Social Media Specialist salary

Quoted Expert
Michael Riecke

Average social media specialist salary

$51,584

$24.8 hourly rate

Entry-level social media specialist salary
$38,000 yearly salary
Updated January 8, 2025

How much does a social media specialist make?

The average social media specialist salary in the United States is $51,584. Social media specialist salaries typically range between $38,000 and $68,000 yearly. The average hourly rate for social media specialists is $24.8 per hour.

Social media specialist salary is impacted by location, education, and experience. Social media specialists earn the highest average salary in Hawaii.

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Where can a Social Media Specialist earn more?

Compare salary by location
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74k
54k
34k
14k
Knoxville, TN$60,436
Atlanta, GA$44,147
Compare salary by company
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91k
71k
51k
31k
McKinsey & Company Inc$78,446
Salesforce$60,560

Social Media Specialist salary estimates from across the web

Based on the latest salary information compiled by Zippia, Salary.com, Indeed, Glassdoor, SalaryExpert and Payscale, the average salary for a social media specialist typically falls between $41,259 and $62,871.
zippia
$51,584yearly
glassdoor[1]
$56,661yearly
indeed[2]
$41,259yearly
Salary.com[3]
$46,665yearly
payscale[4]
$50,256yearly
SalaryExpert[5]
$62,871yearly

Average social media specialist salary by state

The highest-paying states for social media specialists are Hawaii, New Jersey, and California. The lowest average social media specialist salary states are Alabama, Louisiana, and Mississippi.

  • State View
  • County View
Average Salary:

Highest paying states for social media specialists

Rank
ascdesc
State
ascdesc
Avg. Salary
ascdesc
Hourly Rate
ascdesc
1District of Columbia$60,360$29.02
2Massachusetts$54,483$26.19
3Washington$54,971$26.43
4New York$55,915$26.88
5Rhode Island$54,694$26.30
6Delaware$52,916$25.44
7Idaho$50,561$24.31
8Hawaii$58,642$28.19
9California$56,204$27.02
10New Jersey$57,484$27.64
11Nevada$52,630$25.30
12North Dakota$48,976$23.55
13Virginia$54,491$26.20
14Alaska$52,318$25.15
15Connecticut$54,049$25.99
16Oregon$53,244$25.60
17New Hampshire$49,733$23.91
18West Virginia$47,368$22.77
19Arizona$49,295$23.70
20Michigan$45,440$21.85
21Colorado$49,198$23.65
22Maryland$48,677$23.40
23North Carolina$47,913$23.04
24Tennessee$47,525$22.85
25Kentucky$46,789$22.49
26Illinois$46,677$22.44
27Pennsylvania$46,676$22.44
28Utah$43,627$20.97
29Ohio$45,873$22.05
30Minnesota$46,539$22.37
31Wyoming$40,887$19.66
32Florida$44,682$21.48
33South Dakota$41,888$20.14
34Nebraska$42,460$20.41
35Wisconsin$45,785$22.01
36Georgia$44,318$21.31
37Texas$43,948$21.13
38Arkansas$41,559$19.98
39Vermont$39,806$19.14
40Iowa$40,552$19.50
41Indiana$42,523$20.44
42Montana$38,782$18.65
43Maine$36,206$17.41
44New Mexico$40,733$19.58
45Louisiana$38,276$18.40
46Missouri$41,707$20.05
47Kansas$40,318$19.38
48Mississippi$37,969$18.25
49Alabama$38,557$18.54
50Oklahoma$37,410$17.99
51South Carolina$36,464$17.53

Highest paying cities for social media specialists

The highest-paying cities for social media specialists are Washington, DC, San Francisco, CA, and New York, NY.

Rank
ascdesc
City
ascdesc
Avg. Salary
ascdesc
Hourly Rate
ascdesc
1Washington, DC$60,436$29.06
2San Francisco, CA$59,732$28.72
3New York, NY$56,127$26.98
4McLean, VA$55,970$26.91
5Seattle, WA$55,336$26.60
6Boston, MA$54,326$26.12
7Middletown, CT$53,962$25.94
8Portland, OR$52,996$25.48
9Las Vegas, NV$52,125$25.06
10Phoenix, AZ$49,308$23.71
11Colorado Springs, CO$49,240$23.67
12Baltimore, MD$48,980$23.55
13Raleigh, NC$48,461$23.30
14Philadelphia, PA$47,175$22.68
15Chicago, IL$46,846$22.52
16Minneapolis, MN$46,512$22.36
17Detroit, MI$45,611$21.93
18Miami, FL$45,494$21.87
19San Antonio, TX$44,608$21.45
20Atlanta, GA$44,147$21.22

Social Media Specialists are the most in-demand in these five cities:

  1. Washington, DC
  2. San Francisco, CA
  3. New York, NY
  4. McLean, VA
  5. Seattle, WA

Social Media Specialist salary details

A social media specialist's salary ranges from $38,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $68,000 at the 90th percentile.

Average Social Media Specialist Salary Graph
Average Social Media Specialist Salary Graph, Trends, and Summary

What is a social media specialist's salary?

Percentile
ascdesc
Annual Salary
ascdesc
Monthly Salary
ascdesc
Hourly Rate
ascdesc
90th Percentile$68,000$5,667$33
75th Percentile$60,000$5,000$29
Average$51,584$4,299$25
25th Percentile$44,000$3,667$21
10th Percentile$38,000$3,167$18

Highest paying social media specialist jobs

The highest paying types of social media specialists are social media manager, public affairs specialist, and content specialist.

Job Title
ascdesc
Annual Salary
ascdesc
Monthly Salary
ascdesc
Hourly Rate
ascdesc
Job Openings
ascdesc
Public Relations Coordinator$46,225$3,852$22.2235,324
Communications Coordinator$47,075$3,923$22.6339,790
Media Consultant$53,443$4,454$25.6928,768
Media Coordinator$47,471$3,956$22.8235,285
Social Media Internship$31,145$2,595$14.9779,411
Social Media Manager$70,287$5,857$33.79105,475

How would you rate the starting salaries for Social Media Specialists, as well as the prospects for salary advancement?

Michael Riecke

Assistant Professor, State University of New York at Oswego

Starting salaries in the field of media and communication are generally lower than most entry-level professional positions. It's partially a matter of supply and demand. I think young professionals perceive media and communication careers as more glamorous and exciting than other paths. As a result, employers often find themselves with plenty of resumes to sift through. As you advance through your career, you can expect moderate to substantial salary growth.

They may not openly admit it, but many employers see the first job as a test of who has the stamina, talent, and passion for succeeding. If a new employee puts in the effort, doesn't balk at long hours, and gets the job done well without a sizeable financial reward, it's generally interpreted by the employer as a sign of commitment. That display of commitment typically gets rewarded.

Top companies hiring social media specialists now:

  1. Activision Blizzard Jobs (14)
  2. Salesforce Jobs (8)
  3. Ford Motor Jobs (8)
  4. Aeropostale Jobs (11)
  5. Arrow Electronics Jobs (47)

Which companies pay social media specialists the most?

Social media specialist salaries at McKinsey & Company Inc and Bain & Company are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average social media specialist salary at companies like Earthjustice and TBWA Worldwide are highly competitive.

Rank
ascdesc
Company
ascdesc
Average Salary
ascdesc
Hourly Rate
ascdesc
1McKinsey & Company Inc$78,446$37.71
2Bain & Company$78,028$37.51
3Earthjustice$76,304$36.68
4TBWA Worldwide$74,602$35.87
5RPA$72,724$34.96
6Evonik$71,988$34.61
7Independence Contract Drilling$69,900$33.61
8Adobe$68,783$33.07
9Zynga$67,467$32.44
10Constellation Energy Partners$67,321$32.37
11Electronic Arts$66,871$32.15
12Edelman Financial Engines$65,160$31.33
13Amphenol$64,703$31.11
14National Grid plc$64,579$31.05
15Survios$64,472$31.00
16Helen of Troy$63,002$30.29
17Duquesne Light Company$62,354$29.98
18Andersen$62,108$29.86
19Panasonic Avionics$61,152$29.40
20Salesforce$60,560$29.12

Wage gap by gender, race and education

$52,000$51,400$50,800$50,200$49,600$49,000
MaleFemale

Social Media Specialist salary by industry

The average social media specialist salary varies across industries:

  • The average social media specialist salary in the professional industry is $52,527, the highest of any industry.
  • The average social media specialist salary in the finance industry is $52,371.
  • Social media specialists in the hospitality industry earn an average salary of $49,814, the lowest of any industry.

Highest paying industries for social media specialists

Rank
ascdesc
Industry
ascdesc
Average Salary
ascdesc
Hourly Rate
ascdesc
1Professional$52,527$25.25
2Real Estate$52,371$25.18
3Technology$52,237$25.11
4Health Care$51,227$24.63
5Media$50,602$24.33
6Retail$50,570$24.31
7Hospitality$49,814$23.95

High Paying Social Media Specialist Jobs

Social Media Specialist salary trends

The average social media specialist salary has risen by $7,901 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average social media specialist earned $43,683 annually, but today, they earn $51,584 a year. That works out to a 8% change in pay for social media specialists over the last decade.

Compare social media specialist salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.

Average social media specialist salary over time

Compare social media specialist salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.

  • National Average
  • Knoxville, TN

Social Media Specialist salary by year

Year
ascdesc
Avg. Salary
ascdesc
Hourly Rate
ascdesc
% Change
ascdesc
2025$51,600$24.80+2.6%
2024$50,200$24.14+1.9%
2023$49,300$23.69+1.2%
2022$48,700$23.41+2.2%
2021$47,700$22.91+2.2%

Recently added social media specialist salaries

Company
ascdesc
Job
ascdesc
Location
ascdesc
Date Added
ascdesc
Salary
ascdesc
ThyssenkruppSocial Media Marketing SpecialistNorthwood, OH12/17/2024$75,000
ESPNSenior Social Media SpecialistBristol, CT12/16/2024$80,000
ESPNSenior Social Media SpecialistNew York, NY12/16/2024$80,000
Syracuse UniversityDigital and Social Media SpecialistSyracuse, NY12/16/2024$60,450
Sazerac CompanySocial Media SpecialistLouisville, KY12/16/2024$57,432
Marine Systems GmbHSocial Media Marketing SpecialistNorthwood, OH12/16/2024$75,000
Beacon HillBeacon Hill | Social Media Specialist MABoston, MA12/16/2024$62,610
USL League OneSocial Media SpecialistSpokane, WA12/16/2024$41,740
Monks Associates Inc.Media Specialist-SocialChicago, IL12/16/2024$90,000
University of Texas at AustinTemporary Social Media Specialist-Blank Center for Stuttering-(Utemps)Austin, TX12/15/2024$41,740

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