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Job outlook for media coordinators in the United States
Media coordinator job growth summary. After extensive research, interviews, and analysis, Zippia's data science team found that:
The projected media coordinator job growth rate is 8% from 2018-2028.
About 22,300 new jobs for media coordinators are projected over the next decade.
Media coordinator salaries have increased 8% for media coordinators in the last 5 years.
There are over 60,103 media coordinators currently employed in the United States.
There are 35,285 active media coordinator job openings in the US.
The average media coordinator salary is $47,471.
Are media coordinator jobs in demand?
Media coordinator job and salary trends over time
Media coordinator jobs over time
Media coordinator job growth rate over time
| Year | # of jobs | % of population |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 60,103 | 0.02% |
| 2020 | 60,313 | 0.02% |
| 2019 | 60,301 | 0.02% |
| 2018 | 58,754 | 0.02% |
| 2017 | 57,300 | 0.02% |
Average media coordinator salary over time
Media coordinator salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | $47,471 | $22.82 | +2.7% |
| 2025 | $46,217 | $22.22 | +1.9% |
| 2024 | $45,348 | $21.80 | +1.2% |
| 2023 | $44,819 | $21.55 | +2.2% |
| 2022 | $43,851 | $21.08 | +2.2% |
Media coordinator jobs by state
Most common states for media coordinators
| Rank | State | Population | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Delaware | 961,939 | 342 | 36% |
| 2 | New Hampshire | 1,342,795 | 428 | 32% |
| 3 | Rhode Island | 1,059,639 | 308 | 29% |
| 4 | North Dakota | 755,393 | 205 | 27% |
| 5 | District of Columbia | 693,972 | 186 | 27% |
| 6 | Maine | 1,335,907 | 350 | 26% |
| 7 | South Dakota | 869,666 | 216 | 25% |
| 8 | Vermont | 623,657 | 156 | 25% |
| 9 | Idaho | 1,716,943 | 407 | 24% |
| 10 | Wyoming | 579,315 | 118 | 20% |
| 11 | New Mexico | 2,088,070 | 372 | 18% |
| 12 | West Virginia | 1,815,857 | 335 | 18% |
| 13 | Alaska | 739,795 | 114 | 15% |
| 14 | Alabama | 4,874,747 | 678 | 14% |
| 15 | Oklahoma | 3,930,864 | 511 | 13% |
| 16 | Montana | 1,050,493 | 140 | 13% |
| 17 | Massachusetts | 6,859,819 | 756 | 11% |
| 18 | Utah | 3,101,833 | 311 | 10% |
| 19 | Nebraska | 1,920,076 | 196 | 10% |
| 20 | Connecticut | 3,588,184 | 319 | 9% |
Most common cities for media coordinators
| Rank | City | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl | Avg. salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Annapolis | 1 | 3% | $44,751 |
| 2 | Gainesville | 2 | 2% | $41,325 |
| 3 | Atlanta | 3 | 1% | $40,163 |
| 4 | Chicago | 6 | 0% | $39,889 |
| 5 | Dallas | 3 | 0% | $46,059 |
| 6 | Los Angeles | 3 | 0% | $52,467 |
| 7 | Austin | 2 | 0% | $47,009 |
| 8 | Colorado Springs | 2 | 0% | $46,911 |
| 9 | Phoenix | 2 | 0% | $46,757 |
| 10 | Sacramento | 2 | 0% | $52,542 |
| 11 | San Diego | 2 | 0% | $52,031 |
| 12 | Washington | 2 | 0% | $56,866 |
| 13 | Arlington | 1 | 0% | $46,139 |
| 14 | Baton Rouge | 1 | 0% | $36,620 |
Media Coordinator job outlook: Expert opinions
Our panel of media coordinator experts
Grand Valley State University
Saint Mary's College
Bowie State University
Wartburg College
San Francisco State University
University of Houston - Downtown
California State University - Dominguez Hills
San Jose State University
Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania
Hartwick College
Brigham Young University - Idaho
What Media Coordinator skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Matthew Turner Ph.D., M.B.A.: It would impossible to say what an average Communication Specialist does since Communication is such a diverse field. The tasks that a professional would do would depend largely on the type of specialist they are and may well depend on seasonal factors or specific events. That person could work in HR, Corporate Communication, Sales, Public Relations, Media, Advertising, or a host of other fields. As someone entering the field you may well be learning from someone else the specifics of your job. You may also be asked to jump right in and create new communication campaigns or continue old ones with little training particularly in smaller businesses.
What general advice would you give to a Media Coordinator?
Erica Haugtvedt Ph.D.: The skills I think that will become more prevalent and important in the next 3-5 years are critical thinking skills. By critical thinking, I mean looking at the big picture and thinking about values, ethics, and thinking ahead to implications and consequences. AI will be able to produce a lot of words, but whether those words are appropriate to the situation, purpose, and context--whether those words are the words that we need--that will be something that only a conscientious and intelligent person can bring to the situation. People who are able to do that should be leaders in any field.
What Media Coordinator skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Erica Haugtvedt Ph.D.: Liberal Arts majors are able to enter a wide variety of fields with their skill sets in communication and critical thinking. The advice that I would give to graduates just beginning their careers is to be very observant of whatever workplaces they are entering and figure out what the social dynamics and expectations are, as well as the expectations for what kind of work is valued. Look for what gets rewarded, ask whether what gets rewarded is worthwhile, and think critically about whether there are innovations that are needed that you can (eventually) provide. Figure out what role you need to play, and then figure out what role you want to play and how to get there.
What will help Media Coordinators increase their earning potential?
Erica Haugtvedt Ph.D.: You can maximize your salary potential by presenting your previous experience in the best light and keying it to what the jobs you’re applying for want and need, even if you don’t have experience in that exact job before. If you’re able to write a compelling resume, you could land in a better starting position with a higher salary. The other advice I would give is to always negotiate. Even if you only get a little bit more money in salary for asking, all of that adds up over the years!
What Media Coordinator skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Dr. Holly Sullenger PhD: Soft skills such as communication, active listening, giving and receiving feedback, writing, and presenting well are crucial and will become more important.
What will help Media Coordinators increase their earning potential?
Dr. Holly Sullenger PhD: Don't bring up salary in the first interview, look for published salary ranges, connect with current employees on LinkedIn, ask about workplace, teams, leadership, and address salary expectations at the end of the second interview or in response to the job offer.
What general advice would you give to a Media Coordinator?
Mr. Daniel Routh: More and more companies want to expand their presence on social media, and someone with good video, photography, writing, and spoken communication skills is in demand. Someone who communicates well also has potential for leadership and promotion, especially in HR and PR fields.
What Media Coordinator skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Mr. Daniel Routh: Most communication specialists enjoy new challenges and projects that require some creativity, interacting with people, and getting a message out. Some communication specialist work is more project based, which can mean late nights before an event or video project deadline.
What will help Media Coordinators increase their earning potential?
Mr. Daniel Routh: On a day-to-day basis, a communication specialist is likely to be interviewing or networking, planning an event, taking photos or videos, posting and managing social media on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, X, and YouTube, meeting with teams or clients about branding and marketing, editing videos, or writing news updates.
What general advice would you give to a Media Coordinator?
Dr. Alice Veksler Ph.D., BCPA: We have seen an increased focus on soft skills which are crucial to professional success. This means knowing email/slack/zoom etiquette, knowing how to manage time effectively, having conflict resolution skills, having the ability to effectively collaborate with others, and showing initiative, are all crucial and highly in-demand skills. As we move into a more technological direction, knowing how to use AI will become more and more important. Project management is also a key skill that can substantially improve earning potential (especially if credentialed). Understanding the geo-political climate can also help one's ability to move forward within one's career and if in a corporate setting, can facilitate climbing the corporate ladder. An understanding of, and respect for, diversity is also going to continue to matter to employers so cultural competence will become more and more important as well.
What Media Coordinator skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Dr. Alice Veksler Ph.D., BCPA: Practice your interpersonal skills and think about how what you have learned in your coursework translates to your chosen field of work. Teamwork, conflict resolution, social media savvy, and professionalism can make or break a career. Being able to articulate and demonstrate mastery of these skills with concrete examples during an interview can help land the job and then embodying the skillset of an excellent communicator will lead to professional success. Networking is also key so making sure that you do internships and engage with others in your chosen field helps with securing a job. Forging connections early in one's career can pay massive dividends down the road. We say that 'you get jobs by talking to people' and this maxim is especially true for a broad field like communication studies. Finally, I always encourage a healthy work-life balance to avoid burnout and maximize productivity.
What will help Media Coordinators increase their earning potential?
Dr. Alice Veksler Ph.D., BCPA: The single most important thing you can do is learn effective negotiation skills so that you negotiate a good salary and benefits package. Starting salaries will often set the baseline for future earning potential so being able to ensure that you are paid your worth early on is very important. New hires are often hesitant to negotiate salary to their detriment. Effective salary negotiation requires knowing how to do some basic market research to know what is reasonable and requires an understanding of the basics of principled negotiation. For example, it is important to know about positions vs. interests and what a BATNA/WATNA are. Beyond that, you need to stay proactive to ensure you are getting regular salary increases commensurate with norms in the field. Those increases are largely contingent on performance so excelling at the job then becomes the key to ongoing financial success. Making yourself an indispensable and irreplaceable asset to the employer is also very important.
What Media Coordinator skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Dr. Mikhila Wildey PhD: I think the ability to engage and connect with people will be very important in the field as we shift more and more to a culture that is driven by AI. Although AI can be a useful tool, it likely won’t ever fully replace the value of human interaction and connection. In addition, employers often comment that they want to see employees with strong work ethic, and I think this will continue to be the case in 3-5 years. Having a strong work ethic can separate the people that move forward in their careers to those who remain stagnant.
What will help Media Coordinators increase their earning potential?
Dr. Mikhila Wildey PhD: My general advice for a graduate beginning their career in the field is to work hard, stay open-minded, and network! Most employees won’t stay in the same position for their entire career, and so I often tell graduates to not get too hung up on the first job needing to be the 'perfect' job for them. Often, the first job will be a place where they learn how to navigate the workplace, learn about their own strengths/weaknesses, and figure out what they like and don’t like. I encourage graduates to use this information to help them make decisions about the next steps in their career. And, if they are working hard and networking with people at their job, then opportunities will often times present themselves or be more available to them as they navigate their future career path.
What Media Coordinator skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Dr. Veronica Hefner: Knowing how to brand yourself, both in person and online, is becoming increasingly important. If you're networking at an event, do you have short stories or anecdotes that you can share that help you come across as interesting? A story can tell a listener about your values, work ethics, drive, and competencies much better than you sharing a laundry list of your achievements. The same thing is true when branding yourself online. Another skill is the ability to communicate, even if that sounds simple. Are you able to write a professional email? Can you carry on an intelligent conversation with a potential client? Do you know when to stop talking and actively listen? Are you able to get your message across to diverse audiences? These skills are applicable no matter what job you do.
What Media Coordinator skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Dr. Rochelle Daniel: My general advice to a graduate who transitions into that first professional job in the Communication field is similar to advice I give Communication students for navigating internship workspaces (Communications Internship Handbook: What HBCU Students Need to Know, 2022). Be intentional about learning the organizational or office culture, really listen to find out what is expected of you, be flexible and adaptable when there are changes in workflow, and don't be afraid to ask questions.
What Media Coordinator skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Dr. Penni Pier: You must be confident in the skill sets you have and negotiate for a beginning salary that is commensurate with your skills. A lot of emerging professionals shy away from negotiation (or making the right fit for that matter) because they are afraid of turning down a job. Interviews and the first series of negotiations set the tone for the relationship you will have with your employer. You also must be willing to look in geographic areas and related industries that need your skill sets to make give you the most opportunities to be choosy with your first professional position. While at your first position, it is important to make sure that your portfolio stays current, and they you are continuing to do professional development. Be proactive and learn (or enhance) any skills you find lacking. Work on client interaction and how to be a good collaborator with your colleagues. If you do these things and there is room for advancement with the organization that first hired, you this will give you a “leg up” in terms of salary potential. If there is not opportunity for advancement a first position will give you tangible work experience for your portfolio and an opportunity to practice your skills which in turn will make you more marketable if or when you decide to move on.
What will help Media Coordinators increase their earning potential?
Dr. Penni Pier: I wholeheartedly believe the same skills that have been important over the past 50. You need to be a good storyteller, a good writer, and a good researcher. Technology will change, the mediums will change, but the skills of being able to research, use your resources and tell a compelling story that touches the heart of your consumer or target audience remains constant.
What general advice would you give to a Media Coordinator?
Dr. Nick DiFrancesco: Communication- many grads lack even basic communication skills such as presenting, writing, or conversation; the industry is going to be seeking out not just the best and brightest, individuals who are personable, can relate and have rational discussions with others. The inability to engage in conversation and debate, or network with others is a serious issue among students, and these are skills that are absolutely vital to any professional.
What Media Coordinator skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Dr. Geri Merrigan: Listening, empathy, and perspective-taking remain as important as ever, because change is the only certainty, and globalization connects us to people quite different from ourselves. That means skills for inclusive communication matter – analyzing an audience and crafting messages for diverse stakeholders. Finally, understanding the technology (especially AI) that is most consequential for your industry/sector, for Communication Studies majors, means understanding current events, reading about AI, and evaluating the credibility of what you read.
Paul Mandell Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Spanish (Applied Linguistics)University of Houston - Downtown
Romance Languages, Literatures, And Linguistics
What general advice would you give to a Media Coordinator?
Paul Mandell Ph.D.: Study after study has shown that the better that individuals entering almost any job market in the U.S. who can hear, speak, understand and read and write in two or more languages stand to be offered higher salaries that individuals who are monolingual. The vast majority of the world population is at least bilingual if not multilingual. Explaining to a potential employer that a candidate can communicate in more than one language is a guaranteed way to increase, sometimes greatly, any salary offer, almost regardless of the field. Those abilities will prove to be true assets in the market place.
What general advice would you give to a Media Coordinator?
Larry Hygh Jr., Ed.D.: Negotiate the highest possible salary at the beginning of your career. Intern throughout your collegiate career and build a portfolio to make yourself more marketable.
What Media Coordinator skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Larry Hygh Jr., Ed.D.: Writing is always the most important skill to have in communications. Great communications professional are also great storytellers. Keeping up with trends is important.
What will help Media Coordinators increase their earning potential?
Larry Hygh Jr., Ed.D.: Be open to all opportunities even if the opportunity is not something you have planned for your career trajectory. Networking is extremely crucial in the field of communications. Network, network, network, then network some more!
What general advice would you give to a Media Coordinator?
Kailee Gaither: I think that the ability to communicate will become more important and being able to use and understand technology.
What Media Coordinator skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Kailee Gaither: I would tell graduates to always be open to new ideas and opportunities, make sure you show up and work hard, and enjoy what you do. It is important to remain a lifelong learner and engage in ongoing professional development and networking. The world is changing quickly.
What general advice would you give to a Media Coordinator?
Dr. J.J. Sylvia IV: In this field, maximizing your salary typically requires being able to jump from one job to another, after a reasonable amount of time at each (1-2 years). You're much more likely to get a raise moving to a new job than staying at your current one. Networking will be the key to helping you make these moves — and remember to help those in your network when you have the opportunity to do so.
What Media Coordinator skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Dr. J.J. Sylvia IV: The career path for media professionals is not nearly as linear as many other careers. Be prepared to work hard, develop meaningful connections, and try new things. You'll have to be a life-long learner in this field, always updating your skills, because things change quickly. Success almost never happens overnight, but passion and hard work will put you in a position for success when opportunities present themselves. Take those opportunities, as they may not happen again!
What will help Media Coordinators increase their earning potential?
Dr. J.J. Sylvia IV: Artificial intelligence and augmented reality will be important tools to understand in the next 3-5 years. You won't necessarily have to be an expert in these tools, but you should understand them, have familiarity with using them, and be able to speak intelligently about them, at a minimum.
Joseph Dworak
San Jose State University
Entrepreneurial And Small Business Operations
What will help Media Coordinators increase their earning potential?
Joseph Dworak: The influence of technology has tilted employment towards specialization. The employment pendulum is swinging back, and the opportunities will be different in the future. Beyond focusing on a particular discipline, career, or profession I would grasp the fundamentals of the following subjects. English composition – words have always been more powerful than weapons. Battles always end but ideas never die. Business law – we are all directly or indirectly controlled by governmental fiat. Understand how you can operate within the system rather than the system operating you. Accounting and finance – American historically can and has monetized just about every endeavor. Financial information is often the numerical shibboleth to accessing the capital markets. History – Understanding another both as an individual but often more importantly as a larger group is often foundational to building a meaningful business or a personal relationship.
What general advice would you give to a Media Coordinator?
Dr. José Osorio Ed.D: If they did not have an opportunity to study abroad, before they start their career in the field, graduates should live abroad and experience firsthand the values, beliefs and attitudes of their chosen country (ies).
What Media Coordinator skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Dr. José Osorio Ed.D: People in the field must have cultural literacy and demonstrable oral proficiency in a second language.
What will help Media Coordinators increase their earning potential?
Dr. José Osorio Ed.D: You can maximize your salary if you can demonstrate to your potential employer that you have a functional understanding of foreign cultures because you have lived abroad. Further, if you can also demonstrate that you speak a second language well and that you can do business in that second language, you may be able to obtain a good salary, especially if you explain how your cultural/linguistic skills will help you advance the company's strategic mission.
What general advice would you give to a Media Coordinator?
Jerry Gibbs: All Communication majors need to have skills in content creation. The industry is pivoting to strong storytelling skills across all platforms, so in addition to writing and verbal skills, knowing how to create content with video and photography, video and audio editing, and understanding social media analytics will be important.
What Media Coordinator skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Jerry Gibbs: Communication careers cover a lot of different job titles but the key is to have great writing and verbal skills. If you are a good writer, those skills in particular will never go out of style.
What will help Media Coordinators increase their earning potential?
Stephanie Hollander: The skills that I think will be important in the next 3 to 5 years will be production and audio, communication, DEI, and teamwork.
What Media Coordinator skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Stephen Henderson: Much has been said about working hard, but productivity is the ultimate measure of value. As cliché as it sounds, be the one who shows up early and gets the job done. Be the type of employee who knows how everything works, treats everyone with respect, and stays accountable for their work. Be the person your organization would never want to lose.