Facts

• In a 2009 survey on advertising industry salaries, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) noted the profession's nationwide average wage as $97,670 a year. The BLS also identified several industries paying significantly higher advertising salaries. At the top of the list was the electrical and electronic wholesaler industry, with average advertising salaries of $130,480 a year. The securities and commodity brokerage industry also paid much higher-than-average, at $128,980.
  
  

Location

• The northeast topped the BLS' list of highest-paying areas for advertising salaries. New York was rated the highest salary, at $143,940 a year. New York was also the country's second-highest per-capita employer of advertising professionals (behind only the District of Columbia). New Jersey placed second for highest salary, with an annual wage of $127,770. In third place was Massachusetts, at $114,440 a year.
  
  

Considerations

• While there is no single requirement to earn a salary in the advertising field, many employers require a minimum of a bachelor's degree in a field such as mass communications, advertising, English, journalism or visual arts. Master's degrees and doctoral programs are available for students who wish to further their educations. Prospective advertising employees may also pad their resumes by joining industry organizations such as the Society for Technical Communication, Public Relations Society of America and the American Association of Advertising Agencies.
  
  

Outlook

• The BLS predicts a less-than-optimistic outlook for employment in the advertising field in the next decade. Through 2018, employment is expected to decline 3 percent, with a reduction of approximately 800 jobs, in part due to traditional advertising outlets such as newspapers and magazines folding over time. The BLS notes that employment in advertising will stay afloat due to new opportunities for the field, in satellite radio stations, additional television channels and the Internet.