Marketing Manager Salary

Bureau of Labor Statistics title: Marketing Managers

The median marketing manager salary in the United States is $166,790 per year ($80.19/hour). Salaries range from $90,260 at the entry level to $293,610+ for the top 10% of earners. There are 395,240 marketing manager jobs nationwide. Employment is projected to grow 6.6% through 2034.

Last updated: June 2026 Β· Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

Also known asMarketing DirectorCMOHead of MarketingBrand ManagerGrowth Marketing Manager
Median Salary
$166,790
per year
Hourly Rate
$80.19
per hour
Employment
395,240
jobs in the U.S.

Salary Distribution

10th percentile
$90,260
25th percentile
$123,020
Median
$166,790
75th percentile
$216,410
90th percentile
$293,610

Job Growth (2024-2034)

+6.6%
Faster than average

Annual Openings

34,300
jobs/year (growth + replacements)

Education Required

Bachelor's degree
+ 5 years or more experience

Marketing Manager Career Guide

Interview questions, resume templates, and a career ladder written specifically for marketing managers.

Marketing Managers own brand + demand generation + product marketing + growth. Entry-adjacent Coordinator $52-72k; Marketing Manager mid $85-135k; Director at product companies $175-260k; VP Marketing $250-450k; CMO at Fortune 1000 $500k-$1.5M+ total comp. B2B SaaS + fintech pays best. Growth + Product Marketing specialists command highest premiums.

Core Skills Hiring Managers Screen For

Demand generation + performance marketing
Paid search + paid social + display + attribution + LTV/CAC math. Own funnel + spend + ROAS.
Product marketing + positioning
Message + positioning + competitive intel + segmentation. Bridge product + sales + demand gen.
Content + brand strategy
Editorial + thought leadership + brand storytelling + social. Content ops + calendars.
MarTech stack fluency
HubSpot + Marketo + Salesforce + Segment + Iterable + Google Analytics 4 + Amplitude. Configure + integrate + optimize.
Data + attribution + reporting
SQL basics + dashboards (Looker + Mode) + multi-touch attribution + cohort analysis.
Cross-functional leadership
Partner with product + sales + finance + design + engineering. Facilitate + influence without authority.
Campaign + budget management
Annual planning + monthly forecasting + spend management + agency oversight.

How to Become a Marketing Manager

  1. 1
    Get a bachelor's + start in specialty role
    Business + marketing + comms + adjacent. Or CS/econ for growth marketing. Entry as Coordinator + Specialist + Associate.
  2. 2
    Master a specialty first
    Content + brand + product marketing + demand gen + growth. Depth in one lane before generalist manager role.
  3. 3
    Own budget + measurable outcomes
    Progress from execution to strategy requires budget ownership + attributable revenue impact.
  4. 4
    Move to Manager at 4-6 years
    Manage 1-3 specialists + own P&L for channel/segment. Target Manager title with team + budget scope.
  5. 5
    Specialize deeper or go generalist
    Product Marketing + Growth = highest pay. Content + Brand = solid but capped. Generalist path leads to VP + CMO.

Career Progression

Marketing Coordinator / Specialist
0-3 yrs$52-78k
  • β€’Execute campaigns
  • β€’Content production
  • β€’Report on channel performance
  • β€’Support senior team
Next: Sr Specialist or Manager at 3-5 years.
Marketing Manager
3-8 yrs$85-140k
  • β€’Own a channel + segment + product line
  • β€’Manage 1-3 specialists
  • β€’Own budget + attribution
  • β€’Cross-functional partnerships
Next: Sr Manager / Director at 8-12 years.
Senior Manager / Director of Marketing
8-13 yrs$140-215k + bonus + equity
  • β€’Own segment/function budget
  • β€’Manage team of 4-10
  • β€’Set strategy for area
  • β€’Report to VP or CMO
Next: VP Marketing at 13+ years.
VP Marketing / CMO
13+ yrs$220-500k+ TC Β· CMO $400k-1.5M+
  • β€’Own marketing P&L
  • β€’C-suite reporting + board
  • β€’External profile
  • β€’Team of 25-200+
Next: CMO / CGO / GM.

Interview Questions & Answers

5 free questions below. Career Kit unlocks 15 total plus resume bullets for every level.

Q1. Walk me through a campaign you owned end-to-end.behavioral
Strategy + audience + creative + channels + budget + measurement + outcome vs goal + retrospective learnings.
Q2. How do you measure marketing impact?technical
Attribution model (first-touch + multi-touch + MMM) + pipeline + LTV/CAC + brand lift + choose based on business model + maturity.
Q3. How do you handle a failing campaign mid-flight?situational
Diagnose (creative + audience + offer + landing) + kill worst-performing + reallocate budget + document learnings.
Q4. Tell me about a cross-functional conflict.behavioral
STAR: sales vs marketing on lead quality + data + facilitated + resolution + relationship maintained.
Q5. Where do you see your career in 5 years?closer
Director/VP owning function + specialty depth in [growth/product marketing/brand] + eventual CMO track.

Resume Template β€” Marketing Coordinator / Specialist (0-3 yrs)

Copy these bullets into your resume as a starting point. Career Kit includes bullets for every level of the ladder.

Marketing Coordinator / Specialist (0-3 yrs)
  • β–ΈOwned demand gen email program at $30M B2B SaaS β€” grew MQLs 68% YoY + $2.4M pipeline attribution.
  • β–ΈLaunched content program producing 45+ pieces annually driving 180k organic visits + $850k pipeline.
  • β–ΈManaged $250k paid search budget improving ROAS from 2.1x to 3.8x over 12 months.
  • β–ΈRan webinar program of 24 events averaging 380 registrants + $65k pipeline per event.

What Gets You Rejected

  • βœ—Cant tie work to revenue or measurable outcomes.
  • βœ—No budget ownership at Manager level.
  • βœ—Weak data + attribution skills.
  • βœ—Poor cross-functional relationships (sales + product tension).
  • βœ—No specialty depth β€” jack-of-all-trades master-of-none.
  • βœ—Fluff resume: 'increased engagement' with no numbers.

Salary Negotiation Levers

  • βœ“B2B SaaS + fintech = 30-60% premium over B2C consumer.
  • βœ“Product Marketing + Growth Marketing = highest specialty premiums.
  • βœ“Big Tech VP/CMO comp: 50-100% via equity.
  • βœ“Attributable revenue impact = major negotiation lever.
  • βœ“Team + budget scope drives level.
  • βœ“Sign-on: $15-75k common at product companies.
  • βœ“Metro NYC/SF/Seattle = 20-30% premium.

Marketing Manager Resume Review β€” $29

Personalized resume review from someone who has hired marketing managers. Purchase, email your resume to support@weblabra.com, and receive detailed written feedback within 7 days.

  • βœ“ Occupation-specific critique (not generic)
  • βœ“ Rewrite suggestions for weak bullets
  • βœ“ Missing skills / keywords flagged
  • βœ“ Formatting + ATS-readability feedback
  • βœ“ 7-day turnaround, 100% refund if we miss it

Marketing Manager Career Kit β€” $19

  • βœ“ All 15 interview questions with expert answers
  • βœ“ 7 real questions aggregated from Glassdoor, Blind, Reddit, LinkedIn
  • βœ“ Interview format intel for 7 top employers
  • βœ“ 3 copy-paste salary negotiation emails
  • βœ“ Resume bullets for every level of the career ladder
  • βœ“ 30–60–90 day plan for your first role
  • βœ“ Cover letter templates specific to this occupation
  • βœ“ Detailed salary negotiation script
  • βœ“ Ranked list of certifications with cost + ROI
  • βœ“ Downloadable PDF for offline access
  • βœ“ Instant access, no expiration, no subscription
βœ“ 7-day money-back guarantee β€” no questions asked

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Marketing Manager Salary by State

Best Cities (cost-adjusted) β†’

Salary Map β€” Click a state for details

$99K
$212Kβ–  No data
StateMedianvs. National
Massachusetts$212,020+27.1%
California$193,620+16.1%
Virginia$187,820+12.6%
Colorado$182,730+9.6%
New York$181,200+8.6%
New Jersey$180,040+7.9%
District of Columbia$177,170+6.2%
Minnesota$173,300+3.9%
Washington$172,270+3.3%
Connecticut$169,240+1.5%
1–10 of 48

Marketing Manager Salary by Metro Area

Metro AreaMedianvs. National
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA$231,370+38.7%
San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA$220,480+32.2%
Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH$213,910+28.3%
Billings, MT$212,760+27.6%
Trenton-Princeton, NJ$208,440+25.0%
Topeka, KS$205,310+23.1%
Boulder, CO$199,570+19.7%
Worcester, MA$199,280+19.5%
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ$192,840+15.6%
Greeley, CO$190,410+14.2%
1–10 of 334
Data Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS). Data reflects the most recent annual survey.
How does this compare to pro athletes?
A marketing manager earning $166,790/year would need 357 years to match Stephen Curry's NBA salary, or 384 yearsto match Patrick Mahomes' NFL contract.
See all sports & celebrity salaries β†’
πŸ“ˆ See how marketing manager salaries have changed over the past decade.
View Marketing Manager salary trend (2011–2024) β†’