US Advertising and Marketing Industry Statistics 2026: Revenue, Employment, and Wages

By Christoph Olivier. Published 2026-07-31. Last updated 2026-07-31.

This briefing measures the economics of the US advertising and marketing services industry, not advertising spend. It reports agency revenue, the number of establishments, employment, and wages using primary data from the U.S. Census Bureau and the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). The industry is defined as NAICS 5418, “Advertising, Public Relations, and Related Services,” which covers advertising agencies, public relations agencies, media buying agencies, media representatives, display advertising, direct mail advertising, and other advertising services. Every figure below carries its number, year, geography, and source.

Executive summary

• The US advertising, public relations, and related services industry (NAICS 5418) posted seasonally adjusted revenue of $56.0 billion in the first quarter of 2026, per the U.S. Census Bureau Quarterly Services Survey.
• Summing the four not-seasonally-adjusted quarters of the Quarterly Services Survey gives a derived calendar-year 2025 industry revenue of about $226.0 billion for employer firms.
• The industry operated 80,121 private establishments in 2024, per the BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW).
• Private-sector employment averaged 489,153 jobs in 2024 (QCEW), and the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) program counted 490,930 industry jobs in May 2024.
• Total industry wages reached $52.5 billion in 2024, and average annual pay was $107,302 (QCEW).
• Advertising agencies (NAICS 54181) are the largest segment with 214,674 jobs in 2024, roughly 3.3 times the employment of public relations agencies (66,017 jobs).
• Market research analysts and marketing specialists (SOC 13-1161) are the largest marketing occupation, with 861,140 jobs in May 2024 across all industries.
• BLS projects market research analyst employment to grow 7 percent from 2024 to 2034, much faster than the 3 percent average for all occupations.

Key findings

Each finding lists the number, the reference period, the geography (United States), and the source.

• NAICS 5418 seasonally adjusted revenue was $56,006 million in Q1 2026 (US, Census Quarterly Services Survey, Release CB26-99).
• NAICS 5418 not-seasonally-adjusted revenue was $63,454 million in Q4 2025, the highest quarter on record in the current release (US, Census QSS).
• Derived calendar-year 2025 revenue for employer firms was $225,961 million, the sum of the four 2025 QSS not-seasonally-adjusted quarters (US, author calculation from Census QSS).
• Year-over-year, Q1 2026 revenue rose 3.4 percent versus Q1 2025 on a not-seasonally-adjusted basis (US, Census QSS).
• The industry had 80,121 private establishments in 2024 (US annual average, BLS QCEW).
• Private employment averaged 489,153 jobs in 2024, down 1.4 percent from 2023 (US, BLS QCEW).
• Total private wages were $52,486,950,808 in 2024 (US, BLS QCEW).
• Average annual pay in the industry was $107,302 in 2024 (US, BLS QCEW).
• The OEWS industry mean annual wage was $90,470 in May 2024, about 33 percent above the $67,920 mean for all US occupations (US, BLS OEWS).
• Advertising agencies (NAICS 54181) employed 214,674 workers in 2024, about 44 percent of all industry jobs (US, BLS QCEW).
• Public relations agencies (NAICS 54182) employed 66,017 workers in 2024 (US, BLS QCEW).
• Marketing managers (SOC 11-2021) earned a mean annual wage of $171,520 in May 2024, the highest of the core marketing occupations (US, BLS OEWS).
• Market research analysts and marketing specialists (SOC 13-1161) held 861,140 jobs in May 2024 (US, BLS OEWS).
• BLS projects 7 percent employment growth for market research analysts from 2024 to 2034, adding 63,000 jobs (US, BLS Employment Projections).
• Public relations specialists (SOC 27-3031) are projected to grow 5 percent from 2024 to 2034, adding 15,000 jobs (US, BLS Employment Projections).

Industry revenue

Revenue here measures money the industry takes in, distinct from the ad spend that flows through it. The most current official figures come from the U.S. Census Bureau Quarterly Services Survey (QSS), which estimates quarterly revenue for employer firms in NAICS 5418.

In Q1 2026 the industry generated $56,006 million in seasonally adjusted revenue, per the QSS release CB26-99 published June 11, 2026. On a not-seasonally-adjusted basis, the four quarters of 2025 were $50,426 million (Q1), $55,131 million (Q2), $56,950 million (Q3), and $63,454 million (Q4). Summed, these give a calendar-year 2025 total of $225,961 million for employer firms. Year over year, Q1 2026 not-seasonally-adjusted revenue rose 3.4 percent versus Q1 2025.

Context. The QSS covers employer firms and is the timeliest official read on industry revenue. The Census Bureau’s Service Annual Survey (SAS) is the definitive annual source, but the Census Bureau has stated that integrated 2023 and 2024 annual estimates are being released later in 2026 as part of the Annual Integrated Economic Survey. Until then, the QSS is the best-available official revenue series.

Limitations. The $225,961 million calendar-2025 figure is a sum of published quarterly estimates, not a single Census annual release, and it excludes nonemployer firms. Quarterly estimates are subject to sampling error and later revision.

Establishments and industry structure

The QCEW counts establishments covered by unemployment insurance. In 2024 the private industry operated 80,121 establishments on an annual-average basis. Advertising agencies (NAICS 54181) accounted for 39,052 of them, and public relations agencies (NAICS 54182) for 15,292.

The table below shows the 2024 QCEW private-sector breakdown by subsector.

Context. Advertising agencies dominate the sector on both establishments (49 percent of the total) and employment (44 percent). Public relations is the second-largest segment.

Limitations. Subsector rows do not sum exactly to the 5418 total because of QCEW rounding and establishments not fully allocated to a five-digit code. QCEW establishment counts differ from Census County Business Patterns because of coverage and reference-period differences.

Employment

Two BLS programs measure industry employment. The QCEW put 2024 private annual-average employment at 489,153 jobs, down 1.4 percent from 2023. The OEWS program counted 490,930 jobs in the industry in May 2024. The two figures are close and give a consistent picture of an industry employing just under half a million wage and salary workers.

Within the industry, the largest detailed occupations in May 2024 were public relations specialists (39,210 jobs), market research analysts and marketing specialists (36,360 jobs), marketing managers (14,010 jobs), advertising and promotions managers (10,360 jobs), and public relations managers (9,340 jobs), per OEWS.

Context. The industry’s employment dipped slightly in 2024, consistent with agency consolidation and softening headcount even as revenue grew.

Limitations. QCEW and OEWS use different reference concepts (annual average versus a single May pay period), so small differences are expected. Neither counts nonemployer or self-employed marketers.

Wages and pay

Average annual pay in NAICS 5418 was $107,302 in 2024, per QCEW, which reflects total wages including bonuses and stock compensation divided by employment. The OEWS mean annual wage, which measures straight-time gross pay, was $90,470 for the industry in May 2024. Both measures place the industry well above the US all-occupation OEWS mean of $67,920.

Pay is highest in the management-heavy segments. Public relations agencies posted the highest average annual pay of any subsector at $136,635 in 2024, and advertising agencies followed at $128,662 (QCEW).

Limitations. QCEW average pay and OEWS mean wage are not directly comparable because QCEW includes all UI-covered compensation while OEWS excludes bonuses and irregular pay.

Core advertising and marketing occupations

Beyond the industry, marketing and advertising occupations appear across the whole economy. The table shows national OEWS estimates for May 2024, all industries combined.

Context. Marketing managers command the highest pay of the core occupations, with a May 2024 mean of $171,520. Market research analysts are by far the most numerous, reflecting the spread of data and analytics roles across sectors.

Limitations. These are cross-industry totals; only a minority of these workers are employed inside NAICS 5418 agencies. Advertising and promotions managers is a small and shrinking occupation.

Advertising versus public relations

The industry splits cleanly into advertising and public relations activity. On employment, advertising agencies (54181) at 214,674 jobs are about 3.3 times the size of public relations agencies (54182) at 66,017 jobs in 2024. On wages, advertising agencies paid $27.62 billion versus $9.02 billion at public relations agencies, a ratio of about 3.1 to 1 (QCEW, 2024).

Public relations pays slightly more per worker. Average annual pay was $136,635 at public relations agencies versus $128,662 at advertising agencies in 2024 (QCEW).

Employment outlook, 2024 to 2034

The BLS Employment Projections program, released August 28, 2025, projects total US employment to grow 3.1 percent from 2024 to 2034. Marketing and public relations occupations are projected to grow faster than that average.

Context. Market research analysts are projected to grow much faster than average, adding the most jobs of any marketing occupation. The projected job counts for 2024 come from the National Employment Matrix and include self-employed workers, so they run higher than the OEWS wage-and-salary counts.

Limitations. Projections are model outputs, not measured outcomes, and assume no major recession or structural break. Rapid adoption of generative AI in marketing could shift these paths.

Original synthesis

The following insights are derived by the author from the primary sources listed. Each states its logic, inputs, and limitations.

1. Derived calendar-year 2025 industry revenue near $226 billion

Logic: sum the four 2025 not-seasonally-adjusted quarterly revenues from the Census QSS ($50,426M + $55,131M + $56,950M + $63,454M). Inputs: Census QSS Release CB26-99. Result: $225,961 million. Limitations: QSS covers employer firms only, quarterly estimates carry sampling error, and this is a sum rather than a single Census annual release.

2. The industry pays a 33 percent wage premium

Logic: divide the OEWS May 2024 industry mean annual wage ($90,470) by the OEWS all-occupation US mean ($67,920). Inputs: BLS OEWS. Result: a 1.33x ratio, a 33 percent premium. Limitations: both figures are OEWS means, but occupational mix drives the gap; the premium is not a like-for-like comparison of the same jobs.

3. Advertising outweighs public relations by roughly three to one

Logic: compare 2024 QCEW employment and wages for advertising agencies (54181) against public relations agencies (54182). Inputs: BLS QCEW. Result: 3.25x on employment and 3.06x on wages. Limitations: agency-level NAICS coding can misassign firms that do both advertising and public relations.

4. Revenue per establishment of roughly $2.8 million

Logic: divide derived 2025 revenue ($225,961M) by 2024 QCEW establishments (80,121). Inputs: Census QSS and BLS QCEW. Result: about $2.82 million per establishment. Limitations: revenue reflects QSS employer firms while establishments come from QCEW, so the two universes are not identical; treat this as an order-of-magnitude ratio.

Methodology

Source selection prioritized primary US government statistical programs: the U.S. Census Bureau Quarterly Services Survey and Service Annual Survey for revenue, and the BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, and Employment Projections for establishments, employment, wages, and outlook. Only figures retrieved directly from Census and BLS data files, data APIs, or official release PDFs were included. Inclusion required an exact number, a defined reference period, US geography, and a NAICS or SOC code. Where two official programs measured the same concept (for example QCEW versus OEWS employment), both were reported and the difference explained rather than averaged. Any figure that could not be verified on an official Census or BLS source was excluded. Revenue is reported from the QSS because the integrated Service Annual Survey annual estimates for 2023 and 2024 are scheduled for release later in 2026. Last updated 2026-07-31.

Source quality ranking

Tier 1 (primary government statistics): U.S. Census Bureau Quarterly Services Survey (Release CB26-99); U.S. Census Bureau Service Annual Survey program; BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (2024); BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2024); BLS Employment Projections (2024-34, USDL-25-1324) and the Occupational Outlook Handbook.

Tier 2 (credible republishers of primary data): Federal Reserve Economic Data (FRED), which mirrors Census QSS and SAS series. Not used for any headline figure here.

Tier 3 (reputable journalism and commentary): Not used for any statistic in this asset.

Journalist notes

Most quotable statistics

• The US advertising, public relations, and related services industry generated $56.0 billion in revenue in Q1 2026 (Census QSS).
• The industry employed about 489,000 workers across 80,121 establishments in 2024 (BLS QCEW).
• Average pay in the industry was $107,302 in 2024, about 33 percent above the US average (BLS).
• Advertising agencies employ roughly three times as many people as public relations agencies (BLS QCEW, 2024).
• Market research analyst jobs are projected to grow 7 percent from 2024 to 2034 (BLS Employment Projections).

Data limitations

• The 2025 annual revenue figure is a sum of four QSS quarters, not a single Census annual release.
• QSS covers employer firms; nonemployer and self-employed marketers are excluded.
• QCEW average pay and OEWS mean wage measure different compensation concepts and are not directly comparable.
• Employment Projections job counts include self-employed workers and exceed OEWS wage-and-salary counts.
• BEA does not publish a standalone value-added figure for advertising services; it is folded into miscellaneous professional, scientific, and technical services.

Downloadable dataset: recommended fields

naics_code, naics_title, soc_code, soc_title, metric, value, unit, reference_period, geography, source_program, source_url, notes.

Press summary

The US advertising, public relations, and related services industry (NAICS 5418) generated $56.0 billion in seasonally adjusted revenue in the first quarter of 2026, according to the U.S. Census Bureau Quarterly Services Survey. Summed across 2025, employer-firm revenue reached about $226 billion. The industry operated 80,121 private establishments and employed roughly 489,000 people in 2024, per the BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, with total wages of $52.5 billion and average annual pay of $107,302, about a third above the national average. Advertising agencies dominate the sector, employing about three times as many workers as public relations agencies. Marketing and public relations occupations are projected to grow faster than the 3 percent national average through 2034, led by a 7 percent gain for market research analysts. All figures come from Census and BLS primary sources.

Suggested headlines

• US Advertising Industry Revenue Hit $56 Billion in Q1 2026, Census Data Show
• Inside the Numbers: 80,000 Ad and PR Firms Employ Nearly Half a Million Americans
• Ad Agencies Outnumber PR Shops Three to One, Federal Data Reveal
• Marketing Pay Runs a Third Above the US Average, BLS Figures Show
• Market Research Jobs Set to Grow 7 Percent Through 2034, BLS Projects

Citations

• U.S. Census Bureau. Quarterly Services Survey, First Quarter 2026, Release CB26-99, June 11, 2026. https://www.census.gov/services/qss/qss-current.pdf
• U.S. Census Bureau. Service Annual Survey program. https://www.census.gov/services/qss.html
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual, NAICS 5418. https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2024/a/industry/5418.csv
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2024, NAICS 541800. https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/naics4_541800.htm
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. OEWS national occupation data, May 2024. https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm24nat.zip
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Employment Projections 2024-34, USDL-25-1324. https://www.bls.gov/news.release/pdf/ecopro.pdf
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Occupational Outlook Handbook, Market Research Analysts. https://www.bls.gov/ooh/business-and-financial/market-research-analysts.htm