Media planner salaries: Media Planner Salary (July 2023)

Media Planner Salary (July 2023)

Rank	State	Avg. Salary	Hourly Rate	Job Count
1	Connecticut	$67,481	$32.44	189
2	Oregon	$66,007	$31.73	184
3	Washington	$74,219	$35. 68	263
4	Arkansas	$63,440	$30.50	103
5	North Dakota	$60,225	$28.95	50
6	Idaho	$62,074	$29.84	79
7	Minnesota	$63,942	$30.74	264
8	District of Columbia	$66,383	$31. 91	107
9	Colorado	$62,886	$30.23	290
10	Maryland	$65,046	$31.27	349
11	Alaska	$61,306	$29.47	48
12	Rhode Island	$60,189	$28.94	64
13	New Jersey	$64,686	$31. 10	292
14	Virginia	$61,619	$29.62	429
15	New Hampshire	$56,881	$27.35	101
16	Wyoming	$55,209	$26.54	36
17	Utah	$55,789	$26.82	188
18	Texas	$60,694	$29. 18	737
19	Tennessee	$58,238	$28.00	213
20	New York	$58,306	$28.03	956
21	California	$62,104	$29.86	1,514
22	Kentucky	$57,452	$27.62	129
23	Delaware	$55,430	$26. 65	72
24	Massachusetts	$57,592	$27.69	437
25	West Virginia	$56,043	$26.94	45
26	Nebraska	$54,542	$26.22	97
27	Pennsylvania	$54,222	$26.07	512
28	South Carolina	$54,845	$26. 37	167
29	Ohio	$55,760	$26.81	284
30	Florida	$55,166	$26.52	576
31	Illinois	$54,230	$26.07	555
32	Hawaii	$54,037	$25.98	59
33	North Carolina	$53,450	$25. 70	393
34	Vermont	$51,352	$24.69	57
35	Nevada	$52,095	$25.05	109
36	Arizona	$52,642	$25.31	241
37	South Dakota	$51,569	$24.79	39
38	Alabama	$51,552	$24. 78	139
39	Indiana	$52,038	$25.02	186
40	Iowa	$50,950	$24.50	129
41	Wisconsin	$49,417	$23.76	213
42	Louisiana	$51,686	$24.85	80
43	Oklahoma	$50,595	$24. 32	67
44	Georgia	$50,242	$24.15	383
45	Missouri	$50,942	$24.49	175
46	Montana	$49,097	$23.60	43
47	Maine	$43,627	$20.97	57
48	Kansas	$48,772	$23. 45	94
49	Michigan	$47,314	$22.75	270
50	New Mexico	$48,228	$23.19	64
51	Mississippi	$46,670	$22.44	74

Average Salary by Age In 2023 – Forbes Advisor

Kathy Haan

Kathy HaanContributor

Kathy Haan, MBA is a former financial advisor-turned-writer and business coach. For over a decade, she’s helped small business owners make money online. When she’s not trying out the latest tech or travel blogging with her family, you can find her curling up with a good novel.

Contributor

Updated: May 23, 2023, 12:07pm

Editorial Note: We earn a commission from partner links on Forbes Advisor. Commissions do not affect our editors’ opinions or evaluations.

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Table of Contents

• Average Salary by Age in the U.S.
• Average Salary by Age and State
• Average Salary by Age and Educational Level
• Average Salary by Age and Gender
• Sources

Show more

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics uses median salary data rather than averages to avoid skewed numbers from outlying high and low numbers. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’¹ research on American earnings across various age groups, the median salary in the United States reaches its zenith within the 45 to 54 age range. We took a closer look at the data for average salary by age in the United States and broke down the insights we found.

Average Salary by Age in the U.S.

• Median American earnings peak at the 45 to 54 age range.
• The biggest jump in salary from one age group to the next is between 20 to 24 and 25 to 34, meaning that’s when most people make the most substantial jumps in their careers.
• Younger earners in the 16 to 19 age group tend to make an average of 49.92% less than older workers.

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The data highlights the dramatic salary increase experienced by workers as they transition from the 20 to 24 to the 25 to 34 age group. This substantial leap in earnings signifies that the most impactful career advancements typically occur during this period, bolstered by factors such as skills development, educational attainment and work experience.

There’s also a stark wage disparity between younger earners in the 16 to 19 age group and their older counterparts. On average, these young workers earn 49.92% less, which can be attributed to factors such as limited work experience, a narrower skill set and occupying entry-level positions. This information is invaluable for policymakers, educators and employers alike, as it highlights the importance of skill development and work experience in bridging the income gap. As these younger individuals mature, expand their skills and accumulate work experience, their earning potential will significantly improve, ultimately driving the overall growth of their salaries throughout their careers.

Average Salary by Age and State

• New Jersey, Massachusetts and Maryland are the states with the biggest income jumps from one age range to the next.
• New Hampshire is the state where young people have the highest average income, with a salary of $52,926.
• New Jersey is the state with the biggest pay gap between younger and older workers.

IncomeByZipcode.com’s² comprehensive research has uncovered intriguing regional disparities concerning income progression across age groups in the United States. The states of New Jersey, Massachusetts and Maryland feature the most significant income jumps between age ranges. This emphasizes the unique economic dynamics of these states and implies that professionals in these areas may experience more substantial salary increases as they advance through various stages of their careers.

New Hampshire stands out as the state where young people command the highest average income, boasting a remarkable salary of $52,926. This data accentuates the favorable economic conditions for young professionals in New Hampshire, making it an ideal destination for ambitious individuals aiming to optimize their early career earnings.

Conversely, New Jersey exhibits the largest pay gap between younger and older workers, underlining the importance of understanding regional differences when assessing career prospects and income potential throughout the United States.

Average Salary by Age and Educational Level

• The median salary for people older than 25 with a bachelor’s degree is 76.24% higher than for people older than 25 with a high school diploma.
• The median salary for people older than 25 with an advanced degree is 70.64% higher than for people older than 25 with a bachelor’s degree, and 143.54% higher than those with an associate degree.

The National Center for Education Statistics³ has provided interesting data that highlights how education level impacts earning potential. Individuals aged 25 and above who have a bachelor’s degree earn a median salary that is 76.24% higher than those who only have a high school diploma. This substantial difference emphasizes the value of pursuing higher education and the long-term benefits it can yield in terms of career growth and financial stability.

The data indicates that individuals over 25 with an advanced degree make a median salary that is 70.64% higher than individuals with a bachelor’s degree, and a remarkable 143.54% more than those with an associate degree. These findings show the profound influence of advanced education on salary prospects, highlighting the potential rewards of investing in graduate or professional degrees.

Average Salary by Age and Gender

• The largest pay gap between genders is in the 45 to 54 age group.
• The smallest pay gap between genders is in the 16 to 19 age group.

According to data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics¹, in the 45 to 54 age group, the male median annual wage of $72,228 is significantly higher than the female median annual wage of $57,096. This represents a difference of $15,132 or a 26.5% wage disparity in favor of males.

In the age group of 16 to 19, the gender pay gap is the smallest, with the median annual wage for males at $32,188 and for females at $31,096. This amounts to a difference of $1,092 or a 3.5% wage disparity in favor of males.

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The insights drawn from the data highlight the gender pay gap is not consistent across age groups, but rather, it expands as individuals progress in their careers and reach higher income levels. This pattern indicates that a complex interplay of factors, such as career choices, professional growth and striking a work-life balance, might be affecting women more significantly during their mid-career stages.

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Sources

1. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
2. Incomebyzipcode.com
3. National Center for Education Statistics

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Kathy Haan, MBA is a former financial advisor-turned-writer and business coach. For over a decade, she’s helped small business owners make money online. When she’s not trying out the latest tech or travel blogging with her family, you can find her curling up with a good novel.

The Forbes Advisor editorial team is independent and objective. To help support our reporting work, and to continue our ability to provide this content for free to our readers, we receive compensation from the companies that advertise on the Forbes Advisor site. This compensation comes from two main sources. First, we provide paid placements to advertisers to present their offers. The compensation we receive for those placements affects how and where advertisers’ offers appear on the site. This site does not include all companies or products available within the market. Second, we also include links to advertisers’ offers in some of our articles; these “affiliate links” may generate income for our site when you click on them. The compensation we receive from advertisers does not influence the recommendations or advice our editorial team provides in our articles or otherwise impact any of the editorial content on Forbes Advisor. While we work hard to provide accurate and up to date information that we think you will find relevant, Forbes Advisor does not and cannot guarantee that any information provided is complete and makes no representations or warranties in connection thereto, nor to the accuracy or applicability thereof. Here is a list of our partners who offer products that we have affiliate links for.

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media planner assistant

media planning

media plan

media planner

media

media manager

media planner

advertising agency

media buyer

buyer

• Part time
• Daily
• Last three days
• No work experience
• Full time
• Part time
• Project work
• Full time

9 0239 Shift schedule

• Shift work
• Remote work
• Flexible schedule
• From direct employers
• For people with disabilities

About the profession (or who is a media planner)

Author: D. A. Shevchenko
Head of the Marketing and Advertising Department of the Russian State University for the Humanities.
Head of the Department of Marketing and Advertising, Russian State University for the Humanities

Media planner (from media – media and planner – planner, designer) is a specialist in drawing up optimal media plans for advertising campaigns.

He must have a perfect understanding of advertising opportunities and the audience of the media, navigate the prices for various advertising media.

He constantly monitors changes in the advertising market, using the results of numerous marketing and sociological studies, ratings, and more.

The media planner determines how to get the most out of every ruble invested in advertising by choosing in which TV and radio programs, in which publications, videos and modules will work most effectively.

The position of a media planner takes place mainly in advertising companies, since the activities of the employee holding this position are directly related to advertising projects. It is no coincidence that more and more companies are resorting to the services of a media planner. It is this specialist who, after evaluating the ratings of various media, will give recommendations on the distribution of finances. He is well versed in the technical capabilities of television and radio channels, types of press. Knows the rules for purchasing airtime and advertising space, pricing principles and the system for obtaining discounts. Knows how to use sociological research of the media audience. This is a sociologist, marketer, manager and psychologist all rolled into one.

Short-sighted executives consider the services of a media planner to be expensive and unnecessary pleasure that only large firms can afford. In fact, on the contrary, the more modest the advertising budget, the more efficiently you need to use the money.

The media planner carries out planning, evaluation of the advertising effectiveness of various advertisers, distributes the advertising budget in accordance with the advertising campaign plan. Using the knowledge of a highly professional media planner allows employers not only to run effective advertising campaigns, but also save up to 30% of the advertising budget.

About competencies (or what a media planner should be able to do):

Ability to develop and implement: strategic planning of an advertising campaign and advertising activities in general; high-quality implementation of advertising orders of customers who applied; prepare advertising projects, optimize them; analysis of the effectiveness of the advertising campaign.

Media planner:

develops projects for advertising campaigns (television, radio, Internet advertising, other media, outdoor advertising, etc.)
determines the required target audience according to socio-demographic characteristics and consumption of the main product groups
analyzes the media preferences of the selected audience
analyzes the ratings of the media, television channels, websites and other information areas for advertising
explores the characteristics of mass media audiences information, television channels, websites and other information spaces for advertising
calculates the financial indicators of the media plan, draws up a final report to select the financially optimal plan
draws up a media plan in several versions, presents the media plan to the management of the organization or client representatives, justifies it
makes adjustments based on the comments and suggestions of the management in the media plan, distributes the advertising budget
analyzes the effectiveness of the advertising campaign.

The advertising budget of the company is characterized by an impressive amount.

How to avoid waste, useless spending, how to concentrate funds in the right direction and achieve maximum effect?

A media plan is created in order to convey an advertising message to a certain part of the target audience, taking into account a given period of time and the effective number of contacts with a potential consumer. During the development of a media plan, a specialist must answer at least four main questions.

How many potential buyers should be covered by advertising?

In what media should you advertise?

How many times should a potential buyer see or hear an advertisement?

How much money should be spent on each information tool?

As a result, the media plan allows you to find a solution to the main problem: how is it best for an advertiser to convey information about a product or service to potential consumers using a minimum of costs?

Thus, the purpose of media planning is to increase the effectiveness of an advertising campaign and achieve a balance between advertising tasks and the costs of their solution.

One of the criteria for determining the duration of an advertising campaign is the average duration of the purchase decision process.

The usual time frame for an intensive store or service promotion is 2-4 weeks.

To launch a new brand on the market, or a campaign related to the correction of the image of an already known brand – from 3 weeks to 3 months.

A six-plus-four scheme can be used to launch a new competitive mass market brand: brand awareness is built during the first six weeks, and brand image is consolidated over the next four weeks.

For a powerful start to an advertising campaign, sometimes such a scheme for presenting information as an “advertising explosion” is used. In this case, the following schedule is often used: during the first 4 weeks, up to half of the advertising budget is spent, and the remaining funds are distributed to 2-3 smaller impulses (usually at the beginning of the seasons), or to uniform advertising throughout the year.

Also (or additional skills needed by a media planner):

A media planner should know: advertising legislation, consumer protection, copyright and related rights, business activities, theory and practice of advertising marketing and management, principles of organizing advertising activities, general and special requirements for advertising, features of advertising campaigns, forms and methods of conducting advertising campaigns, design fundamentals, fundamentals of aesthetics, ethics, general and special psychology, sociology.

It is known that ratings are the most popular universal and accurate tool for assessing audience coverage in the media. The rating reflects, in percentage terms, the number of people who have contact with an advertising medium and is commonly used in advertising distribution media such as television and radio. The media planner knows that rating is increasingly used in the analysis of other advertising media. For example, the coverage of the audience of readers of a magazine is called the distribution area (coverage – Coverage) of the magazine, why not the rating? In outdoor advertising, “Showing” is used, which is equivalent to “total rating”.

But the most important factor determining the expediency and efficiency of using a given channel of advertising information (TV programs, newspaper columns, radio programs) is the cost of placing advertising materials and an assessment of the effect that will be achieved.

The result of media planning is ultimately reflected in three documents that take into account all the main components of this advertising campaign:

media plan;
advertising campaign budget;
media calculation (calculation of the effectiveness of an advertising campaign).

About required personal qualities (or who can be a media planner):

Media planner needs:

basic knowledge of planning and reporting,
as well as pedantry,
sociability,
numeracy,
high communication skills

About income (or what salary awaits a good specialist):

Today, the current need for specialists in this profile provides a salary of 1,500 to 2,000 dollars.