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Marketing and product development manager job growth summary. After extensive research, interviews, and analysis, Zippia's data science team found that:
The projected marketing and product development manager job growth rate is 2% from 2018-2028.
About 4,400 new jobs for marketing and product development managers are projected over the next decade.
Marketing and product development manager salaries have increased 11% for marketing and product development managers in the last 5 years.
There are over 5,404 marketing and product development managers currently employed in the United States.
There are 189,560 active marketing and product development manager job openings in the US.
The average marketing and product development manager salary is $137,101.
| Year | # of jobs | % of population |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 5,404 | 0.00% |
| 2020 | 5,288 | 0.00% |
| 2019 | 5,170 | 0.00% |
| 2018 | 4,752 | 0.00% |
| 2017 | 4,356 | 0.00% |
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | $137,101 | $65.91 | +3.2% |
| 2025 | $132,791 | $63.84 | +2.9% |
| 2024 | $129,060 | $62.05 | +2.2% |
| 2023 | $126,272 | $60.71 | +2.2% |
| 2022 | $123,531 | $59.39 | +1.5% |
| Rank | State | Population | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | District of Columbia | 693,972 | 369 | 53% |
| 2 | North Dakota | 755,393 | 312 | 41% |
| 3 | Minnesota | 5,576,606 | 2,241 | 40% |
| 4 | South Dakota | 869,666 | 342 | 39% |
| 5 | Nebraska | 1,920,076 | 707 | 37% |
| 6 | Alaska | 739,795 | 270 | 36% |
| 7 | Pennsylvania | 12,805,537 | 4,076 | 32% |
| 8 | Georgia | 10,429,379 | 3,320 | 32% |
| 9 | Montana | 1,050,493 | 331 | 32% |
| 10 | New Mexico | 2,088,070 | 637 | 31% |
| 11 | Wisconsin | 5,795,483 | 1,729 | 30% |
| 12 | Kansas | 2,913,123 | 885 | 30% |
| 13 | Arizona | 7,016,270 | 2,010 | 29% |
| 14 | Colorado | 5,607,154 | 1,573 | 28% |
| 15 | New Hampshire | 1,342,795 | 380 | 28% |
| 16 | Texas | 28,304,596 | 7,516 | 27% |
| 17 | Arkansas | 3,004,279 | 812 | 27% |
| 18 | Massachusetts | 6,859,819 | 1,792 | 26% |
| 19 | Iowa | 3,145,711 | 833 | 26% |
| 20 | Oregon | 4,142,776 | 1,035 | 25% |
North Dakota State University
Siena College

Idaho State University

University of Scranton
University of Saint Mary

Towson University
Auburn University-Montgomery
Auburn University-Montgomery
Tusculum University

Wayland Baptist University, Anchorage

Western New England University

James Madison University

Miami University
Wisconsin School of Business, University of Wisconsin-Madison

The College of St. Scholastica
Indiana University
American Public Power Association

University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown
Arizona State University

University of Oregon
North Dakota State University
Marketing
Ahmad Asady: The role of a Marketing professional is as rewarding as it is demanding. On one hand, it offers the chance to unleash creativity, see the direct impact of your work, and enjoy a variety of experiences across different projects and industries. On the other hand, it comes with its fair share of challenges, such as the pressure to perform under tight deadlines and budgets, the constant need to stay ahead in a fast-evolving field, and the stress of quantifying the effectiveness of marketing campaigns. Despite these challenges, the role remains appealing for those drawn to a career that demands both strategic thinking and creative innovation, underscored by the powerful tool of persuasion to shape consumer behavior and drive business success.
Siena College
Marketing Department
Allison Lauenstein: Leadership and collaboration will go a long way. The best ideas can come from anywhere, and it's not always about who has the best idea but who can execute the idea the best. Good marketers must understand that if you cannot successfully execute or effectively communicate a great idea, it may not be so great.

Idaho State University
College of Business
John Ney: Internships or class project experience that show the student has helped develop a marketing strategy for a company is probably the most important but also marketing research skills.
John Ney: -A positive "can-do" attitude. I'm often told by employers that "we can teach skills, but we can't teach attitude."
-Teamwork - the ability to work with others is more important now than ever.
-Communication skills, both oral and written.

University of Scranton
School of Management
Abhijit Roy: These are very important, yet harder to quantify skills, not only for marketing professionals but for business graduates in general. They include the ability to make sound decisions under pressure, having a high emotional intelligence quotient (EQ) as embodied by having empathy towards coworkers and subordinates, delegating appropriately, mentoring, communicating, time management, maintaining positivity despite setbacks and adapting to unforeseen challenges, being flexible, being persuasive and assertive at appropriate moments, yet being collaborative, seeking feedback, and the ability to negotiate and resolve conflicts when needed, amongst others.
Soft skills are typically more instrumental in enabling candidates to fit into an organization's culture and be strong candidates for promotion. Most marketing jobs involve candidates representing their brand initiatives and building strong client relationships, so interpersonal, and other soft skills are often valued more than hard skills. The strongest case for having excellent soft skills is that they are more easily transferable across various jobs and industries.
University of Saint Mary
Division of Business and Information Technologies (DBiT)
Dr. Mark Harvey Ph.D.: First, critical and creative thinking. Employers value problem solvers. A Business Development Managers' problem usually is finding growth opportunities. Candidates need to learn to take the initiative to figure out how to solve problems like those.
Second, writing. The best employees know how to communicate in writing. More and more communication occurs through email and other forms of social media and apps, and as such, this skill is absolutely critical. You don't need to be a creative writing genius, but you do need to know how to write in a professional tone, present your ideas in an organized way, get to the point, and avoid errors. There is a direct line between a student's ability to write an academic essay with a clear thesis and an employee's ability to write a good email or proposal. If you can't do those things, then you risk embarrassment and possibly limited options for promotion.
Third, speaking. The American business world discriminates against introverts-sometimes at their own peril. Everyone needs to know how to give a quality speech, but more importantly, you need to sound confident and assertive in a board room during meetings. You need to be confident in front of clients. Fake it if you have to. The way you present yourself is absolutely critical.
Fourth, social skills. You need to be friendly. Get to know co-workers and clients. Find out what they like and show an interest. Find common ground. Your undergraduate degree hopefully exposed you to a wide diversity of topics you may have thought were irrelevant at some point. Now is the time to remember that stuff and use it to connect with people. Nearly everything you learned will have some application someday. It will help you connect with others. In addition, put away your cell phone when you are at work or on social occasions. To some people, a preoccupation with a cell phone communicates a lack of interest in the person you are with. It can alienate bosses, co-workers, and clients.

Towson University
Marketing Department
Erin Steffes Ph.D.: As a science and an art, marketing utilizes both soft skills and technical skills on a daily basis. While some technologies are industry-specific, having an understanding and basic mastery of data analysis, statistics, data visualization, digital marketing, marketing research, and customer relationship management will position a candidate well.
Jeff Bates: The same thing will help people in any field continue to increase their earning potential as in the past. If an employee can find a way to differentiate themselves in a positive manner and make themselves valuable or even invaluable to their company, they should see increased earnings potential. Learning a foreign language, computer skills such as Excel, good math skills, and the ability to communicate will prove to be extremely important in advancing one's career.
Auburn University-Montgomery
Department of Business Administration
Mary Kiker Ph.D.: Yes, I think there will be an enduring impact of the pandemic on graduates. They now realize that life can change drastically in an instant. They realized that they had to change their behavior, be flexible, and they realized that circumstances out of their control will impact their life dramatically.
Joshua Ray Ph.D.: The COVID response for graduates and for businesses generally is still uncertain but early indications suggest thinking about remote work, leveraging of technology, and entrepreneurial/intrapreneurial inclinations have changed considerably and are likely to persist. Folks who are entering the workforce post-COVID will have to develop a level of comfort working in distributed teams, relying on virtual tools, and initiating and developing innovation.

Dr. Mary Rydesky: What certifications/licenses/courses can have the biggest impact on your job prospects? Emphases on project management and strategic thinking have been joined by certifications in soft skills that support diversity and cultural awareness. Graduates do need technical skills, but with the shift to remote teams and work from home environments pushed the curve. Now, grads need experience in applying their tech skills from a distance.

Harlan Spotts Ph.D.: I think there is going to be an enduring impact on everyone. The pandemic has changed the structure of work. Businesses have been experimenting with remote work for some time, some more widespread than others. There was a trend where businesses were beginning to bring employees back into the office because productivity increased, even if it was for one or two days a week. However, the pandemic forced everyone in every industry to change the way they work. Remote was the only option for many businesses and people just had to figure it out. I think that was actually a good thing for businesses because it demonstrated that most, or a large number, of employees could work remotely and be just as, if not more, productive than being in the office. So, I think that remote is here to stay, and is part of the next normal. I don't think that there will be a "return to normal."
We have even seen the effects in an academic setting. I have been teaching online and hybrid in our MBA program for over 10 years. Students working online were most comfortable with a kind of "post and do" approach. May read some material, watch some videos, and do an assignment. Trying to have an online, interactive session was a struggle for a long time. Part of that struggle was internet access for students, and another part of the struggle was student technology issues. They would have difficulty setting up webcams or microphones. One of the side effects of the pandemic is it forced everyone, students and faculty, to up their game in the live, online environment. A great aspect of this is that it has made everyone much more flexible with delivery. Our grad program is online with live interaction. Our undergrad program is pretty much all on ground, except before the pandemic there would be a hand full of offerings. Now, we flex back and forth between being in the classroom and holding live online sessions. No worries about inclement weather. And, it allows for selecting the best delivery approach for the material being covered. For example, in my marketing analytics course I have been holding live Zoom sessions, basically delivering tutorials on how to set up and do statistical analysis in certain computer programs. This is much easier than doing it in an on-ground classroom, students can easily see what I am doing and ask questions, and I can record the sessions and post them to our virtual learning environment for later review. The pandemic has definitely spurred us to be more technology savvy and adaptive.
Harlan Spotts Ph.D.: In marketing, developing digital capabilities is extremely important. Marketing was on the forefront of the digital transition in business. With the amount of commerce that has shifted to the web marketers have to be comfortable with living in the digital space. This will demand new and different strategies. Marketers have always needed to be effective communicators, but now it is not just being a great closer. Marketers need to be effective communicators in writing (text, email, etc.) and verbal (person to person live, as well as person to person online)
Students need to start in college developing skills to be successful. It was interesting, we, in the College of Business, were talking about developing student competency in remote work before the pandemic hit last year. The pandemic accelerated our work, and we are in the process now of approving a certificate in remote work that any undergraduate business student can earn. It is designed to develop those competencies that will be critical for success in the "new normal."

Richard Tate: Probably what it looks like for a student today - a lot of time online, head down, and peering into a device. Businesses have learned that the former traditional business model where many reported to an office, perhaps "on the clock" is really not necessary anymore. Confidence has been gained that employees can work just as effectively from remote locations, perhaps more effectively. We are learning that we can develop trust online and conduct business with others without having direct human interaction. I think this is a paradigm shift for business today.
Patrick Lindsay: Sales is a good job out of college. Regardless of the company, the industry, the marketplace or geography, being in the customer interface is not only the best and quickest way to learn about a business but also to learn about business. They are exposed to the impact from and on all stakeholders. They learn about what a value proposition really is and the importance of Trust. They observe and learn the importance of relationships. And they grasp the importance of why over what and how. Finally, sales experience and success is almost universally transferable. Once a grad has a year to three developing competencies, skills and confidence, they can pursue virtually any other product or service in almost any company. They can pursue a next job in sales but also other areas like marketing, customer service, human resources, training, recruiting, et cetera. Employers are not emphasizing industry knowledge or experience like they once did. And many companies, from small local the largest global companies in their industries, insist their new college hires begin in sales (aka account management, business development, client acquisition).
Now, with the proper training (could be a major/minor but doesn't have to be if the graduate has developed a particular skill set) there are many available jobs for graduates that are technology-related. These are "good job" from a compensation and stability perspective. And any position with a global tech firm is a golden ticket.
Patrick Lindsay: Most all employers expect full competency in creatively using technology for communications. By that I don't mean mobile devices or social media usgae. I mean a widespread working knowledge of technology tools (apps, software, etc). Employers are seeking those candidates who can convey thoughts, ideas, responses in a multi-faceted way. Basic competency in written correspondence is no longer enough. Employers want to see daily business communication not only contain demonstration of good writing (grammar, syntax, formatting) but also being able to create embedded images, video, and relevant web links to better communicate. And not just for a big fancy client presentation, but consistently in regular communication. Further, they want words supported by data; support words with numerical evidence. As such, advanced excel skills and real experience in data sources and extraction stand out to employers.
Similarly, they expect professional virtual audio-visual communication. It is not enough to just be on the Zoom call. The expectation is to be prepared, to be engaged, to be aware of the audio and video angles and backgrounds. To demonstrate active listening as well as enthusiastic, energetic, even animated talking. Body language and facial expression are even more enhanced in virtual communications.
If there was a positive outcome from being thrust into an academic world that was all virtual, it was the need to learn new technical skills, not only for classwork, but also for social interaction. This will not only be appreciated by employers, but for many, expected.
Patrick Lindsay: Sales is a good job out of college. Regardless of the company, the industry, the marketplace or geography, being in the customer interface is not only the best and quickest way to learn about a business but also to learn about business. They are exposed to the impact from and on all stakeholders. They learn about what a value proposition really is and the importance of Trust. They observe and learn the importance of relationships. And they grasp the importance of why over what and how. Finally, sales experience and success is almost universally transferable. Once a grad has a year to three developing competencies, skills and confidence, they can pursue virtually any other product or service in almost any company. They can pursue a next job in sales but also other areas like marketing, customer service, human resources, training, recruiting, et cetera. Employers are not emphasizing industry knowledge or experience like they once did. And many companies, from small local the largest global companies in their industries, insist their new college hires begin in sales (aka account management, business development, client acquisition).
Now, with the proper training (could be a major/minor but doesn't have to be if the graduate has developed a particular skill set) there are many available jobs for graduates that are technology-related. These are "good job" from a compensation and stability perspective. And any position with a global tech firm is a golden ticket.
Patrick Lindsay: Absolutely, the pandemic will have an enduring impact on these upcoming graduates. Uncertainty is always part of the job search journey/process for future graduates. Uncertainty is now major Anxiety number one for them.
First, the recruiting process drastically changed and opportunities diminished in the past twelve months. Of course the process had to become virtual. But there has been more than a fifty percent reduction in the number of companies participating in career fairs. Further, those companies are anticipating a reduction in the number of available positions, or have said they will have none at all this year. Some only participated to keep their relationships alive with the universities.
Second, companies cannot commit to the full scope of work for new hires, nor the location... because they still don't know. Starting positions will still be virtual WFH. What does that mean for a college graduate? Move back home with parents? Some companies are anticipating a return this summer to office or other work sites that are bricks and mortar locations. Still others say they will stay virtual. Either way, few will commit to where a new graduate will be located. The common position is "We will see where our needs are when the time comes". Rarely have graduates not known the location of their first job.
Third, where millennials were the driving faction for flexible work environs and work from home, in less than one year, many upcoming Gen Z graduates have changed their perspective and are seeking opportunities to commute to work and interact with people in a live daily routine. They do not want to continue living in a virtual world. It took less than ten months to change a cultural movement. This will be a growing field of study for behavioral psychologists, sociologists and anthropologists.
Fourth, many grads are open to a wider bandwidth of positions and industries (other than those seeking a "professional" career in certification trades: accountancy, engineering, architecture, etc.) than they would have been one year ago. The uncertainty of supply always impacts the demand. Likewise, their career criteria and priorities seem to have changed, but in very inconsistent ways.
Wisconsin School of Business, University of Wisconsin-Madison
International Business
Sachin Tuli: Certainly there will be impact on graduates as there will be impact on society as a whole - but which impact? If economic, we serve students from a variety of national backgrounds, so depending on where our students go after graduation their local economy recoveries could diverge from the global average and that could effect both the job market and salaries. For instance, China is forecasted to continue recovering due to its proactive lock downs and ability to serve foreign markets through this past year. In the U.S., where the majority of our students stay, a strong vaccine program, safety net supports and stimulus will help ensure a recovery at large and likely a post-Covid bump. Though the recovery will be uneven, our students primarily head to medium and large firms that will be well poised to hire, or which may have experienced growth through the pandemic. There will be other impacts on personal finances, health and mental health, among others, that should also be considered. The pandemic has laid bare the inequities in society, and firms are pledging to help address these issues through various actions, such as diversity and inclusion initiatives, and proactive internal training and education.
Sachin Tuli: The pandemic accelerated ongoing shifts with work-from-anywhere and use of remote meeting technologies. With mass adoption at all levels, these trends are likely to persist to some degree across fields and industries. There will likely be less travel for a number of years, but concurrently we may see more cross-team and cross-national collaboration and coordination. From an international business perspective, firms do plan to continue their globalization efforts and we know that graduates themselves increasingly seek potential global opportunities and mobility when choosing which organizations to work for.
Sachin Tuli: Our undergraduate international business program serves as a second major that is coupled with another business major; marketing, finance, and management are most common majors combined with international business. Initial career placement is driven by these first majors, with students using the knowledge and skills gained through the international business curriculum throughout their careers but often leveraging the major directly as they command more responsibility within their organizations. The Wisconsin School of Business continues to place our students competitively with starting salaries having kept pace with industry and peer schools; specific salary information by major can be found here:apps.wsb.wisc.edu

The College of St. Scholastica
Management and Business Studies
Dr. Melissa Goodson Ph.D.: We embrace a holistic approach to building skills in our graduates. Broadly, the college focuses on five core college learning objectives that we hope graduates will be exposed to in coursework to develop employment-ready skills during their time at The College of St. Scholastica. The five objectives are Inquire Deeply, Solve Complex Problems, Develop Cultural Fluency, Communicate Clearly and Persuasively, and Serve and Lead through Benedictine Values. St. Scholastica degree programs and course objectives map to these overarching objectives.
The Business Management and Marketing degree program courses emphasize skills in managing people, creatively marketing products and services, solving problems, analyzing information using technology, and ethically communicating company change and news internally and externally.
Davide , Ph.D. Bolchini Ph.D.: In the prospering User Experience (UX) economy, I see more and more "remote" UX internships offered to our students and "remote" UX full-time job opportunities offered to our graduates. Both graduates and employers are more comfortable establishing remote working collaborations, which are becoming now the norm more than before, due to the disruption in the traditional office-bound workspace that COVID brought to the marketplace.
Davide , Ph.D. Bolchini Ph.D.: In my experience, our most successful MS HCI graduates (https://soic.iupui.edu/hcc/graduate/hci/masters/) take the time to put together a compelling online portfolio that showcases their project experience and skill set in action, as applied to specific research opportunities they had with faculty or projects they worked on during their UX internships in the industry. The personal brand of UX junior professional can be greatly enriched when the portfolio includes not only what the student has done, but why and what was the design rationale behind the process and the results, what was the larger context and goal of the project (especially in large collaborative projects), and what was the specific role and contribution of the student. The discussion about the portfolio of a candidate has become a key ingredient of the interview for UX jobs, besides other important activities such as UX design exercises or remote assignments.
Davide , Ph.D. Bolchini Ph.D.: With the many remote work opportunities for our MS HCI graduates, physical location is less relevant than before, and flexibility becomes key. UX job opportunities are plenty in the Midwest, as well as on the East and West Coast, and the roles and competitiveness of these positions vary greatly based on the nature of the organization and the industry ecosystem.
American Public Power Association
Media Relations & Communications
Tobias Sellier: There are exciting opportunities to work for community-owned, not-for-profit, hometown public power. From engineers and customer service representatives to lineworkers and administrative professionals, there are many opportunities. And utility employees, being essential workers, even during these challenging times, there are still many jobs that will need to be filled.

University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown
Marketing Department
John McGrath Ph.D.: I believe new grads may buck the trend toward moving to the major cities for job opportunities for two reasons: fears that large cities' density may contribute to COVID-19 and future pandemics and the new capability to work remotely from anywhere. As a result, young people are actively searching for quality of life in smaller regional cities all over America.
Dr. Donald Siegel: States and cities that are growing (e.g., Arizona, Texas, Colorado, and cities, such as Phoenix, San Antonio, Denver, Austin, and Atlanta).

T. Bettina Cornwell: This pandemic has taught us that place will be less important in many careers. We have proven we can work from anywhere. The future place decision is likely near, but not in big, expensive cities.