Marketing Career Salary

Large salaries draw many potential candidates to marketing positions.

Competition for marketing jobs can be intense and the work can be challenging, stressful and demanding, but candidates who find a job and tough it out are usually rewarded with generous salaries. Salaries for marketing managers tend to be higher than those for managers who specialize in public relations, advertising and sales. When comparing starting salaries for students with degrees in the nation's 10 most popular majors, marketing comes out on top.

Recent College Graduates

Marketing is a popular major for college students to pursue and was listed as one of the 10 most popular fields of study in a 2008 CareerBuilder article published by CNN. The piece goes on to say that graduates who work in this field could enjoy substantial starting salaries, with an average of $59,471.

Marketing Managers

Marketing managers develop marketing strategies for companies and other organizations. Management positions often require previous experience and a relevant degree. Most marketing managers worked their way up to their position through a series of promotions, and hard work is often rewarded with pay increases. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the mean annual salary for marketing managers was $120,070 in 2009.

Marketing Researchers

Marketing research analysts use information about consumers to create useful analysis. Their efforts set the groundwork for ad campaigns, product pricing strategies, new product development and other marketing activities. According to the BLS, the median annual salary for marketing analysts was $61,580 in 2009. Marketing researchers collect and analyze information. These workers make considerably less that managers. According to BLS experts the mean annual salary for a survey researcher in 2008 was $42,330.

Marketing Consultants

In 2008, more than 15 percent of all consulting firms focused exclusively on marketing. These firms employed 15 percent of workers in the consulting industry the same year. Earning statistics from the BLS reveal that workers in the consulting world often make more than their counterpoints in other industries. According to 2008 salary reports, the median hourly wage for general and operations managers working as consultants was $62.69. The median hourly wage for customer service representatives in the industry was $14.75.

Salary Trends

Market analysts working in Washington state, Massachusetts and Oregon make the most, according to BLS reports from 2009 and market researchers living Maryland and Iowa take home the biggest checks. Marketing managers, on the other hand, fared best in New York, New Jersey and California.

References

• CNN Salary Article
• BLS Marketing Manager Overview
• BLS Marketing Researchers Overview
• Analyst Wages Information
• Researcher Wages Information