Advertising employment spans creative services, marketing leadership, sales, public relations, and market research. Recent Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) measures show a large and varied workforce: some advertising-related occupations are projected to grow through 2035, while advertising sales and promotions management are projected to contract.
Advertising employment statistics at a glance
- Workforce size
- Pay levels
- Industries and employers
- Employment projections
- States and regional patterns
- Workforce structure
The figures below use several BLS programs. The May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) estimates are employer-survey employment and wage measures. The 2025 National Employment Matrix is a separate projections model, so differences between its employment levels and OEWS levels should not be interpreted as changes in employment.
Workforce size
The May 2025 OEWS estimate counted 1,167,460 advertising, marketing, promotions, public relations, and sales managers nationwide. Within that broad manager grouping, advertising and promotions managers numbered 21,470, while marketing managers numbered 395,240. The same May 2025 OEWS release counted 91,700 advertising sales agents nationwide. These figures come from BLS Table 1: National employment and wage data from the OEWS survey, May 2025.
The 2025 National Employment Matrix uses different definitions and methods for its occupational estimates. It estimated 952,700 market research analysts and marketing specialists, 314,500 public relations specialists, and 421,600 marketing managers in 2025. These estimates are reported in BLS Occupational projections and worker characteristics.
Together, the measures show why “advertising employment” is not one single occupation. Advertising and promotions managers represent a relatively narrow management category; marketing managers cover a much larger leadership group; and market research analysts and marketing specialists form a large analytical and specialist workforce. The figures should be read within their named BLS program and measurement period rather than combined into one total.
Pay levels and wage distribution
May 2025 OEWS wage estimates show high average pay for advertising-related management jobs. Advertising and promotions managers had a $154,280 mean annual wage, a $74.18 mean hourly wage, and a $64.26 median hourly wage. Marketing managers had a $177,770 mean annual wage, an $85.47 mean hourly wage, and an $80.19 median hourly wage. Advertising sales agents had an $80,670 mean annual wage, a $38.79 mean hourly wage, and a $31.16 median hourly wage. The source is BLS Table 1, May 2025.
The 2025 projection matrix reports median annual wages using its own occupational framework. It lists $133,660 for advertising and promotions managers, $166,790 for marketing managers, $78,760 for market research analysts and marketing specialists, and $64,820 for advertising sales agents. These are not a replacement for the May 2025 OEWS values; they are separate source measures.
The detailed May 2023 profile for market research analysts and marketing specialists illustrates the spread within one occupation. Annual wages were $40,040 at the 10th percentile, $52,840 at the 25th percentile, $74,680 at the median, $102,450 at the 75th percentile, and $137,040 at the 90th percentile. The figures are from BLS Market Research Analysts and Marketing Specialists: Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2023.
| Occupation | Mean annual wage, May 2025 OEWS | Median annual wage, 2025 projection matrix |
|---|---|---|
| Advertising and promotions managers | $154,280 | $133,660 |
| Marketing managers | $177,770 | $166,790 |
| Advertising sales agents | $80,670 | $64,820 |
| Market research analysts and marketing specialists | Not listed in the supplied May 2025 OEWS facts | $78,760 |
The table compares the supplied measures, but the columns come from different BLS programs. It should not be used to calculate wage growth or a direct year-over-year change.
Where advertising jobs are found
Advertising and promotions managers were distributed across several industries in 2024. Advertising, public relations, and related services accounted for 39% of employment. Self-employment accounted for 21%, information for 10%, management of companies and enterprises for 5%, and wholesale trade for 3%. These industry and workforce shares are reported by the BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook for Advertising, Promotions, and Marketing Managers.
Marketing managers had a more diversified industry pattern in 2024. Professional, scientific, and technical services accounted for 24% of employment; management of companies and enterprises accounted for 11%; wholesale trade accounted for 10%; finance and insurance accounted for 10%; and manufacturing accounted for 7%. This distribution indicates that marketing leadership is present across service, commercial, financial, and industrial employers rather than concentrated only in advertising agencies.
The May 2023 industry profile for market research analysts and marketing specialists provides employment counts for selected industries. Management, scientific, and technical consulting services employed 93,900 workers; management of companies and enterprises employed 70,300; computer systems design and related services employed 48,930; and advertising, public relations, and related services employed 40,760. These detailed industry counts are from BLS Market Research Analysts and Marketing Specialists, May 2023.
The measurement periods matter. The manager industry shares describe 2024, while the detailed market-research industry counts describe May 2023. They are useful for understanding occupational distribution, but they are not a single current-industry snapshot.
Employment projections through 2035
The 2025–35 National Employment Matrix presents different outlooks within advertising employment. Advertising and promotions managers are projected to have 31,900 jobs in 2035, compared with 33,200 in 2025. That is a projected decline of 3.7%, or 1,200 jobs, with an average of 2,300 annual openings over the period.
Marketing managers are projected to reach 450,800 jobs in 2035 from 421,600 in 2025. The projected growth rate is 6.9%, equal to an increase of 29,100 jobs. The occupation is projected to have 34,000 annual openings on average from 2025 to 2035.
Market research analysts and marketing specialists are projected to reach 1,019,000 jobs in 2035 from 952,700 in 2025. The projected growth rate is 7.0%, a numeric increase of 66,300 jobs, and the occupation is projected to have 82,000 annual openings on average during the decade.
Advertising sales agents have a different forecast. The matrix projects 92,200 jobs in 2035, down from 99,300 in 2025. The projected decline is 7.2%, or 7,100 jobs, while average annual openings are projected at 7,800 from 2025 to 2035.
| Occupation | 2025 employment | 2035 projection | Projected change | Average annual openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Advertising and promotions managers | 33,200 | 31,900 | -3.7% | 2,300 |
| Marketing managers | 421,600 | 450,800 | +6.9% | 34,000 |
| Market research analysts and marketing specialists | 952,700 | 1,019,000 | +7.0% | 82,000 |
| Advertising sales agents | 99,300 | 92,200 | -7.2% | 7,800 |
These are forecasts, not observed 2026 employment figures. Annual openings can remain substantial even when an occupation’s total employment is projected to decline, because openings can reflect workforce replacement as well as new job growth. The supplied matrix reports openings, but does not identify the share attributable to either source.
State employment and wages
The detailed May 2023 BLS profile listed California as having 113,630 market research analysts and marketing specialists, the largest state employment level listed in the supplied profile. New York had 83,450, Florida had 55,760, Texas had 52,200, and Illinois had 37,790. These are May 2023 state employment counts from BLS Market Research Analysts and Marketing Specialists, May 2023.
State employment size and pay are separate dimensions. Washington had a $106,420 annual mean wage for market research analysts and marketing specialists in May 2023. That wage fact does not establish that Washington had the largest employment level, and the supplied facts do not provide comparable mean wages for every state listed above.
For readers evaluating advertising-related work geographically, the state figures suggest that large employment markets and high mean wages should be considered separately. They also describe market research analysts and marketing specialists specifically, not every advertising occupation. The May 2023 date should remain attached to both the employment and wage measures.
Self-employment and workforce structure
Self-employment is a notable part of the advertising and promotions management workforce. In the 2025 projection matrix, self-employed workers represented 35.1% of advertising and promotions managers. The 2024 Occupational Outlook Handbook also reports self-employment as a 21% share for that occupation; the two percentages come from different BLS sources and periods and should not be treated as a measured trend.
The matrix reported lower self-employment shares for the other occupations covered here: 5.3% for marketing managers, 3.8% for market research analysts and marketing specialists, and 7.7% for advertising sales agents. These are workforce characteristics, not counts of job openings.
The distinction matters when interpreting employment statistics. A projected opening does not identify whether the eventual work will be salaried, self-employed, agency-based, in-house, or attached to a particular industry. Likewise, an industry share describes where workers are employed, while a state count describes geographic concentration. Each statistic answers a different question about the advertising labor market.
For a current reading of advertising employment, the most useful combination is therefore the occupation-specific workforce estimate, the matching wage measure, the clearly dated industry or state profile, and the 2025–35 projection. Keeping those definitions and dates visible prevents OEWS estimates, matrix forecasts, and legacy May 2023 profiles from being mistaken for one continuous series.