U.S. Marketing Jobs Report
After a cautious second quarter, the U.S. marketing job market continued to soften in Q3 2025. Overall volumes declined again, though the rate of contraction eased and late-quarter data suggests early signs of stabilization. Employers remained selective, extending hiring cycles and focusing resources on experienced, senior-level talent.
Senior and executive roles held up comparatively well, showing less volatility than the broader market. C-level and VP hiring grew, while early-career and generalist positions remained under pressure despite modest quarter-end rebounds.
In collaboration with Aspen Technology Labs, Taligence analyzed more than 78,000 active in-house marketing job listings across Q3 2025. The report explores changes in job volume, seniority mix, discipline-level shifts, salary trends, geographic distribution, and the state of remote work.
While some recovery momentum appeared toward quarter-end, hiring sentiment remains cautious. The marketing labor market is adjusting, not retreating, as companies recalibrate for efficiency and resilience in an increasingly unpredictable business climate.
Note: This report covers full-time, in-house marketing positions only.
Key Findings
1. Overall Job Volume Decline
- Total active job listings in Q3 2025 reached 78,376, representing a 5.2% decline quarter-over-quarter (QoQ).
- New listings totaled 49,245, down 4.4% QoQ.
- The number of employers posting marketing jobs was 22,651.
- Job volumes continued to decline through mid-August before showing signs of recovery toward quarter-end.
- Job listings at quarter-end (September 29, 2025) stood at 33,679, reflecting a 1.3% year-over-year (YoY) decrease, but a 1% growth from the end of Q2 (June 30, 2025).
2. Senior Roles Show Relative Resilience
- Total active senior marketing jobs (Director-level and above) in Q3 2025 reached 10,028, marking a 2.4% decline from Q2.
- New senior marketing job listings totaled 6,191, down 3.8% QoQ.
- Demand for senior marketing talent remained comparatively stable, showing less volatility than the broader marketing job market.
- At quarter-end (September 29, 2025), senior marketing roles stood at 4,409, reflecting a 5.3% year-over-year (YoY) increase and a 2.2% rise from the end of Q2.
3. Slower Hiring Speed
- The average posting lifetime (days a job stays on the market) in Q3 was 41 days: 5 days longer than a year ago, and 7 days longer than Q2 2025.
4. Job Level Dynamics
- Senior roles (Director-level and above) recorded overall growth in Q3, led by C-level positions (+26.5% YoY; +12.9% QoQ).
- Group Director/Senior Director/VP roles also saw double-digit year-over-year growth, though momentum eased slightly from Q2.
- Executive Director/SVP/EVP positions saw substantial percentage growth, though overall hiring volumes at this level remain low.
- At the lower end of the market, Associate/Entry-level roles remained under pressure, down 8.6% YoY, though a 5.4% QoQ increase suggests early signs of recovery.
5. Salary Transparency and Pay Trends
- Salary transparency reached 53% of all listings, up 7.8 percentage points YoY.
- The median salary across all marketing jobs at quarter-end (September 29, 2025) stood at $85,946 (+4.6% YoY).
6. Remote Jobs Hold Steady
- Share of remote jobs at the end of Q3: 14%, up 0.5 percentage points YoY.
7. Disciplinary Shifts and Salary Trends
- Growth Disciplines
- Growth Marketing: +36.2% YoY
- Product Marketing: +8.9% YoY
- Media: +3.1% YoY
- Partner & Channel Marketing: +2.9% YoY
- Declining Disciplines
- Communications & PR: -17.5% YoY
- Analytical Marketing: -5.5% YoY
- General Marketing: -3.7% YoY
- Digital Marketing: -3.4% YoY
- Highest Median Pay
- Product Marketing: $158,496
- Largest YoY Pay Increases
- General Marketing: +6.7%
- Field Marketing: +6.3%
- Brand Marketing: +6.3%
- Analytical Marketing: +4.8%
8. Geographic Trends - States
- Top 10 States by Job Volume: California, New York, Texas, Florida, Illinois, Georgia, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Ohio.
- Washington dropped out of the top 10, ranking No. 11, following a notable decline in job volume (-14.4% YoY, -5.3% QoQ).
- States with Notable Job Growth (YoY):
- Texas (+7.9%)
- Florida (+5.9%)
- New York (+4.2%)
- States with Notable Job Decline (YoY):
- New Jersey (-13.6%)
- Pennsylvania (-7.5%)
- Illinois (-7.2%)
- Salary Movement (YoY):
- Increased: Massachusetts (+29.1%), Illinois (+11.9%), Pennsylvania (+9.4%)
- Declined: Florida (-10%), Texas (-3.8%), Ohio (-2%)
9. Geographic Trends - Cities
- Top 10 Cities by Job Volume: New York City, San Francisco, Chicago, Los Angeles, Atlanta, Austin, Boston, Dallas, Houston, Seattle.
- Chicago surpassed Los Angeles to enter the top three, while Seattle slipped from No. 7 to No. 10 in job volume rankings.
- Cities with Notable Job Growth (YoY):
- San Francisco (+22.2%)
- Austin (+13.7%)
- Los Angeles (+9.2%)
- New York (+7.7%)
- Dallas (+6.3%)
- Cities with Notable Job Decline (YoY):
- Seattle (-28.4%)
- Boston (-3.6%)
- Salary Movement (YoY):
- Increased: San Francisco (+9.1%), Boston (+8.7%), Dallas (+7.7%), New York (+6.1%), Los Angeles (+5%)
- Declined: Houston (-5.9%), Atlanta (-4.5%), Austin (-4%), Seattle (-2.4%)
Conclusion
The Q3 2025 marketing job market continued to cool, though signs of late-quarter recovery emerged. Senior and executive roles held up better than the wider market, while entry-level hiring remained sluggish. Growth and Product Marketing continued to lead in both volume and pay, reinforcing their position as core demand areas. Geographically, major hubs such as New York, San Francisco, and Chicago remained dominant, while Seattle saw notable declines. Overall, the market remains cautious: steady at the top, uneven below, and still adjusting to a shifting economic and policy landscape.
