Media salaries: what media jobs advertise
Media postings that state pay run $85,000 to $169,500 for the middle half, median $127,500, from 1,686 paid postings from 252 employers. With function, level and industry matched, pay is −21.9% (about $30.5k a year) against other industries.
Is this what you're looking for?
Answer a few questions and we'll show how media fits your background: matched jobs, a plain-language market read and a weekly plan. Free. No résumé needed.
By Justin KullaLast updated
Media pay range
From 1,686 paid postings from 252 employers. Annual, in US dollars.
- Lower quarter
- $85,000
- Median
- $127,500
- Upper quarter
- $169,500
The median for all professional postings is $140,000, so Media is below it. With function, level and industry matched, Media pay is −21.9% (about $30.5k a year) against other industries.
Media pay by level
Levels with at least 30 paid postings from 8 employers.
| Group | Median | Middle half | Gap | Postings | Employers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Entry level | $57,000 | $49,500 to $72,000 | n/a | 92 | 62 |
| Early career | $80,000 | $60,500 to $107,500 | n/a | 254 | 98 |
| Mid-level | $112,500 | $79,000 to $147,500 | n/a | 292 | 85 |
| Senior individual contributor | $131,000 | $92,000 to $171,000 | n/a | 342 | 80 |
| Manager | $125,000 | $100,000 to $157,500 | n/a | 272 | 69 |
| Director | $165,000 | $139,000 to $194,000 | n/a | 311 | 89 |
| VP and above | $202,500 | $166,500 to $239,000 | n/a | 123 | 41 |
Compare with other industries
The groups ranked just above and below by median.
Questions about this data
- How much do Media jobs pay?
- $85,000 to $169,500 for the middle half, median $127,500, from 1,686 paid postings from 252 employers that state pay. That is below the $140,000 median for all professional postings. It is advertised pay, not what people are paid.
- Is Media pay higher or lower once the job mix is matched?
- With function, level and industry matched, advertised pay is −21.9% (about $30.5k a year) against other industries.
- How does Media pay change with level?
- Entry level: $57,000; Early career: $80,000; Mid-level: $112,500; Senior individual contributor: $131,000; Manager: $125,000; Director: $165,000; VP and above: $202,500.
Method, download and how to cite
Data as of November 3, 2026. Rebuilt daily.
Pay is the midpoint of the range an employer posted (or stated in the posting text), converted to a year, on live U.S. professional jobs. It is advertised pay, not what anyone is paid.
A “gap, job mix matched” compares postings inside cells of the same function, level and industry, so a group is not credited for simply holding more senior or better-paid roles. It needs 150 or more postings across at least 5 cells with 15 postings on each side, and is shown as n/a otherwise. A gap is a difference in advertised pay between postings. It does not show that a skill, an industry or an employer size causes higher pay.
Download the CSV (aggregates only; no posting, employer or person is in it). Cite as: NextChapter, “Advertised pay in Media (industry) on U.S. professional job postings”, data as of November 3, 2026, https://launchyournextchapter.com/resources/pay-data/industry/media
See also the AI skills salary premium, which uses the same method for AI skills only, and the salary by job title pages.
More pay data
The job market, once a week
One email every Tuesday with the week's most useful read on the job market and the search, plus occasional news from NextChapter. No account needed. Unsubscribe any time.
Do you want this for your own search?
A free account turns this page into your plan: a plain-language read on media, jobs matched to you and a weekly action plan.
Yes, start freeNot ready for an account? Get a first-week plan by email.
Question 1
Where are you right now?
Why we ask: a laid-off week and a thinking-about-a-move week look nothing alike. No résumé, no account.