Marketing Managers: salary, outlook & degrees

Plan, direct, or coordinate marketing policies and programs, such as determining the demand for products and services offered by a firm and its competitors, and identify potential customers. Develop pricing strategies with the goal of maximizing the firm's profits or share of the market while ensuring the firm's customers are satisfied. Oversee product development or monitor trends that indicate the need for new products and services.

U.S. median wage
$166,790

Middle half $123,020–$216,410. 395,240 jobs.

BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025

Ages 25-34 in this job
$79,431

88% hold a bachelor's or higher. Those with one: $83,527.

Census ACS 2020-2024 microdata, workers with at least a high school diploma; EducationGuide calculation

Outlook, 2025-35
+6.9%

About 34,000 openings a year, including replacements.

BLS Employment Projections 2025-35

Typical entry
Bachelor's degree

Considerable preparation (usually a bachelor's).

BLS; O*NET 31.0 job zone

Degrees that lead to this career

What workers ages 25-34 in this job studied, among those with a bachelor's or higher. This is what people actually did, not a requirement.

Field of bachelor's degreeShareDegree pages
Marketing And Marketing Research19%Marketing · Specialized Sales, Merchandising and Marketing Operations
Communications11%Communications · Communication, Journalism, and Related Programs, Other
Business Management And Administration7%Business Administration
General Business5%Business
Psychology4%Psychology
English Language And Literature4%English
Advertising And Public Relations4%Public Relations and Advertising
Journalism4%Journalism
Economics2%Economics
Mass Media2%Broadcasting / Digital Media

Census ACS 2020-2024 microdata (ages 25-34, employed, bachelor's or higher; top 10 fields); EducationGuide calculation.

Pay by state and metro

StateMedian wage
Massachusetts$212,020
California$193,620
Virginia$187,820
Colorado$182,730
New York$181,200
New Jersey$180,040
District of Columbia$177,170
Minnesota$173,300
Washington$172,270
Connecticut$169,240
South Dakota$167,750
Montana$165,580
North Carolina$165,480
Illinois$162,860
Wyoming$161,580
Oregon$161,560
Georgia$160,760
Kansas$154,510
Maryland$154,160
Pennsylvania$150,810
Texas$147,880
South Carolina$143,290
New Hampshire$143,280
Florida$142,620
Idaho$142,090
Utah$139,830
Michigan$138,510
Arkansas$136,520
Indiana$136,260
Maine$135,380
Wisconsin$133,600
Ohio$132,330
Arizona$132,220
Tennessee$131,990
Iowa$131,120
Missouri$130,550
Kentucky$128,930
Oklahoma$126,920
North Dakota$125,580
New Mexico$122,980
Louisiana$120,650
Alabama$120,160
Hawaii$117,770
Alaska$116,270
Nebraska$110,570
Nevada$107,550
Mississippi$100,940
West Virginia$98,750
VI$97,760
GU$79,890

Florida metro areas

  • Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach$135,870
  • Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford$143,220
  • Jacksonville$156,950
  • North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota$128,320
  • Cape Coral-Fort Myers$128,980
  • Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville$161,630
  • Lakeland-Winter Haven$133,900
  • Tallahassee$116,460

Virginia metro areas

  • Washington-Arlington-Alexandria$181,260
  • Richmond$174,130
  • Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk$155,300
  • Kingsport-Bristol$136,240
  • Roanoke$165,000
  • Charlottesville$165,980
  • Winchester$139,900
  • Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford$119,420

California metro areas

  • Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim$171,900
  • San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont$220,480
  • San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara$231,370
  • San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad$174,840
  • Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario$157,670
  • Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom$164,270
  • Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura$169,540
  • Fresno$139,990

BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025: median annual wage, all workers in the job. Metro areas: the largest by employment.

What the work takes

Top skills

  • Active Listening
  • Speaking
  • Reading Comprehension
  • Critical Thinking
  • Active Learning

Knowledge used

  • Sales and Marketing
  • English Language
  • Customer and Personal Service
  • Communications and Media
  • Administration and Management

Work styles

  • Innovation
  • Leadership Orientation
  • Achievement Orientation
  • Adaptability
  • Self-Confidence

People in this job tend to have Enterprising (leading), Conventional (organizing) interests.

O*NET 31.0 (U.S. Department of Labor, CC BY 4.0): skills and knowledge by importance; work styles; interest high points.

Marketing Managers: questions

How much do marketing Managers make?

Marketing Managers earn a U.S. median $166,790 a year; the middle half earn $123,020 to $216,410 (BLS, May 2025). Workers ages 25-34 in this job earn a median $79,431 (Census ACS 2020-2024).

Is marketing Managers a growing field?

BLS projects growth of 6.9% from 2025 to 2035, with about 34,000 openings a year, including replacements.

What degree do you need to be a marketing Manager?

BLS lists the typical entry education as bachelor's degree. Among workers ages 25-34 with a bachelor's, the most common field of degree is marketing And Marketing Research (19%).

How much do marketing Managers make in Florida?

The median in Florida is $142,620 a year (BLS, May 2025), compared with $166,790 nationally.

Sources: Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35); O*NET 31.0 (U.S. Department of Labor, CC BY 4.0); U.S. Census Bureau ACS microdata. SOC 11-2021. Method
Data: JSON · Markdown · all careers
Cite this: “Marketing Managers: salary, outlook and degrees,” EducationGuide.com, https://educationguide.com/careers/marketing-managers.