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District of Columbia · Occupational wage benchmark

Marketing Managers Salary in District of Columbia

What Marketing Managers actually earn in District of Columbia — the published BLS median, what it is worth after local costs, and how it ranks against every other state.

Direct answer
Marketing Managers in District of Columbia earn a median of $177,170 per year (+6.2% vs national, #7 of 48 states). Because District of Columbia's price level is 109.9 against a U.S. average of 100, that salary carries roughly the purchasing power of $161,209 nationally. These are BLS occupational wage benchmarks across all workers in the occupation — not MBA-graduate-specific outcomes.

Sources: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) (May 2024 estimates (published April 2025)), District of Columbia state estimates for SOC 11-2021; cost-of-living adjustment derived from U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis — Regional Price Parities (RPP) (2024). Occupational wage benchmarks across all workers, not MBA-specific outcomes.

Median annual wage
$177,170
Marketing Managers in District of Columbia
Adjusted for cost of living
$161,209
District of Columbia price level 109.9 (U.S. = 100)
Rank among states
#7 of 48
#16 after cost of living
Workers employed
3,470
in District of Columbia

What Marketing Managers earn in District of Columbia, adjusted for what it costs to live there

A headline wage only means something next to local prices. Once local prices are accounted for, District of Columbia drops 9 places — a higher headline wage is partly consumed by a higher cost of living.

StateMedian (nominal)Adjusted for cost of living
Massachusetts$212,020$200,478
California$193,620$174,874
Virginia$187,820$185,769
Colorado$182,730$177,318
New York$181,200$167,901
New Jersey$180,040$165,470
District of Columbia$177,170$161,209
Minnesota$173,300$175,723
Washington$172,270$160,980
Connecticut$169,240$163,343
South Dakota$167,750$189,364
Montana$165,580$174,948
North Carolina$165,480$175,434
Illinois$162,860$162,928
Wyoming$161,580$174,321
Oregon$161,560$156,307
Georgia$160,760$166,949
Kansas$154,510$171,548
Maryland$154,160$146,876
Pennsylvania$150,810$154,563
Texas$147,880$152,364
South Carolina$143,290$152,844
New Hampshire$143,280$137,551
Florida$142,620$137,912
Idaho$142,090$148,795
Utah$139,830$141,437
Michigan$138,510$143,956
Arkansas$136,520$157,033
Indiana$136,260$146,000
Maine$135,380$139,495
Wisconsin$133,600$141,984
Ohio$132,330$142,637
Arizona$132,220$131,331
Tennessee$131,990$143,670
Iowa$131,120$149,404
Missouri$130,550$143,751
Kentucky$128,930$143,003
Oklahoma$126,920$144,485
North Dakota$125,580$141,166
New Mexico$122,980$133,367
Louisiana$120,650$136,781
Alabama$120,160$135,280
Hawaii$117,770$107,111
Alaska$116,270$113,590
Nebraska$110,570$122,715
Nevada$107,550$107,573
Mississippi$100,940$116,086
West Virginia$98,750$110,339

Nominal medians: BLS OEWS, May 2024 estimates (published April 2025) — occupational wage benchmarks across all workers, not MBA-specific outcomes. Adjusted column: SalaryMBA estimate, computed as nominal ÷ (state RPP ÷ 100) using BEA RPP 2024 all-items regional price parities. An adjusted figure is a purchasing-power comparison, not a wage anyone is paid.

The national pay range for Marketing Managers

BLS publishes the full percentile distribution nationally. It shows the spread within the occupation — the gap between the 10th and 90th percentile is usually far wider than the gap between states.

Percentile (national)Annual wageReading
10th percentile$90,260Entry / early-career end
25th percentile$123,020
Median (50th)$166,790
75th percentile$216,410
90th percentile$293,610Senior / top-market end

Other MBA-relevant roles in District of Columbia

How to read the District of Columbia number

The $177,170 median means half of Marketing Managers in District of Columbia earn less and half earn more. It is measured across everyone in the occupation — every level of experience, every industry, and every level of education. It is not the salary of a recent MBA graduate, and it is not a starting salary.

BLS counts roughly 3,470 people in this role in District of Columbia. The national percentile spread above is the more useful planning tool: within a single occupation, the distance between the 10th and 90th percentile typically dwarfs the difference between states. Where you land inside that range is driven far more by industry, function, and seniority than by geography.

What this data can and cannot tell you

This page answers “what does this role pay here.” It cannot answer “what will an MBA pay me here.” The BLS surveys establishments about occupations, not degrees, so no MBA premium can be isolated from it. Any site presenting these figures as MBA salaries is overstating what the source supports.

For MBA-specific figures we rely on cited school employment reports and moderated submissions, published only above our sample-size gates — see our methodology. To model your own economics, the MBA ROI calculator turns a target salary, tuition, and debt into a payback estimate.

Frequently asked questions

How much do Marketing Managers make in District of Columbia?

Marketing Managers in District of Columbia earn a median of $177,170 per year, according to BLS OEWS May 2024 estimates (published April 2025). That is +6.2% vs national, ranking District of Columbia #7 of 48 states with published data for this role. This is an occupational wage benchmark measured across all workers in the occupation, not an MBA-graduate-specific salary.

Is $177,170 a good salary for Marketing Managers in District of Columbia?

It depends on local prices. District of Columbia's overall price level is 109.9 against a U.S. average of 100, so a $177,170 salary there has roughly the purchasing power of $161,209 nationally — about $15,961 less than the headline number implies. Once local prices are accounted for, District of Columbia drops 9 places — a higher headline wage is partly consumed by a higher cost of living.

Do Marketing Managers in District of Columbia need an MBA?

These BLS figures cover everyone in the occupation regardless of degree, so they cannot tell you what an MBA specifically adds. Marketing Managers is a role MBA graduates commonly target, and an MBA can affect where you land within the range through network, function, and seniority — but any claim of a precise MBA premium for this role in District of Columbia would not be supported by this data. Verified MBA-specific outcomes are collected separately and published only once they clear our sample-size gates.

Why is housing cost relevant to Marketing Managers pay in District of Columbia?

Housing is the single largest driver of geographic cost differences. District of Columbia's housing price level is 155.0 against a U.S. average of 100 — substantially above average, which absorbs a large share of any wage premium. Overall prices there sit at 109.9.

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Every figure on SalaryMBA is source-labeled. See our methodology for how we source and gate data.