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Job outlook for media planners in the United States
Media planner job growth summary. After extensive research, interviews, and analysis, Zippia's data science team found that:
The projected media planner job growth rate is 8% from 2018-2028.
About 22,300 new jobs for media planners are projected over the next decade.
Media planner salaries have increased 8% for media planners in the last 5 years.
There are over 3,996 media planners currently employed in the United States.
There are 24,126 active media planner job openings in the US.
The average media planner salary is $58,044.
Are media planner jobs in demand?
Media Planner job and salary trends over time
Media Planner jobs over time
Media Planner job growth rate over time
Year  | # Of Jobs | % Of Population |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 3,996 | 0.00% |
| 2020 | 4,027 | 0.00% |
| 2019 | 4,030 | 0.00% |
| 2018 | 3,936 | 0.00% |
| 2017 | 3,849 | 0.00% |
Average media planner salary over time
Media Planner salary by year
| Year | Avg. Salary | Hourly Rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $58,044 | $27.91 | +2.7% |
| 2024 | $56,510 | $27.17 | +1.9% |
| 2023 | $55,447 | $26.66 | +1.2% |
| 2022 | $54,800 | $26.35 | +2.2% |
| 2021 | $53,617 | $25.78 | +2.2% |
Media Planner jobs by state
Most common states for media planners
| Rank | State | Population | # of Jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | District of Columbia | 693,972 | 107 | 15% |
| 2 | Vermont | 623,657 | 57 | 9% |
| 3 | New Hampshire | 1,342,795 | 101 | 8% |
| 4 | Delaware | 961,939 | 72 | 7% |
| 5 | North Dakota | 755,393 | 50 | 7% |
| 6 | Massachusetts | 6,859,819 | 437 | 6% |
| 7 | Maryland | 6,052,177 | 349 | 6% |
| 8 | Utah | 3,101,833 | 188 | 6% |
| 9 | Rhode Island | 1,059,639 | 64 | 6% |
| 10 | Alaska | 739,795 | 48 | 6% |
| 11 | Wyoming | 579,315 | 36 | 6% |
| 12 | New York | 19,849,399 | 956 | 5% |
| 13 | Virginia | 8,470,020 | 429 | 5% |
| 14 | Colorado | 5,607,154 | 290 | 5% |
| 15 | Minnesota | 5,576,606 | 264 | 5% |
| 16 | Connecticut | 3,588,184 | 189 | 5% |
| 17 | Nebraska | 1,920,076 | 97 | 5% |
| 18 | Idaho | 1,716,943 | 79 | 5% |
| 19 | Washington | 7,405,743 | 263 | 4% |
| 20 | Oregon | 4,142,776 | 184 | 4% |
Most common cities for media planners
| Rank | City | # of Jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl | Avg. Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Burbank | 2 | 2% | $61,785 |
| 2 | Waltham | 1 | 2% | $57,561 |
| 3 | Boston | 4 | 1% | $57,573 |
| 4 | Rockville | 1 | 1% | $64,934 |
| 5 | New York | 8 | 0% | $58,361 |
| 6 | Chicago | 3 | 0% | $54,246 |
| 7 | Atlanta | 2 | 0% | $50,055 |
| 8 | Philadelphia | 2 | 0% | $54,413 |
| 9 | Baltimore | 1 | 0% | $65,112 |
| 10 | Dallas | 1 | 0% | $60,370 |
| 11 | Denver | 1 | 0% | $62,851 |
| 12 | Los Angeles | 1 | 0% | $61,752 |
| 13 | Portland | 1 | 0% | $66,150 |
| 14 | Sacramento | 1 | 0% | $63,463 |
| 15 | San Francisco | 1 | 0% | $63,314 |
Media Planner job outlook: Expert opinions
Our panel of media planner experts
University of North Texas
Northwestern University
Dominican University of California
Lewis-Clark State College
Brittany McElroy
Senior LecturerUniversity of North Texas
Mayborn School of Journalism
What soft skills should all Media Planners possess?
Brittany McElroy: As far as soft skills go, they are the same skills they've always been- good networking and communication skills. Understand that while a lot can get done in a digital space, a face-to-face connection (even if that is on zoom) can go a lot farther than an email. Some of our recent grads hate having to pick up the phone and make an actual call. They are much more comfortable with text or email, but they need to push themselves out of their comfort zone to connect with people. While I think younger generations have a lot of new skills and perspectives that can be so valuable to potential employers, those old-fashioned networking skills still go a long way.
Clarke Caywood
Professor (founder group of IMC and PR in Medill) Joint Doctorate in Business and Journalism - Univ. Wis. MadisonNorthwestern University
Integrated Marketing Communications in Medill School of Journalism, Media and IMC
What hard/technical skills are most important for Media Planners?
Clarke Caywood: Specific to StratComm and PR that will be used, monitoring and strengthening textual, verbal, and visual commercial database systems linked to the financial market, competitors, and key stakeholders. Experience in "reaching" for data at meetings to contribute at a higher level.
Bradley Van Alstyne Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Communications, Coordinator, Online Learning and Development, Chair of the Communications and Media Studies DepartmentDominican University of California
Communication and Media Studies
What skills stand out on Media Planner resumes?
Bradley Van Alstyne Ph.D.: Experience: internships, co-curricular and extra-curricular projects, and any jobs held while in college. Those jobs may not be directly related to a media coordinator job description but could have other benefits like the team environment at a restaurant.
What soft skills should all Media Planners possess?
Bradley Van Alstyne Ph.D.: Working well with others, time management, and the ability to teach and supervise others.
What skills will help Media Planners earn the most?
Bradley Van Alstyne Ph.D.: The hard skills (audio and video) usually get you the job, but the soft skills allow you to keep it and grow!
What technology do you think will become more important and prevalent for Media Planners in the next 3-5 years?
Seth Bradshaw Ph.D.: The technologies that will be most important in the field, in the next 3-5 years, will be audience-centered. The most successful techniques will focus on what audiences can do with them, not on what companies or media can do to audiences with technology. The particular technologies will vary greatly depending on the specific purpose-e.g., B2C, B2B, internal, or external uses-but the most successful will focus on the audience.