Average Advertising Major Salary
Updated September 14, 2023
$62,238

What is the average advertising major salary in the US?

Advertising major graduates in the US make on average $62,238 annually or $29.92 hourly.While the top 10 percent make over $122,000 per year, the bottom 10 percent make under $31,000.Most jobs for advertising majors are in technology companies and professional companies.The top 5 states when it comes to salaries for advertising major graduates are Washington, California, New York, New Jersey, and Oregon.
Best Paying Cities

Average Advertising Salary By Company

Advertising major graduates report their job security as good. But just as in every field, some employers pay higher wages than others.technology companies and professional companies tend to have the highest concentration of employment for advertising major graduates.McKinsey & Company Inc and HP are the highest paying companies.In addition, companies like Yelp and JPMorgan Chase & Co. report highly competitive salaries for advertising major graduates.

Average Advertising Major Salary By City

As an advertising major graduate in the U.S., you can expect to earn on average $62,238 per year or $29.92 per hour.The top city when it comes to salaries for advertising majors is San Francisco, CA at $75,215 per year.The average entry-level salary in San Francisco, CA is $37,000.Other cities that offer high paying job opportunities for advertising majors are Des Moines, WA, New York, NY, Washington, DC, Albany, OR, Hartford, CT, and Boston, MA.The top 5 states with the highest reported salaries for advertising major graduates are Washington, California, New York, New Jersey, and Oregon.On the other hand, Louisiana, South Carolina, Oklahoma, Alabama, and Mississippi report the lowest wages for advertising major graduates.

Average Salary By Location

RankCityAverage Advertising SalarySalary Range
1San Francisco, CA
$75,215
$39k
$108k
2Des Moines, WA
$71,678
$39k
$108k
3New York, NY
$68,977
$39k
$108k
4Washington, DC
$66,206
$39k
$108k
5Albany, OR
$66,014
$39k
$108k
6Hartford, CT
$65,358
$39k
$108k
7Boston, MA
$65,176
$39k
$108k
8Las Vegas, NV
$62,227
$39k
$108k
9Richmond, VA
$61,211
$39k
$108k
10Portland, ME
$60,680
$39k
$108k
11Baltimore, MD
$60,427
$39k
$108k
12Chicago, IL
$59,515
$39k
$108k
13Philadelphia, PA
$59,512
$39k
$108k
14Saint Paul, MN
$59,397
$39k
$108k
15Detroit, MI
$59,147
$39k
$108k
16Cleveland, OH
$58,651
$39k
$108k
17Raleigh, NC
$57,334
$39k
$108k
18San Antonio, TX
$57,111
$39k
$108k
19Milwaukee, WI
$56,922
$39k
$108k
20Denver, CO
$56,535
$39k
$108k

Average Advertising Major Salary By Industry

The type of industry that an advertising major graduate works in can influence their earning potential.Our analysis shows that technology companies, transportation companies, and health care companies pay higher-than-average wages for advertising major graduates.Salaries for advertising major graduates in technology companies average $75,605 annually, while transportation companies and health care companies pay $66,443 and $62,905, respectively.The types of companies that pay advertising majors the least are in the hospitality industry, where the average annual salary is $50,214.

Average Salary By Industry

RankIndustryAverage Advertising Major SalaryRange
1
Technology
$75,605
$33k
$104k
2
Transportation
$66,443
$33k
$104k
3
Health Care
$62,905
$33k
$104k
4
Manufacturing
$62,235
$33k
$104k
5
Finance
$61,835
$33k
$104k
6
Professional
$61,360
$33k
$104k
7
Media
$60,761
$33k
$104k
8
Retail
$55,897
$33k
$104k
9
Telecommunication
$55,736
$33k
$104k
10
Hospitality
$50,214
$33k
$104k

Salary History For Advertising Major Graduates

This data shows the national average salary between 2011-2020 among Advertising major graduates.

  • National Average

Advertising Major Salary By Experience Level

Average Salary By Experience Level Salaries By Experience Level

The salary for an advertising major graduate can range from $37,788 to $172,055 depending on the amount of work experience that the person has. Data on how experience level affects salary is provided by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) as part of their National Compensation Survey, which is based on factors such as knowledge, complexity, contacts, and environment.
Experience Level
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Avg. Salary
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Hourly Rate
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Entry-level average salary by experience level$37,800$18.17
Mid-level average salary by experience level$65,800$31.64
Senior-level average salary by experience level$172,000$82.72

Salaries For Related Majors

RankMajorAverage SalaryRange
1Speech Communication And Rhetoric
$61,295
$30k
$79k
2Publishing
$55,507
$30k
$79k
3Journalism
$53,479
$30k
$79k
4Journalism And Mass Communications
$53,372
$30k
$79k
5Public Relations
$50,648
$30k
$79k
6Digital Media
$48,393
$30k
$79k
7Communication
$45,257
$30k
$79k