U.S. advertising agencies span a large, established industry whose recorded scale has changed substantially across the available measurement periods. The 2002 Economic Census counted 12,415 establishments and 156,648 paid employees, while recent Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) series report employment above 200,000. The figures below cover industry structure, concentration, employment, and nominal pay for the U.S. advertising-agency sector, generally NAICS 54181/541810.
Contents
- Industry scale in 2002
- Revenue concentration
- Recent employment levels
- Late-2025 hourly and weekly earnings
- Summer-2025 and 2024 earnings
- Spring-2024 earnings
Industry scale in 2002
The 2002 Economic Census provides a detailed historical snapshot of U.S. advertising agencies. Its table covers establishments of firms with payroll and reports the table’s original units. According to Advertising and Related Services: 2002 — 2002 Economic Census Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services Industry Series, agencies recorded:
- 12,415 establishments in 2002.
- $21,881,122,000 in receipts or revenue in 2002.
- $9,729,113,000 in annual payroll in 2002.
- $2,459,837,000 in first-quarter payroll in 2002.
- 156,648 paid employees in the pay period that included March 12, 2002.
The same Census source identifies how some information entered the table. Administrative records supplied receipts or revenue information for 8.0% of advertising-agency receipts in 2002, while estimates supplied 8.2%. These percentages describe the source of reported information in that historical Census table; they are not current estimates of industry composition or data quality.
The 2002 observations should be read as historical facts from that Economic Census, not as a current count of agencies, revenue, payroll, or employees. They also use a different measurement period from the monthly BLS series below.
The Census measures several dimensions at once: establishments describe locations or operating units covered by the table, receipts or revenue describe reported business volume, payroll describes annual or first-quarter compensation totals, and paid employees describe the workforce in a specified pay period. Those measures are related but not interchangeable. For example, the 2002 establishment count cannot be substituted for the later BLS employment series, and annual payroll cannot be read as an average salary for an individual employee.
Revenue concentration
The Census concentration measures show how much reported revenue was associated with the largest advertising-agency firms in 2002. The largest four firms operated 611 establishments, accounted for $7,363,692,000 in revenue, represented 33.7% of advertising-agency revenue, and had 44,529 paid employees in the March 12, 2002 pay period.
The largest eight firms operated 651 establishments. They accounted for $9,017,313,000 in revenue, represented 41.2% of industry revenue, and had 52,087 paid employees in the March 12, 2002 pay period.
The largest 20 firms operated 799 establishments and accounted for $10,560,307,000 in revenue. They represented 48.3% of advertising-agency revenue and had 61,695 paid employees in the March 12, 2002 pay period.
The largest 50 firms operated 886 establishments. They accounted for $11,606,696,000 in revenue, represented 53.0% of advertising-agency revenue, and had 68,868 paid employees in the March 12, 2002 pay period.
| Largest firms measured | Establishments | Revenue | Share of revenue | Paid employees |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | 611 | $7,363,692,000 | 33.7% | 44,529 |
| 8 | 651 | $9,017,313,000 | 41.2% | 52,087 |
| 20 | 799 | $10,560,307,000 | 48.3% | 61,695 |
| 50 | 886 | $11,606,696,000 | 53.0% | 68,868 |
These concentration figures are specific to the 2002 Census observation and should not be treated as a current ranking or current market-share estimate. They do show that, in that historical measurement, the 50 largest firms accounted for just over half of reported industry revenue while operating 886 establishments.
Recent employment levels
The BLS Employment and Earnings Table B-1b reports advertising-agency employment in thousands on a not-seasonally-adjusted basis. The supplied table includes August 2025 and monthly observations from April through July 2026:
- August 2025: 210.9 thousand employees.
- April 2026: 201.9 thousand employees.
- May 2026: 202.8 thousand employees.
- June 2026: 201.9 thousand employees.
- July 2026: 202.0 thousand employees.
| Measurement month | Employment, thousands | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| August 2025 | 210.9 | Not seasonally adjusted |
| April 2026 | 201.9 | Not seasonally adjusted |
| May 2026 | 202.8 | Not seasonally adjusted |
| June 2026 | 201.9 | Not seasonally adjusted |
| July 2026 | 202.0 | Not seasonally adjusted |
The BLS values are employment levels, not establishment counts, agency revenue, or the number of people working for the largest firms. Because the series is not seasonally adjusted, month-to-month comparisons should retain that qualification. The August 2025 observation and the April–July 2026 observations also belong to different years and should not be presented as a continuous annual trend without additional data.
The recent figures also use thousands as the reporting unit. Thus, 210.9 thousand means 210,900 employees when expressed as a count, while 201.9 thousand means 201,900. The table keeps the BLS unit visible because converting the values does not change their underlying scope: they remain not-seasonally-adjusted payroll employment observations for the advertising-agency industry detail. They should not be combined with the 2002 Census employee count as though both were collected through the same survey or at the same frequency.
Late-2025 hourly and weekly earnings
The BLS Table B-3b for November 2025 reports average hourly and weekly earnings for all employees on private nonfarm payrolls, not seasonally adjusted. The table lists the following advertising-agency values:
| Measurement month | Average hourly earnings | Average weekly earnings |
|---|---|---|
| November 2024 | $53.58 | $1,993.18 |
| September 2025 | $55.24 | $2,065.98 |
| October 2025 | $54.00 | $2,035.80 |
| November 2025 | $53.58 | $2,035.80 |
These are nominal dollars and describe averages for all employees in the covered private payroll industry detail. They are not inflation-adjusted wages, job-specific salaries, agency billing rates, or individual take-home pay. The November 2024 observation is included in the same BLS table as the later comparison points, but it remains a separate measurement month.
Summer-2025 and 2024 earnings
The BLS Table B-3b for September 2025 reports another set of not-seasonally-adjusted advertising-agency earnings observations:
- September 2024: average hourly earnings of $52.91 and average weekly earnings of $2,042.33.
- July 2025: average hourly earnings of $54.49 and average weekly earnings of $2,032.48.
- August 2025: average hourly earnings of $54.21 and average weekly earnings of $2,011.19.
- September 2025: average hourly earnings of $54.21 and average weekly earnings of $2,011.19.
The values show why hourly and weekly averages should be kept separate. A monthly hourly average can move differently from the weekly average reported for the same month. The figures also come from specific BLS table releases and are nominal, not seasonally adjusted, and not adjusted here for inflation.
The BLS Table B-3b for August 2024 reports earlier observations:
- August 2023: average hourly earnings of $51.13 and average weekly earnings of $1,907.15.
- June 2024: average hourly earnings of $53.08 and average weekly earnings of $2,054.20.
- July 2024: average hourly earnings of $52.93 and average weekly earnings of $1,947.82.
- August 2024: average hourly earnings of $52.93 and average weekly earnings of $1,947.82.
The source labels these as average earnings for all employees on private nonfarm payrolls. They are useful for describing reported industry pay levels in the stated months, but they do not identify the distribution of earnings among creative, account, media, strategy, production, or administrative roles.
For readers comparing agency markets or evaluating a prospective employer, the measurement definition is important. An industry-wide average can reflect differences in occupation mix, hours, staffing levels, and the composition of employers covered by the payroll series. It does not establish what a particular San Diego agency pays, nor does it describe freelance rates, client budgets, revenue per employee, or profit margins. The safest use is as a dated benchmark for the covered industry, with the month, dollar unit, and not-seasonally-adjusted status retained.
Spring-2024 earnings
The BLS Table B-3b for April 2024 reports advertising-agency earnings for April 2023 and February through April 2024:
- April 2023: average hourly earnings of $53.68 and average weekly earnings of $2,082.78.
- February 2024: average hourly earnings of $52.67 and average weekly earnings of $1,948.79.
- March 2024: average hourly earnings of $52.99 and average weekly earnings of $1,955.33.
- April 2024: average hourly earnings of $52.99 and average weekly earnings of $1,955.33.
These observations are also nominal, not seasonally adjusted, and cover all employees on private nonfarm payrolls in the reported advertising-agency industry detail. The source period matters: April 2023 is a historical comparison point, while February, March, and April 2024 are the spring-2024 observations in the table.
Taken together, the available earnings records provide a set of dated reference points rather than a complete annual compensation series. They should be cited with their measurement month and source table whenever used to compare advertising-agency pay.