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Search engine optimizer salary
Average search engine optimizer salary
$99,672
Average Search Engine Optimizer Salary
The average salary for a Search Engine Optimizer in the United States stands at $99,672 annually, translating to approximately $48 per hour. Salaries can vary significantly based on factors such as location, years of experience, and the specific industry. For example, metropolitan areas often offer higher salaries, reflecting the competitive nature of the SEO field.
Where Can a Search Engine Optimizer Earn More?
Search engine optimizers can find increased earnings in states like California and New York, where the demand for digital marketing expertise is high. Additionally, cities such as San Francisco and New York City are known for their lucrative opportunities in this field.
Highest Paying Industries
Industries such as technology and e-commerce typically offer the highest salaries for search engine optimizers. As companies continue to invest in their online presence, skilled professionals in SEO can expect growth in salary and job opportunities.
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Where can a Search Engine Optimizer earn more?
Average search engine optimizer salary by state
The highest-paying states for search engine optimizers are California, Arizona, and Alabama. The lowest average search engine optimizer salary states are Nebraska, Colorado, and South Dakota.
- State view
- County view
Highest paying states for search engine optimizers
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Utah | $112,105 | $53.90 |
| 2 | Arizona | $114,638 | $55.11 |
| 3 | New Mexico | $110,762 | $53.25 |
| 4 | California | $122,058 | $58.68 |
| 5 | Nevada | $111,455 | $53.58 |
| 6 | Texas | $104,538 | $50.26 |
| 7 | Alabama | $113,733 | $54.68 |
| 8 | Washington | $111,231 | $53.48 |
| 9 | Pennsylvania | $101,358 | $48.73 |
| 10 | New Hampshire | $100,738 | $48.43 |
| 11 | Louisiana | $101,013 | $48.56 |
| 12 | Arkansas | $104,586 | $50.28 |
| 13 | Virginia | $102,613 | $49.33 |
| 14 | Rhode Island | $102,101 | $49.09 |
| 15 | Connecticut | $101,540 | $48.82 |
| 16 | New Jersey | $106,995 | $51.44 |
| 17 | New York | $100,670 | $48.40 |
| 18 | District of Columbia | $100,723 | $48.42 |
| 19 | Mississippi | $100,366 | $48.25 |
| 20 | Kansas | $95,014 | $45.68 |
| 21 | Oregon | $95,374 | $45.85 |
| 22 | Tennessee | $96,179 | $46.24 |
| 23 | Massachusetts | $97,193 | $46.73 |
| 24 | North Dakota | $90,999 | $43.75 |
| 25 | Iowa | $91,428 | $43.96 |
| 26 | Maryland | $97,780 | $47.01 |
| 27 | Delaware | $101,187 | $48.65 |
| 28 | Alaska | $91,576 | $44.03 |
| 29 | West Virginia | $95,060 | $45.70 |
| 30 | Florida | $96,183 | $46.24 |
| 31 | Michigan | $93,533 | $44.97 |
| 32 | South Carolina | $96,617 | $46.45 |
| 33 | Ohio | $92,885 | $44.66 |
| 34 | Maine | $96,012 | $46.16 |
| 35 | Idaho | $93,010 | $44.72 |
| 36 | Wisconsin | $88,376 | $42.49 |
| 37 | North Carolina | $93,652 | $45.02 |
| 38 | Vermont | $90,863 | $43.68 |
| 39 | Kentucky | $92,623 | $44.53 |
| 40 | Indiana | $91,763 | $44.12 |
| 41 | Hawaii | $91,499 | $43.99 |
| 42 | Montana | $79,682 | $38.31 |
| 43 | Illinois | $87,637 | $42.13 |
| 44 | Colorado | $82,515 | $39.67 |
| 45 | Missouri | $89,326 | $42.95 |
| 46 | Nebraska | $83,522 | $40.15 |
| 47 | South Dakota | $79,989 | $38.46 |
| 48 | Oklahoma | $84,380 | $40.57 |
| 49 | Wyoming | $77,333 | $37.18 |
| 50 | Georgia | $85,127 | $40.93 |
| 51 | Minnesota | $79,255 | $38.10 |
Highest paying cities for search engine optimizers
The highest-paying cities for search engine optimizers are San Mateo, CA, Scottsdale, AZ, and Seattle, WA.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Mateo, CA | $127,930 | $61.50 |
| 2 | Scottsdale, AZ | $114,686 | $55.14 |
| 3 | Seattle, WA | $111,942 | $53.82 |
| 4 | Austin, TX | $105,183 | $50.57 |
| 5 | Philadelphia, PA | $102,180 | $49.13 |
| 6 | New York, NY | $100,898 | $48.51 |
| 7 | Boston, MA | $97,241 | $46.75 |
| 8 | Tampa, FL | $96,891 | $46.58 |
| 9 | Warren, MI | $94,075 | $45.23 |
| 10 | Hillsboro, OR | $94,016 | $45.20 |
| 11 | Green Bay, WI | $88,190 | $42.40 |
| 12 | Naperville, IL | $87,479 | $42.06 |
| 13 | East Point, GA | $84,788 | $40.76 |
| 14 | Denver, CO | $82,055 | $39.45 |
Search engine optimizer salary details
A search engine optimizer's salary ranges from $70,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $141,000 at the 90th percentile.
What is a search engine optimizer's salary?
| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $141,000 | $11,750 | $68 |
| 75th Percentile | $120,000 | $10,000 | $58 |
| Average | $99,672 | $8,306 | $48 |
| 25th Percentile | $82,000 | $6,833 | $39 |
| 10th Percentile | $70,000 | $5,833 | $34 |
Highest paying search engine optimizer jobs
The highest paying types of search engine optimizers are director, search marketing strategies, online user experience strategist, and search engine evaluator.
| Job title | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Social Media Strategist | $62,339 | $5,195 | $29.97 | 43,791 |
| Search Strategist | $82,098 | $6,842 | $39.47 | 9,339 |
| Search Engine Evaluator | $106,930 | $8,911 | $51.41 | 3,385 |
Top companies hiring search engine optimizers now:
Which companies pay search engine optimizers the most?
Search engine optimizer salaries at Meta and Apple are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average search engine optimizer salary at companies like eBay and Nordstrom are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Meta | $154,757 | $74.40 |
| 2 | Apple | $135,310 | $65.05 |
| 3 | eBay | $134,963 | $64.89 |
| 4 | Nordstrom | $124,239 | $59.73 |
| 5 | NVIDIA | $123,935 | $59.58 |
| 6 | Adobe | $123,180 | $59.22 |
| 7 | ServiceNow | $118,490 | $56.97 |
| 8 | Amd | $116,926 | $56.21 |
| 9 | Uber Technologies | $116,880 | $56.19 |
| 10 | Amazon | $114,998 | $55.29 |
| 11 | Baker Hughes | $114,258 | $54.93 |
| 12 | Phillips 66 | $113,195 | $54.42 |
| 13 | The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory | $112,638 | $54.15 |
| 14 | Koch Industries | $106,102 | $51.01 |
| 15 | Nomis Solutions | $105,703 | $50.82 |
| 16 | Micron Technology | $105,140 | $50.55 |
| 17 | The Dow Chemical Company | $104,358 | $50.17 |
| 18 | General Motors | $104,270 | $50.13 |
| 19 | Sentar | $104,086 | $50.04 |
| 20 | Xandr | $103,989 | $49.99 |
Wage gap by gender, race and education
Search Engine Optimizer salary by industry
The average search engine optimizer salary varies across industries:
- The average search engine optimizer salary in the finance industry is $101,154, the highest of any industry.
- The average search engine optimizer salary in the finance industry is $97,113.
- Search engine optimizers in the manufacturing industry earn an average salary of $84,078, the lowest of any industry.
Highest paying industries for search engine optimizers
| Rank | Industry | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Finance | $101,154 | $48.63 |
| 2 | Retail | $97,113 | $46.69 |
| 3 | Technology | $92,342 | $44.40 |
| 4 | Automotive | $91,936 | $44.20 |
| 5 | Professional | $84,729 | $40.74 |
| 6 | Manufacturing | $84,078 | $40.42 |
High paying search engine optimizer jobs
Search engine optimizer salary trends
The average search engine optimizer salary has risen by $16,316 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average search engine optimizer earned $83,356 annually, but today, they earn $99,672 a year. That works out to a 10% change in pay for search engine optimizers over the last decade.
Compare search engine optimizer salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Average search engine optimizer salary over time
Compare search engine optimizer salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
Search engine optimizer salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $99,700 | $47.92 | +3.3% |
| 2024 | $96,400 | $46.34 | +2.3% |
| 2023 | $94,200 | $45.29 | +1.9% |
| 2022 | $92,400 | $44.41 | +2.3% |
| 2021 | $90,300 | $43.40 | +1.5% |
Recently added search engine optimizer salaries
| Company | Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BP Americas, Inc. | Optimizer | Victoria, TX | 06/26/2025 | $110,000 |
| BP | Optimizer | Victoria, TX | 06/25/2025 | $110,000 |
| eBay Inc. | Staff Engineer, SEO Core Services | San Jose, CA | 06/21/2025 | $166,400 |
| Engie | Optimization Engineer II | Golden, CO | 06/21/2025 | $90,000 |
| Sitio de Experiencia de Candidatos | Flex Senior Software Engineer-SEO | Bethesda, MD | 06/16/2025 | $108,649 |
| Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory | Trajectory Optimization Engineer | Fulton, MD | 06/14/2025 | $90,000 |
| Marriott International | Flex Senior Software Engineer-SEO | Bethesda, MD | 06/13/2025 | $108,649 |
| Apple | SOC Power Analysis and Optimization Engineer | San Diego, CA | 06/12/2025 | $135,400 |
| Ventana Micro Systems | Cpu/Soc Power Analysis & Optimization Engineer | Cupertino, CA | 06/10/2025 | $115,000 |
| Simons Foundation | HPC Optimization Engineer | New York, NY | 06/09/2025 | $150,000 |
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