The market research salary and compensation survey is based on data gathered from an invite-only online survey sent to pre-qualified marketing research subscribers of Quirk’s and members of ESOMAR.
The survey was fielded from June 6 to June 28, 2018. In total there were 3,483 respondents. We received 966 usable surveys from client-side researchers (corporate market research) and 1,708 usable surveys from provider-side researchers (market research company employees). An interval (margin of error) of 1.9 at the 95 percent confidence level was achieved. (Not all respondents answered all questions.)
For a complete survey results follow the link below:
Market research salaries by job title
Marketing/Communication manager salary by:
| Region in which located | ||||||
| Count | Base | Bonus | Div.* | Other* | Total | |
| North East (CT, MA, ME, NH, RI, VT) | 2 | $77,000 | $5,000 | $0 | $0 | $82,000 |
| Mid Atlantic (NJ, NY, PA) | 2 | $51,000 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $51,000 |
| East North Central (IL, IN, MI, OH, WI) | 5 | $65,800 | $200 | $0 | $0 | $66,000 |
| West N. Central (IA, KS, MN, MO, NE, ND, SD) | ||||||
| S. Atlantic (DC, DE, FL, GA, MD, NC, SC, VA, WV) | 1 | $80,000 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $80,000 |
| East South Central (AL, KY, MS, TN) | ||||||
| West South Central (AR, LA, OK, TX) | 1 | $70,000 | $0 | $1,000 | $0 | $71,000 |
| Mountain (AZ, CO, ID, MT, NM, NV, UT, WY) | 1 | $77,000 | $9,000 | $0 | $0 | $86,000 |
| Pacific Coast (AK, CA, HI, OR, WA) | 4 | $61,500 | $2,250 | $250 | $0 | $64,000 |
| Canada | 1 | $70,000 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $70,000 |
| Mexico | ||||||
| Central and South America | 1 | $22,000 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $22,000 |
| Eastern Europe | 1 | $5,000 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $5,000 |
| Western Europe | 3 | $36,667 | $1,667 | $0 | $0 | $38,333 |
| Asia | 3 | $10,333 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $10,333 |
| Middle East | ||||||
| Africa | ||||||
| Australia/New Zealand | ||||||
| Mean | 25 | $51,840 | $1,360 | $80 | $0 | $53,280 |
| Annual revenue/sales of organization | ||||||
| Count | Base | Bonus | Div.* | Other* | Total | |
| < $1 Million US dollars | 1 | $31,000 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $31,000 |
| $1M - $3M | 2 | $27,000 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $27,000 |
| $3M - $6M | 7 | $62,714 | $1,857 | $0 | $0 | $64,571 |
| $6M - $10M | 4 | $78,000 | $1,250 | $250 | $0 | $79,500 |
| $10M - $50M | 7 | $49,286 | $2,286 | $143 | $0 | $51,714 |
| $50M - $100M | 1 | $22,000 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $22,000 |
| $100M - $300M | ||||||
| $300M - $500M | ||||||
| $500M - $1 Billion | ||||||
| >$1 Billion US dollars | ||||||
| Mean | 22 | $54,682 | $1,545 | $91 | $0 | $56,318 |
| Number of full-time equivalent market researchers on staff | ||||||
| Count | Base | Bonus | Div.* | Other* | Total | |
| 0 | 1 | $4,000 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $4,000 |
| 1 - 2 | ||||||
| 3 - 5 | ||||||
| 6 - 10 | 2 | $40,000 | $2,500 | $500 | $0 | $43,000 |
| 11 - 15 | 3 | $82,667 | $3,000 | $0 | $0 | $85,667 |
| 16 - 25 | 6 | $57,333 | $167 | $0 | $0 | $57,500 |
| >25 | 12 | $51,250 | $1,583 | $83 | $0 | $52,917 |
| Mean | 24 | $53,792 | $1,417 | $83 | $0 | $55,292 |
| Number of years of experience in marketing research | ||||||
| Count | Base | Bonus | Div.* | Other* | Total | |
| < 1 year | 2 | $44,000 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $44,000 |
| 1 - 2 | 6 | $46,500 | $1,000 | $167 | $0 | $47,667 |
| 3 - 5 | 4 | $53,000 | $1,750 | $0 | $0 | $54,750 |
| 6 - 10 | 7 | $60,857 | $2,714 | $0 | $0 | $63,571 |
| 11 - 15 | 3 | $25,333 | $667 | $0 | $0 | $26,000 |
| 16 - 25 | 2 | $105,000 | $0 | $500 | $0 | $105,500 |
| >25 | ||||||
| Mean | 24 | $53,792 | $1,417 | $83 | $0 | $55,292 |
| Years at current job | ||||||
| Count | Base | Bonus | Div.* | Other* | Total | |
| < 1 year | 3 | $38,000 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $38,000 |
| 1 - 2 | 10 | $47,800 | $1,700 | $0 | $0 | $49,500 |
| 3 - 5 | 8 | $61,250 | $1,000 | $125 | $0 | $62,375 |
| 6 - 10 | 2 | $69,500 | $4,500 | $0 | $0 | $74,000 |
| 11 - 15 | ||||||
| 16 - 25 | 1 | $70,000 | $0 | $1,000 | $0 | $71,000 |
| >25 | ||||||
| Mean | 24 | $53,792 | $1,417 | $83 | $0 | $55,292 |
| Number of employees supervised | ||||||
| Count | Base | Bonus | Div.* | Other* | Total | |
| 0 (None) | 10 | $36,900 | $600 | $0 | $0 | $37,500 |
| 1 - 2 | 10 | $71,500 | $1,800 | $200 | $0 | $73,500 |
| 3 - 5 | 4 | $51,750 | $2,500 | $0 | $0 | $54,250 |
| 6 - 10 | ||||||
| > 10 | ||||||
| Mean | 24 | $53,792 | $1,417 | $83 | $0 | $55,292 |
| Highest degree achieved | ||||||
| Count | Base | Bonus | Div.* | Other* | Total | |
| High-school graduate | 1 | $31,000 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $31,000 |
| College graduate | 15 | $55,867 | $1,400 | $133 | $0 | $57,400 |
| Masters program graduate | 7 | $55,143 | $1,857 | $0 | $0 | $57,000 |
| Ph.D. graduate | 1 | $36,000 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $36,000 |
| Mean | 24 | $53,792 | $1,417 | $83 | $0 | $55,292 |
| Gender | ||||||
| Count | Base | Bonus | Div.* | Other* | Total | |
| Male | 3 | $40,000 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $40,000 |
| Female | 21 | $55,762 | $1,619 | $95 | $0 | $57,476 |
| Mean | 24 | $53,792 | $1,417 | $83 | $0 | $55,292 |
| Age | ||||||
| Count | Base | Bonus | Div.* | Other* | Total | |
| < 25 | 3 | $56,667 | $2,667 | $333 | $0 | $59,667 |
| 25 - 30 | 10 | $43,300 | $1,300 | $0 | $0 | $44,600 |
| 31 - 35 | 1 | $70,000 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $70,000 |
| 36 - 45 | 7 | $49,429 | $1,857 | $0 | $0 | $51,286 |
| 46 - 55 | 3 | $90,667 | $0 | $333 | $0 | $91,000 |
| 56 - 65 | ||||||
| 66+ | ||||||
| Mean | 24 | $53,792 | $1,417 | $83 | $0 | $55,292 |
*Bonus was defined as bonus or commission for 2017 in US dollars.
*Dividends were defined as compensation in the form of dividends, stock options or profit sharing in US dollars for 2017.
*Other was defined as annual value of other compensation (company car, health club membership, mobile phone etc.) in US dollars.