Marketing Managers: Career Profile
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.
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What Do Marketing Managers Perform?
The day-to-day responsibilities of marketing managers include:
- Identify, develop, or evaluate marketing strategy, based on knowledge of establishment objectives, market characteristics, and cost and markup factors.
- Formulate, direct, or coordinate marketing activities or policies to promote products or services, working with advertising or promotion managers.
- Evaluate the financial aspects of product development, such as budgets, expenditures, research and development appropriations, or return-on-investment and profit-loss projections.
- Develop pricing strategies, balancing firm objectives and customer satisfaction.
- Compile lists describing product or service offerings.
- Direct the hiring, training, or performance evaluations of marketing or sales staff and oversee their daily activities.
- Consult with product development personnel on product specifications, such as design, color, or packaging.
- Use sales forecasting or strategic planning to ensure the sale and profitability of products, lines, or services, analyzing business developments and monitoring market trends.
Key Skills and Knowledge
Top marketing managers combine a mix of skills and domain knowledge.
Top Skills
These are the skills that matter most in this role, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:
Core Knowledge
Other Marketing Managers Job Titles
Common job titles for this role include:
- Account Supervisor
- Brand Manager
- Business Developer
- Business Development Director
- Business Development Manager
- Category Manager
- Channel Manager
- Commercial Director
How Many Marketing Managers Are There?
The U.S. employs around 271,208 marketing managers working in the United States today. This occupation is expected to decline by -4.4% over the projection horizon.
Salary for Marketing Managers
| Statistic | Value |
|---|---|
| Annual median | $90,143 |
| Hourly median | $43.34 |
| 10th percentile | $57,604 |
| 25th percentile | $73,874 |
| 75th percentile | $106,412 |
| 90th percentile | $122,681 |
Wages vary widely based on experience, location, and industry.
Pay by State
| State | Annual median salary |
|---|---|
| Massachusetts | $192,480 |
| California | $178,160 |
| Virginia | $177,250 |
| Colorado | $173,390 |
| New Jersey | $173,310 |
| New York | $172,590 |
| Rhode Island | $171,250 |
| Washington | $168,800 |
| District of Columbia | $168,080 |
| Minnesota | $167,250 |
| Georgia | $159,180 |
| Connecticut | $158,410 |
| North Carolina | $156,650 |
| Oregon | $155,640 |
| Illinois | $154,480 |
| Maryland | $154,080 |
| New Hampshire | $153,020 |
| Vermont | $151,010 |
| South Dakota | $145,390 |
| Pennsylvania | $142,000 |
| Kansas | $141,250 |
| Texas | $140,620 |
| Arizona | $135,920 |
| Michigan | $135,610 |
| Utah | $135,190 |
| Ohio | $132,660 |
| Montana | $132,180 |
| Wisconsin | $131,110 |
| Indiana | $130,730 |
| Florida | $130,490 |
| Tennessee | $130,260 |
| Iowa | $128,150 |
| Arkansas | $127,320 |
| Oklahoma | $126,150 |
| South Carolina | $124,000 |
| Kentucky | $123,480 |
| North Dakota | $123,460 |
| Hawaii | $121,160 |
| New Mexico | $118,460 |
| Idaho | $114,410 |
| Alabama | $112,960 |
| Missouri | $112,250 |
| Alaska | $110,560 |
| West Virginia | $110,150 |
| Nebraska | $108,200 |
| Louisiana | $103,080 |
| Nevada | $103,020 |
| Mississippi | $91,030 |
| Puerto Rico | $86,420 |
| Virgin Islands | $83,750 |
| Guam | $60,320 |
Top-Paying U.S. Regions
Pay for marketing managers differ across the country. The following regions pay the most:
| Region | Median annual wage | Share of U.S. jobs | Location quotient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Far Western US | $170,854 | 19.9% | 1.20 |
| Middle Atlantic | $164,771 | 22.2% | 1.66 |
| New England | $163,357 | 6.9% | 1.48 |
| Rocky Mountains | $149,012 | 3.8% | 1.12 |
| Great Lakes | $143,538 | 11.4% | 0.99 |
| Southeast | $141,730 | 17.4% | 0.78 |
| Southwest | $139,557 | 13.0% | 1.17 |
| Plains States | $139,287 | 5.2% | 0.90 |
Where the Jobs Cluster
| Metro area | State | Median annual wage | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | CA | $228,580 | 7,590 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | CA | $212,520 | 12,820 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | MA | $200,010 | 11,440 |
| Trenton-Princeton, NJ | NJ | $199,950 | 1,240 |
| Worcester, MA | MA | $176,500 | 650 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | DC | $176,240 | 9,480 |
| Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO | CO | $176,100 | 4,210 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | NY | $175,560 | 49,750 |
Industry Breakdown
Most marketing managers are found across these industries:
| Industry | Employment | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 97,200 | $165,080 |
| Management of Companies and Enterprises | 50,050 | $169,840 |
| Wholesale Trade | 40,030 | $158,120 |
| Information | 39,700 | $178,130 |
| Finance and Insurance | 36,620 | $167,610 |
| Manufacturing | 30,150 | $168,210 |
| Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services | 17,030 | $135,030 |
| Health Care and Social Assistance | 12,370 | $117,020 |
Marketing Managers work in the following industries:
Tools and Technology
- Document management software: Adobe Acrobat (hot technology)
- Video creation and editing software: Adobe After Effects (hot technology)
- Graphics or photo imaging software: Adobe Creative Cloud software (hot technology)
- Graphics or photo imaging software: Adobe Illustrator (hot technology)
- Desktop publishing software: Adobe InDesign (hot technology)
- Graphics or photo imaging software: Adobe Photoshop (hot technology)
- Data base user interface and query software: Amazon Redshift (hot technology)
- Data base user interface and query software: Amazon Web Services AWS software (hot technology)
- Data base management system software: Apache Cassandra (hot technology)
- Data base management system software: Apache Hadoop (hot technology)
- Data base management system software: Apache Hive (hot technology)
- Operating system software: Apple macOS (hot technology)
Work Environment
The on-the-job environment of marketing managers tends to involve the following characteristics:
- Telephone Conversations
- Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams
- Work With or Contribute to a Work Group or Team
- Determine Tasks, Priorities and Goals
Getting Started in This Career
Most marketing managers positions require a bachelor’s degree as the typical entry-level education. This career aligns with Considerable Preparation Needed (Job Zone 4), indicating the level of preparation typically expected.
Similar Occupations
Similar Occupations
- Purchasing Managers (Primary-Long)
- Wholesale and Retail Buyers, Except Farm Products (Supplemental)
- Logisticians (Supplemental)
- Project Management Specialists (Supplemental)
- Management Analysts (Supplemental)
- Market Research Analysts and Marketing Specialists (Primary-Short)
- Search Marketing Strategists (Primary-Short)
- Online Merchants (Primary-Long)
Degree Programs
Aspiring marketing managers commonly pursue programs in:
Health Professions and Related Programs
1 programs across 1 majors
Sources
Data on this page comes from the following authoritative sources:
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) for employment and wage data by state and industry.
- BLS Employment Projections for total employment and growth forecasts.
- O*NET (Occupational Information Network) for skills, knowledge, tasks, work activities, work context, technology, and education-zone data.
SOC code: 11-2021.00 (Marketing Managers).