How much does a marketing director make?

The average marketing director salary in the United States is $114,906. Marketing director salaries typically range between $68,000 and $193,000 yearly. The average hourly rate for marketing directors is $55.24 per hour. Marketing director salary is impacted by location, education, and experience. Marketing directors earn the highest average salary in California.

Marketing director salary

Q: What state pays Marketing Directors the most?

California pays Marketing Directors the most in the United States, with an average salary of $127,906 per year, or $61.49 per hour.

Q: How do I know if I'm being paid fairly as a marketing director?

You know if you are being paid fairly as a marketing director if your pay is close to the average pay for the state you live in. For example, if you live in Delaware you should be paid close to $125,037 per year.

Q: What is a good starting salary for a Marketing Director?

A good starting salary for a marketing director is $71,000 in the United States. That puts you in the 10th percentile of annual income for a marketing director in the U.S., which is about what you would expect if you were new to the field. The average salary for marketing directors is $112,661, but that normally requires some level of experience to achieve. Furthermore, a good starting salary for a marketing director can vary by state.

Q: How much do marketing directors make a month?

Marketing directors make $6,187 a month, on average. However, this can range from as little as $1,583 a month to as high as $10,750 a month. Factors such as location and the company all impact how much a marketing director can earn a month.

Q: How much do marketing directors make?

Marketing directors make $84,245 a year, on average. However, this can range from as little as $68,000 a year to as high as $140,750 a month. Factors such as location and the company all impact how much a marketing director can earn a month.

Quoted expert

Zachary Johnson Ph.D.

Average marketing director salary

$114,906

$55.24 hourly rate

Entry-level marketing director salary

$68,000 yearly salary

Updated December 15, 2025

Average Marketing Director Salary

The average salary for a Marketing Director is around $114,906 per year, translating to approximately $55 per hour. This compensation can vary significantly based on factors such as geographic location, years of experience, and the specific industry. For instance, Marketing Directors in high-demand areas or industries often see higher salaries.

Marketing Director Salaries by Experience Level

Entry-level Marketing Directors can expect to start at a lower salary, while those with several years of experience can earn upwards of $150,000 annually. Experience not only influences salary but also the scope of responsibilities, with senior roles often overseeing larger teams and budgets.

Highest Paying States for Marketing Directors

States like California and New York typically offer higher salaries for Marketing Directors due to the concentration of major corporations and competitive job markets. Understanding these regional differences is crucial for anyone considering a career as a Marketing Director.

Find Your Path

To maximize your earning potential, consider seeking roles in industries such as technology or finance, where demand for skilled marketing professionals remains high. Explore job listings on Zippia to find opportunities that align with your skills and salary expectations.

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Where can a Marketing Director earn more?

Compare salary by location

157k

137k

117k

97k

77k

57k

Columbus, OH$141,145

Denver, CO$86,804

Compare salary by company

245k

225k

205k

185k

165k

145k

Brookfield Properties$230,888

Starz$174,546

Marketing director salaries by experience level

Experience level	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
Entry-level marketing director	$85,300	$41.01
Mid-level marketing director	$91,100	$43.80
Senior-level marketing director	$207,000	$99.64

Marketing director salary estimates from across the web

Based on the latest salary information compiled by Zippia, Salary.com, Glassdoor, Ziprecruiter and Payscale, the average salary for a marketing director typically falls between $97,353 and $185,682.

zippia

$114,906yearly

glassdoor[1]

$159,983yearly

Salary.com[2]

$185,682yearly

ZipRecruiter[3]

$107,750yearly

payscale[4]

$97,353yearly

Average marketing director salary by state

The highest-paying states for marketing directors are California, Delaware, and Connecticut. The lowest average marketing director salary states are Florida, South Carolina, and Oklahoma.

State view
County view

Average salary:

Highest paying states for marketing directors

Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
1	Rhode Island	$117,430	$56.46
2	Connecticut	$121,546	$58.44
3	New Jersey	$120,315	$57.84
4	California	$127,906	$61.49
5	New Hampshire	$114,797	$55.19
6	New York	$120,228	$57.80
7	Washington	$114,034	$54.82
8	Massachusetts	$121,055	$58.20
9	Delaware	$125,037	$60.11
10	Pennsylvania	$108,712	$52.27
11	Maine	$104,964	$50.46
12	Oregon	$108,291	$52.06
13	Idaho	$115,441	$55.50
14	Wisconsin	$106,219	$51.07
15	Vermont	$110,707	$53.22
16	South Dakota	$93,704	$45.05
17	Nevada	$103,481	$49.75
18	District of Columbia	$104,714	$50.34
19	Arizona	$103,935	$49.97
20	Minnesota	$99,555	$47.86
21	West Virginia	$87,281	$41.96
22	Virginia	$100,679	$48.40
23	Ohio	$97,508	$46.88
24	Kansas	$97,208	$46.73
25	Michigan	$98,693	$47.45
26	Texas	$92,470	$44.46
27	Nebraska	$94,781	$45.57
28	Maryland	$103,759	$49.88
29	Arkansas	$91,935	$44.20
30	Utah	$84,810	$40.77
31	North Carolina	$89,917	$43.23
32	North Dakota	$89,029	$42.80
33	Montana	$85,993	$41.34
34	Illinois	$94,983	$45.66
35	Alaska	$91,170	$43.83
36	Colorado	$86,978	$41.82
37	Louisiana	$75,909	$36.49
38	Wyoming	$80,039	$38.48
39	Mississippi	$73,756	$35.46
40	South Carolina	$71,919	$34.58
41	Iowa	$86,252	$41.47
42	Oklahoma	$71,223	$34.24
43	New Mexico	$87,580	$42.11
44	Indiana	$85,595	$41.15
45	Hawaii	$69,772	$33.54
46	Alabama	$69,373	$33.35
47	Georgia	$74,244	$35.69
48	Kentucky	$76,280	$36.67
49	Florida	$72,165	$34.69
50	Tennessee	$71,066	$34.17
51	Missouri	$74,640	$35.88

Top marketing director jobs near you

Highest paying cities for marketing directors

The highest-paying cities for marketing directors are San Francisco, CA, Boston, MA, and Stamford, CT.

Rank	City	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
1	San Francisco, CA	$141,145	$67.86
2	Boston, MA	$121,614	$58.47
3	Stamford, CT	$121,513	$58.42
4	Jersey City, NJ	$121,167	$58.25
5	New York, NY	$120,706	$58.03
6	Seattle, WA	$115,646	$55.60
7	Philadelphia, PA	$109,294	$52.55
8	Portland, OR	$107,727	$51.79
9	Milwaukee, WI	$106,604	$51.25
10	Portland, ME	$105,695	$50.81
11	Phoenix, AZ	$104,942	$50.45
12	Washington, DC	$104,808	$50.39
13	Columbia, MD	$103,836	$49.92
14	Las Vegas, NV	$103,435	$49.73
15	Richmond, VA	$100,500	$48.32
16	Chicago, IL	$95,994	$46.15
17	Columbus, OH	$95,420	$45.88
18	Austin, TX	$94,818	$45.59
19	Jacksonville, NC	$92,558	$44.50
20	Denver, CO	$86,804	$41.73

Marketing Directors are the most in-demand in these five cities:

Marketing director salary details

A marketing director's salary ranges from $68,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $193,000 at the 90th percentile.

Average marketing director salary graph, trends, and summary

What is a marketing director's salary?

Percentile	Annual salary	Monthly salary	Hourly rate
90th Percentile	$193,000	$16,083	$93
75th Percentile	$151,000	$12,583	$73
Average	$114,906	$9,576	$55
25th Percentile	$87,000	$7,250	$42
10th Percentile	$68,000	$5,667	$33

Highest paying marketing director jobs

The highest paying types of marketing directors are senior vice president of marketing, marketing vice president, and senior director of marketing.

Job title	Annual salary	Monthly salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
Director Of Communications And Marketing	$87,324	$7,277	$41.98	109,600
Business Development And Marketing Manager	$75,369	$6,281	$36.23	182,239
Director Of Sales And Marketing	$117,348	$9,779	$56.42	132,459
Director, Product Marketing	$141,699	$11,808	$68.12	173,038
Director Of Marketing & Development	$98,174	$8,181	$47.20	151,893
Head Of Marketing	$137,829	$11,486	$66.26	92,557

How would you rate the starting salaries for marketing directors, as well as the prospects for salary advancement?

Zachary Johnson Ph.D.

Associate Professor of Marketing and Founder, ProfVal.com, Adelphi University

COVID has disrupted everything, at least for the time being. And the salaries that I'm seeing from employers range widely -- anywhere from the low $40s to tropical $100s. Overall, estimates suggest that marketing jobs are expected to increase somewhere between 5-10% within the next ten years. Still, the next few years are likely to be unpredictable until the pandemic subsides. One of the best places to compare mid-level salaries -- which should be the medium to the long-term goal -- is O*Net, a website developed by the U.S. government. Each page provides the Department of Labor's analysis of a job category based on wages, skills, and other areas to help a graduate assess potential career paths.

Top companies hiring marketing directors now:

Which companies pay marketing directors the most?

Marketing director salaries at Brookfield Properties and Airbnb are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average marketing director salary at companies like NVIDIA and Pure Storage are highly competitive.

Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate
1	Brookfield Properties	$230,888	$111.00
2	Airbnb	$203,707	$97.94
3	NVIDIA	$202,919	$97.56
4	Pure Storage	$202,259	$97.24
5	Genentech	$200,651	$96.47
6	ZS	$196,884	$94.66
7	Meta	$195,328	$93.91
8	Biogen	$192,976	$92.78
9	Google	$190,988	$91.82
10	Coty	$187,200	$90.00
11	DoorDash	$185,776	$89.32
12	Getaround	$185,688	$89.27
13	Washington Prime Group	$181,919	$87.46
14	Crunchbase	$179,820	$86.45
15	Squarespace	$179,737	$86.41
16	AstraZeneca	$179,556	$86.33
17	Okta	$178,238	$85.69
18	ViacomCBS	$176,748	$84.97
19	Pattern Energy Group	$176,174	$84.70
20	Starz	$174,546	$83.92

Wage gap by gender, race and education

$117,000$115,000$113,000$111,000$109,000$107,000

MaleFemale

Marketing Director salary by industry

The average marketing director salary varies across industries:

The average marketing director salary in the manufacturing industry is $131,349, the highest of any industry.
The average marketing director salary in the finance industry is $131,093.
Marketing directors in the hospitality industry earn an average salary of $102,492, the lowest of any industry.

Highest paying industries for marketing directors

Rank	Industry	Average salary	Hourly rate
1	Manufacturing	$131,349	$63.15
2	Technology	$131,093	$63.03
3	Finance	$128,614	$61.83
4	Media	$128,057	$61.57
5	Telecommunication	$124,489	$59.85
6	Professional	$117,093	$56.29
7	Retail	$111,158	$53.44
8	Health Care	$108,802	$52.31
9	Hospitality	$102,492	$49.27

High paying marketing director jobs

Marketing director salary trends

The average marketing director salary has risen by $21,144 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average marketing director earned $93,762 annually, but today, they earn $114,906 a year. That works out to a 8% change in pay for marketing directors over the last decade.

Compare marketing director salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.

Average marketing director salary over time

Compare marketing director salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.

Marketing director salary by year

Year	Avg. salary	Hourly rate	% Change
2025	$115,000	$55.24	+3.7%
2024	$111,000	$53.18	+1.9%
2023	$109,000	$52.18	+1.5%
2022	$107,000	$51.38	+0.8%
2021	$106,000	$50.97	+1.9%

Recently added marketing director salaries

Company	Job	Location	Date added	Salary
Bloomenergy	Director, Solutions Marketing	San Jose, CA	06/30/2025	$200,900
Gensler	Marketing Director	Los Angeles, CA	06/30/2025	$125,000
Prologis	Director, Private Capital Marketing	San Francisco, CA	06/30/2025	$154,000
Adtalem Global Education	Director-Marketing	Columbia, MD	06/29/2025	$130,000
Tacori	Marketing Director	Glendale, CA	06/29/2025	$150,000
Arootah	Director of Marketing	New York, NY	06/29/2025	$150,000
Thoropass	Director, Growth Marketing	New York, NY	06/29/2025	$180,000
Usta National Tennis Center	Director, Partnership Marketing	New York, NY	06/29/2025	$140,000
Centurylink	Director of AI Enablement and Marketing Automation	Noank, CT	06/28/2025	$163,993
Expedia	Performance Marketing Effectiveness Director	Seattle, WA	06/28/2025	$197,000