay of these occupations, $166,790 a year, and meeting, convention, and event planners the lowest, $61,160 (May 2025). Marketing managers earn the most in Massachusetts, where the median is $212,020.
The median is the middle of the range: a first job usually sits well below it, a senior one above. Our marketing salary lookup gives the median for any occupation in any state, and the highest paying marketing jobs guide covers which roles pay most and why.
Are marketing jobs growing?
5 of 11 marketing and creative occupations are projected to grow more than a point faster than the 3.5% average for all occupations from 2025 to 2035, led by market research analysts and marketing specialists (7.0%); advertising and promotions managers (-3.7%) shrink the most.
Most openings come from people retiring or changing careers rather than new jobs, so even the shrinking occupations keep hiring. The marketing job outlook has the growth, openings and entry education for each occupation.
What education do marketers need?
BLS lists a bachelor’s degree as the typical entry education for every marketing occupation here. 80% of marketing managers surveyed by O*NET said the job requires a bachelor's degree. In practice, many marketers come from other degrees: what hiring managers check is the work you can show. Our guide to what you can do with a marketing degree covers the routes in.
How much do companies spend on advertising?
Across the 65 consumer companies here that report advertising expense, the median spends 5.9% of revenue on advertising; the middle half spend between 3.8% and 9.8%. Of the companies here, Amazon reports the most advertising expense: $23.5 billion in fiscal 2025, 3.3% of its revenue. Next come Procter & Gamble ($10.2 billion), then Disney ($6.5 billion).
Advertising is only part of a marketing budget, since salaries, agencies and research are counted elsewhere. Our ad spend by company table has the latest figure for each of the companies, by industry.
FAQ
How many marketers are there in the US?
About 2.1 million people work in the 9 marketing, PR, events and creative occupations here, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics' May 2025 wage survey. The largest is market research analysts and marketing specialists, with 899,580; the count leaves out the self-employed.
What is the average marketing salary?
Marketing managers have the highest median pay of these occupations, $166,790 a year, and meeting, convention, and event planners the lowest, $61,160 (May 2025). Marketing managers earn the most in Massachusetts, where the median is $212,020. BLS reports medians rather than averages for its headline figures, because a few very high salaries pull the average up.
Is marketing a growing field?
5 of 11 marketing and creative occupations are projected to grow more than a point faster than the 3.5% average for all occupations from 2025 to 2035, led by market research analysts and marketing specialists (7.0%); advertising and promotions managers (-3.7%) shrink the most.
What percentage of revenue do companies spend on marketing?
Across the 65 consumer companies here that report advertising expense, the median spends 5.9% of revenue on advertising; the middle half spend between 3.8% and 9.8%. The whole marketing budget is higher, because advertising leaves out marketing salaries, agencies and research.
How long do CMOs stay in their jobs?
An average of 4.1 years at S&P 500 companies, against 5.0 years for the C-suite as a whole, according to Spencer Stuart’s CMO tenure study (January 2026). Consumer companies had the shortest CMO tenure of any industry, at 3.5 years. Our guide on how to become a CMO covers the path to the role.
This page includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.