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States where marketing managers make the most money

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April 21, 2022
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This story originally appeared on Planoly and was produced and distributed in partnership with Stacker Studio.

States where marketing managers make the most money

Look behind any kind of successful company—whether it’s a Fortune 500 multinational business or a stand at the local farmers market—and chances are they all have a marketing strategy to reach their customers. Marketing is how you can spread the word and make potential customers aware of your product, service, or idea. It can involve planning and overseeing a marketing campaign, measuring industry trends to determine what the demand might be for new and existing products, and figuring out pricing strategies that meet customer expectations. The individuals tasked with creating a marketing strategy for a company, brand, or product are called marketing managers.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, there are currently 278,690 marketing managers employed in the United States as of May 2021. That means that for every 1,000 jobs, about .01% of them are marketing executives, making the field highly competitive. Marketing managers earn an average salary of $153,440 a year, significantly more than the national average salary for all occupations, which is $58,260. Additionally, the BLS expects the field to grow by 10% over the next decade (which is about average), meaning there will be high-paying positions opening up over the next several years. 

Marketing managers work across many different fields. The BLS reports that the highest concentration of employment is in information services, advertising and public relations, and software publishing. Some of the top-paying industries for marketing managers include oil and gas extraction (which has an average annual mean wage of $212,080) and scientific research and development (which has an average annual mean wage of $193,290).

So what does it take to become a successful marketing manager? In addition to top-notch communication skills, marketing managers often need a solid understanding of sales and promotion as well as strong data analysis skills. The marketing industry has transformed in the last two decades as customers and storytelling have moved online, so it can also be critical to understand the digital tools that monitor website visits, customer engagement, and other online behavioral data in real-time. Marketing managers are often responsible for measuring sales performance using Google Analytics and customer data, and coming up with a marketing plan if numbers are flagging. They also might track customer lead generation from email or ad promotions, measure customer conversions, create blog posts, monitor engagement numbers on social media posts, and more.

With a higher-than-average salary and a growing industry, making a career switch to marketing managing has its advantages. But where should you be looking for these jobs? Planoly ranked the top 25 states where marketing managers are paid the most based on median salary data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). This dataset also includes a comparison of the median marketing manager salary to the state median salary for all jobs and the number of marketing managers per 1,000 jobs in each state.

Read on to discover where the highest-paying marketing management positions are located.

The St. Louis Gateway Arch in Missouri
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Paul Brady Photography // Shutterstock

#25. Missouri

- Median salary: $126,650 (3.26 times the overall state median)
- Number of marketing managers per 1,000 jobs: 0.90

 

A scenic suburb in Ozark, Arkansas
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Trong Nguyen // Shutterstock

#24. Arkansas

- Median salary: $126,830 (3.69 times the overall state median)
- Number of marketing managers per 1,000 jobs: 0.75

Skyscrapers and Lake Michigan in Chicago, Illinois
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DiegoMariottini // Shutterstock

#23. Illinois

- Median salary: $127,570 (2.92 times the overall state median)
- Number of marketing managers per 1,000 jobs: 3.90

 

City Hall in downtown Concord, New Hampshire
4 / 25
Wangkun Jia // Shutterstock

#22. New Hampshire

- Median salary: $128,970 (2.92 times the overall state median)
- Number of marketing managers per 1,000 jobs: 1.98

 

 

Downtown Traverse City, Michigan, in fall
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Gary R Ennis Photos // Shutterstock

#21. Michigan

- Median salary: $129,600 (3.17 times the overall state median)
- Number of marketing managers per 1,000 jobs: 1.24

 

 

A view of Atlanta's skyline from Lake Meer in Piedmont Park
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ESB Professional // Shutterstock

#20. Georgia

- Median salary: $129,880 (3.36 times the overall state median)
- Number of marketing managers per 1,000 jobs: 2.16

 

A curving highway near grain elevators in Saunders, Kansas
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barteverett // Shutterstock

#19. Kansas

- Median salary: $130,770 (3.38 times the overall state median)
- Number of marketing managers per 1,000 jobs: 1.18

 

 

The red, white, and blue Bicentennial Barn in Vinton County, Ohio
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The American Wanderer // Shutterstock

#18. Ohio

- Median salary: $132,830 (3.30 times the overall state median)
- Number of marketing managers per 1,000 jobs: 1.22

 

Pedestrians strolling on a boardwalk in Ocean City, Maryland
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eurobanks // Shutterstock

#17. Maryland

- Median salary: $133,860 (2.75 times the overall state median)
- Number of marketing managers per 1,000 jobs: 1.76

 

 

An aerial view of Winston-Salem, North Carolina
10 / 25
Kevin Ruck // Shutterstock

#16. North Carolina

- Median salary: $136,600 (3.53 times the overall state median)
- Number of marketing managers per 1,000 jobs: 1.66

 

 

The Pittsburgh skyline as viewed from the hills
11 / 25
Sean Pavone // Shutterstock

#15. Pennsylvania

- Median salary: $136,640 (3.27 times the overall state median)
- Number of marketing managers per 1,000 jobs: 1.54

 

The western suburbs of Rapid City, South Dakota
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Hank Shiffman // Shutterstock

#14. South Dakota

- Median salary: $137,680 (3.74 times the overall state median)
- Number of marketing managers per 1,000 jobs: 0.17

 

 

A sailboat moored in front of a luxury waterfront estate in Greenwich, Connecticut
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James Kirkikis // Shutterstock

#13. Connecticut

- Median salary: $138,810 (2.72 times the overall state median)
- Number of marketing managers per 1,000 jobs: 3.75

 

 

The historic street clock in Wellesley, Massachusetts
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quiggyt4 // Shutterstock

#12. Massachusetts

- Median salary: $141,110 (2.64 times the overall state median)
- Number of marketing managers per 1,000 jobs: 5.17

 

 

An aerial view of Austin, Texas, and Lady Bird Lake
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Roschetzky Photography // Shutterstock

#11. Texas

- Median salary: $143,080 (3.61 times the overall state median)
- Number of marketing managers per 1,000 jobs: 1.49

 

 

A street view of downtown Stillwater, Minnesota
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Sandra Burm // Shutterstock

#10. Minnesota

- Median salary: $144,120 (3.09 times the overall state median)
- Number of marketing managers per 1,000 jobs: 2.95

 

 

The Seattle skyline near sundown—featuring the Spack Needle and Mt. Rainier
17 / 25
Max Lindenthaler // Shutterstock

#9. Washington

- Median salary: $155,560 (3.01 times the overall state median)
- Number of marketing managers per 1,000 jobs: estimates not available

 

 

An aerial view of downtown Wilmington, Delaware
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Real Window Creative // Shutterstock

#8. Delaware

- Median salary: $156,290 (3.63 times the overall state median)
- Number of marketing managers per 1,000 jobs: 2.46

 

 

Old harbor in Newport, Rhode Island
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Ramunas Bruzas // Shutterstock

#7. Rhode Island

- Median salary: $156,430 (3.30 times the overall state median)
- Number of marketing managers per 1,000 jobs: 1.54

 

 

The Washington Monument and Reflecting Pool in Washington, D.C.
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Sean Pavone // Shutterstock

#6. District of Columbia

- Median salary: $158,450 (1.99 times the overall state median)
- Number of marketing managers per 1,000 jobs: 3.74

 

 

Mountain views in downtown Telluride, Colorado
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Lauren Orr // Shutterstock

#5. Colorado

- Median salary: $164,680 (3.52 times the overall state median)
- Number of marketing managers per 1,000 jobs: 1.57

 

 

Lake Fairfax in Reston, Virginia
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Kevin Capretti // Shutterstock

#4. Virginia

- Median salary: $165,370 (3.66 times the overall state median)
- Number of marketing managers per 1,000 jobs: 1.43

 

 

The San Diego skyline, as viewed from Point Loma Island, California
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Rigucci // Shutterstock

#3. California

- Median salary: $166,300 (3.52 times the overall state median)
- Number of marketing managers per 1,000 jobs: 2.57

 

 

An aerial view of Jersey City at sunset
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f11photo // Shutterstock

#2. New Jersey

- Median salary: $167,880 (3.49 times the overall state median)
- Number of marketing managers per 1,000 jobs: 2.94

 

 

A cityscape view of Lower Manhattan in New York CIty, New York
25 / 25
GagliardiPhotography // Shutterstock

#1. New York

- Median salary: $181,240 (3.66 times the overall state median)
- Number of marketing managers per 1,000 jobs: 2.50

 

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