OverviewSalaryAboutEducationWhere are the jobsEmploymentGenderRace/Origin
Overview
Research conditions in local, regional, national, or online markets. Gather information to determine potential sales of a product or service, or plan a marketing or advertising campaign. May gather information on competitors, prices, sales, and methods of marketing and distribution. May employ search marketing tactics, analyze web metrics, and develop recommendations to increase search engine ranking and visibility to target markets.
Highlights
Undergraduate program resulting in the highest median salary ($98K): Electrical Engineering
Largest undergraduate program (14.3% of workers): Marketing
Explore Pathways
Titles for this career often contain these words
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Responsibilities and activities
Market research analysts typically do the following:
- Monitor and forecast marketing and sales trends
- Measure the effectiveness of marketing programs and strategies
- Devise and evaluate methods for collecting data, such as surveys, questionnaires, and opinion polls
- Gather data on consumers, competitors, and market conditions
- Analyze data using statistical software
- Convert complex data and findings into understandable tables, graphs, and written reports
- Prepare reports and present results to clients and management
Market research analysts research and gather data to help a company market its products or services. They gather data on consumer demographics, preferences, needs, and buying habits. They collect data and information using a variety of methods, such as interviews, questionnaires, focus groups, market analysis surveys, public opinion polls, and literature reviews.
Analysts help determine a company’s position in the marketplace by researching their competitors and analyzing their prices, sales, and marketing methods. Using this information, they may determine potential markets, product demand, and pricing. Their knowledge of the targeted consumer enables them to develop advertising brochures and commercials, sales plans, and product promotions.
Market research analysts evaluate data using statistical techniques and software. They must interpret what the data mean for their client, and they may forecast future trends. They often make charts, graphs, infographics, and other visual aids to present the results of their research.
Workers who design and conduct surveys are known as survey researchers.
Salary
Median salary: $65,810 annually
Half of those employed in this career earn between $48,040 and $93,030.
Context: Median Salary
How do salaries for this career compare to other jobs' salaries?
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Salary growth for market research analysts and marketing specialists
Is this job likely to reward you for sticking with it through pay raises and promotions? The higher a job’s “experience quotient,” the more you are likely to get as you stay there.
Experience quotient percentile
Take a minute to look at how much you might expect your salary to increase with each five years' experience, as well as how the numbers working at each age change. Does this seem to be a job for the young or the old, or could it be a career offering steady salary growth for many years?
Salary distribution
Number employed
About Market Research Analysts and Marketing Specialists
How do benefits for this career compare to other jobs? The availability of health care, especially employer provided health care, and pension plans can add significantly to the value of compensation you receive in a career. These charts compare how this career compares to other careers with regard to health care and pension plans.
Employee has health insurance
Employer is providing health insurance
Worker concerns
Some jobs are more stressful than others, and some are just plain dangerous. The following list gives the percentages of market research analysts and marketing specialists who report hazardous or difficult situations typically occurring at least once a week.
- Time Pressure (72%)
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Personality and skills
Can you see yourself in the ranks of Market Research Analysts and Marketing Specialists? Here are the skills and traits that could lead to success.
Analytical skills
Market research analysts must be able to understand large amounts of data and information.
Communication skills
Market research analysts need strong communication skills when gathering information, interpreting data, and presenting results to clients.
Critical-thinking skills
To determine what marketing strategy would work best for a company, market research analysts must assess all available information.
Detail oriented
Market research analysts must be detail oriented because they often do precise data analysis.
Injury and Illness
About 7 market research analysts and marketing specialists become injured or ill for every 10,000 workers, which reflects fewer events than in 56% of other careers. The most common specific illnesses or injuries are detailed following.
Bruises and contusions
Fractures
Soreness and pain
Education pathways to this career
Education attained by market research analysts and marketing specialists
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), market research analysts and marketing specialists typically hold a bachelor's degree.
Sometimes the typical education identified by the BLS differs a bit from the reality of the how much education current workers actually have. The donut shows the education level held by people currently working as market research analysts and marketing specialists as reported in responses to the American Community Survey.
Details: Education and training recommended for market research analysts and marketing specialists
Market research analysts typically need a bachelor’s degree in market research or a related field. Many have degrees in fields such as statistics, math, or computer science. Others have backgrounds in business administration, the social sciences, or communications.
Courses in statistics, research methods, and marketing are essential for these workers. Courses in communications and social sciences, such as economics or consumer behavior, are also important.
Some market research analyst jobs require a master’s degree. Several schools offer graduate programs in marketing research, but many analysts complete degrees in other fields, such as statistics and marketing, and/or earn a master’s degree in business administration (MBA). A master’s degree is often required for leadership positions or positions that perform more technical research.
Details: Licensing and certification recommended for market research analysts and marketing specialists
Certification is voluntary, but analysts may pursue certification to demonstrate a level of professional competency. The Marketing Research Association offers the Professional Researcher Certification (PRC) for market research analysts. Candidates qualify on the basis of experience and knowledge; they must pass an exam, have at least 3 years working in opinion and marketing research, and complete 12 hours of industry-related education courses. Individuals must complete 20 hours of industry-related continuing education courses every 2 years to renew their certification.
Education level of Market Research Analysts and Marketing Specialists
About 82% of market research analysts and marketing specialists have at least a bachelor's degree.
Education attained by market research analysts and marketing specialists
None
High School
Some College
Associate's Degree
Bachelor's Degree
Master's Degree
Professional Degree
Doctorate
Top college degrees
Here are the top college degrees held by the 81% of people in this job who have at least a bachelor's degree. Some of degrees may link to multiple programs due to the way Census classifies college majors. Click on a program to learn more about career opportunities for people who major in that field.
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College majors held by market research analysts and marketing specialists
This table shows the college majors held by people working as market research analysts and marketing specialists. If you see "**" before the name of a degree/program, that means this field is one that the Department of Education believes is preparatory for this career. However, you can see from this list that those recommendations are far from your only path to this job!
Major
Select any title to learn more about that degree
Salary comparison for bachelor's only
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Career salary (tail) versus Career/Major salary (dot)
Does the bachelor's-only salary rise or fall with this major?
Salary for bachelor's-only
For people with this career and major
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Salary for all workers
For people with this career and major
Median
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Middle 80%
Education for Career and Major
Bachelor's
Master's
Professional
Doctorate
Workers with this career/major
Percentage in this career with this major
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The link between degrees and this career
With the following sankey diagram, you can follow the top ten bachelor's degrees held by people working as market research analysts and marketing specialists, and then, in turn, you can see the 10 occupations that hire the most of each degree's graduates. We hope this provides ideas for similar jobs and similar fields of study.
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Where are the jobs
State-by-state employment numbers
Some careers tend to be centered in specific parts of the country. For example, most jobs in fashion are in New York or California. Let's see if your dream job is easy to find in your dream location! We have a few choices for viewing the data that can help you get a full employment picture.
Select a state to see local area details
Number of Market Research Analysts and Marketing Specialists per 1,000 workers (ACS)
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Job density versus job count
Which states hire the most market research analysts and marketing specialists? We wonder if that's a fair question since states come in all sizes, so instead let's start with the question of which states have the highest density of people working as market research analysts and marketing specialists. You can choose to view the number of jobs per state if you prefer.
Salaries by state
Let's get a feel for where market research analysts and marketing specialists earn the highest salaries. There are several choices for which data we consider and how we view that data, and each can lead to different conclusions, so please read on...
Median salary versus state ratio
We use two methods to compare salaries across states:
- In-state comparisons: the ratio of median (middle) salaries for market research analysts and marketing specialists compared to the median salary for all people working in each state, or
- Median salary: the unaltered median salaries for market research analysts and marketing specialists.
The darkest shading corresponds to states in which market research analysts and marketing specialists earn the highest salary when compared to other jobs in the state. We think this figure might be a better indicator than the actual salary for your buying power as a state resident.
Select a state to see local area details
Location-adjusted median salary for Market Research Analysts and Marketing Specialists (ACS)
Employment
14% of Market research analysts and marketing specialists are working part time.
We’ve found that some jobs have a huge number of part-time workers, and typically that is because they are unable to find full-time work or the job itself can’t provide full-time hours. With 14% part-time workers, this occupation has a higher percentage of part-time workers than 55% of careers.
Employer types
This donut shares the break-down of workers by employer type, giving us a picture of what employers most typically hire for this career.
Employers of undefined (ACS)
Private for-profit
Private not-for-profit
Local government
State government
Federal government
Self-employed incorporated
Self-employed not incorporated
Working without pay
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Distribution: Salaries of market research analysts and marketing specialists by type of employer
Here are the salary distributions based on employer type.
Gender
Market research analysts and marketing specialists and gender
With 56% women, this occupation has a higher percentage of women than 69% of careers.
Gender of Market research analysts and marketing specialists
Men (44%)
Women (56%)
Distribution: salaries by gender
Does gender greatly influence your salary in this career? The closer the bars are, the less discrepancy there is.
We only include salary data when the survey error is less than 20%, so you may see only partial information for some categories.
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Context: Women in the workforce
How does this career compare to other careers with regard to the percentage of women in the career.
Context: Salary inequity
The median (middle) salary for all full-time male workers
in the US exceeds the full-time median salary for women
by 19%, and the difference
for market research analysts and marketing specialists tops that, with the median salary for
men 21% higher than the median
salary for women.
Race/Origin
Race and origin of Market research analysts and marketing specialists
This donut shows the distribution of race and origin among those employed as Market research analysts and marketing specialists.
Race/origin of market research analysts and marketing specialists
White (80% )
Asian (9% )
Black (6% )
Multiracial (3% )
Other (2% )
Hispanic (0% )
American Indian (0% )
Pacific Islander (0% )
Distribution: salaries by race/origin
Some careers might have a pay disparity based on race or origin, the closer the below bars are the less of a discrepancy is present.
We only include salary data when the survey error is less than 20%, so you may see only partial information for some categories.
