The Best US States To Start A Career in Advertising [2024 Study]

Key points:

  • New data has identified the top states for those wanting to work in the advertising industry, with West Virginia ranking first. 
  • The study compared the median entry-level salary for advertising jobs in each state against the required living wage to determine where jobseekers are best off. 
  • Entry-advertising jobs in Massachusetts offer the lowest amount of disposable income after covering living costs.  

New research has revealed the top states where budding advertising professionals should begin their careers. West Virginia is named the state where workers will have the most disposable income. 

Many will be looking to launch their advertising career in the United States, as the country is expected to account for most of the global ad spending this year, forecast to reach $422.30bn. 

With this in mind, Skyline Social identified which state people are best off searching for work in entry-level advertising jobs. 

The study compared the median entry-level annual salary for advertising jobs in each state against the required pre-tax annual living income to identify which state would leave you with the most disposable income. 

According to the findings, West Virginia is the number one state to enter the advertising industry. The median entry-level advertising salary pre-tax was found to be $81,086, which is $41,700 higher than the annual living wage of $39,386. 

This means that an entry-level advertising salary would cover 205.9% of the $39,386 needed for essential living costs before taxes. 

North Dakota is the second-best state to land an entry-level advertising job. At $81,878, the median entry-level salary covers 203.4% of the $40,262 pre-tax living wage. An entry-level advertising job works out to be $41,616 more than the estimated living wage for the state. 

The third is Kentucky, with a median entry-level salary of $81,357 covering 201.6% of the $40,355 required annual income before taxes. This equates to being $41,002 higher than the living wage in the state. 

The 10 best states to start an entry-level advertising role are:

Rank State Median entry-level advertising salary ($) Necessary living wage before taxes ($) Difference between entry-level advertising salary and living wage ($) Percentage of living costs covered by entry-level advertising salary 
1. West Virginia 81,086 39,386 41,700 205.9% 
2. North Dakota 81,878 40,262 41,616 203.4% 
3. Kentucky 81,357 40,355 41,002 201.6% 
4. (=) South Dakota 81,619 40,718 40,901 200.4% 
4. (=) Arkansas 79,603 39,724 39,879 200.4% 
5. Ohio 80,164 40,359 39,805 198.6% 
6. Alabama 81,776 41,911 39,865 195.1% 
7. Iowa 81,103 41,678 39,425 194.6% 
8. New Mexico 80,959 41,807 39,152 193.6% 
9. Louisiana 79,700 41,233 38,467 193.3% 
10. Montana 81,703 42,374 39,329 192.8% 

On the other hand, those in Massachusetts aspiring to work in advertising will be left with much less disposable income based on an entry-level role. The median salary of $82,813 covers 142.8% of the $58,009 living wage and is $24,804 higher. 

Hawaii ranks joint second with New York as the two states with the second lowest disposable income, both covering 150.4% of the annual estimated living wage. 

In the Aloha State, the living wage needed is $56,861 against a median entry-level advertising salary of $85,464, whereas in the Empire State the required annual income is $55,878 compared to a salary of $84,018. 

California is third, at a median entry level salary of $89,427, which covers 157.4% of the $56,825 necessary for living costs. 

The 10 worst states to start an entry-level advertising role 

Rank State Median entry-level advertising salary ($) Necessary living wage before taxes ($) Difference between entry-level advertising salary and living wage ($) Percentage of living costs covered by entry-level advertising salary 
1. Massachusetts 82,813 58,009 24,804 142.8% 
2. (=) Hawaii 85,464 56,841 28,623 150.4% 
2. (=) New York 84,018 55,878 28,140 150.4% 
3. California 89,427 56,825 32,602 157.4% 
4. Maryland 82,466 51,460 31,006 160.3% 
5. Colorado 83,007 51,644 31,363 160.7% 
6. (=) Virginia 80,452 49,973 30,479 161.0% 
6. (=) Georgia 78,015 48,448 29,567 161.0% 
7. Rhode Island 83,422 50,418 33,004 165.5% 
8. Washington 89,129 53,242 35,887 167.4% 
9. New Jersey 86,274 51,504 34,770 167.5% 
10. (=) Connecticut 84,386 50,194 34,192 168.1% 
10. (=) Florida 78,431 46,645 31,786 168.1% 

No doubt, a main appeal of working in advertising is the big bucks that can be earned as you climb the career ladder, and with the market booming, many will be keen to get involved. 

It’s interesting to see that some of the biggest states for business are further down on the ranking, such as Georgia and Washington. 

If you can be flexible on where to work, it is definitely worth focusing your efforts on the likes of West Virginia and North Dakota, if you want to have the most of your salary leftover for personal spending and savings – especially as money is already tight in this current economic situation.” 

If using this story, please credit and link to: https://www.skylinesocial.com 

See also: Best paid advertising platforms for business owners

Sources: 

Methodology: 

The median entry level salary for ‘advertising’ jobs in each state was calculated as the median of the salaries in the top 5 most populous cities in states, based on data from ZipRecruiter. The required annual living wage before taxes for one person was taken from Living Wage Calculator. 

The percentage of individual annual living costs that were covered by an entry level advertising salary was calculated using: Median entry-level advertising salary / Necessary living wage before taxes x 100. 

States ranked by percentage of coverage of required annual income before taxes 

Rank State Median entry-level advertising salary ($) Necessary living wage before taxes ($) Difference between entry-level advertising salary and living wage ($) Percentage of living costs covered by entry-level  advertising salary 
1. West Virginia 81,086 39,386 41,700 205.9% 
2. North Dakota 81,878 40,262 41,616 203.4% 
3. Kentucky 81,357 40,355 41,002 201.6% 
4.(=) South Dakota 81,619 40,718 40,901 200.4% 
4.(=) Arkansas 79,603 39,724 39,879 200.4% 
5. Ohio 80,164 40,359 39,805 198.6% 
6. Alabama 81,776 41,911 39,865 195.1% 
7. Iowa 81,103 41,678 39,425 194.6% 
8. New Mexico 80,959 41,807 39,152 193.6% 
9. Louisiana 79,700 41,233 38,467 193.3% 
10. Montana 81,703 42,374 39,329 192.8% 
11. Wisconsin 80,962 42,062 38,900 192.5% 
12. Indiana 81,339 42,510 38,829 191.3% 
13. Missouri 79,833 42,024 37,809 190.0% 
14. Kansas 80,036 42,337 37,699 189.0% 
15. Michigan 79,709 42,187 37,522 188.9% 
16. Mississippi 78,019 41,361 36,658 188.6% 
17. Wyoming 82,609 43,823 38,786 188.5% 
18. Minnesota 83,939 44,626 39,313 188.1% 
19. Nebraska 78,617 41,849 36,768 187.9% 
20. Oklahoma 75,395 40,211 35,184 187.5% 
21. Maine 85,280 45,844 39,436 186.0% 
22. Tennessee 79,208 43,196 36,012 183.4% 
23. Texas 79,541 43,508 36,033 182.8% 
24. North Carolina 80,544 44,848 35,696 179.6% 
25. Idaho 79,443 44,366 35,077 179.1% 
26. Pennsylvania 80,572 45,661 34,911 176.5% 
27.(=) Alaska 85,111 48,375 36,736 175.9% 
27.(=) South Carolina 77,667 44,152 33,515 175.9% 
28. Illinois 82,870 47,559 35,311 174.2% 
29. Vermont 83,312 47,892 35,420 174.0% 
30. Oregon 87,922 50,553 37,369 173.9% 
31. Delaware 80,535 47,064 33,471 171.1% 
32. Nevada 79,253 46,727 32,526 169.6% 
33. New Hampshire 83,088 49,045 34,043 169.4% 
34. Arizona 82,338 48,677 33,661 169.2% 
35. Utah 79,124 46,850 32,274 168.9% 
36.(=) Florida 78,431 46,645 31,786 168.1% 
36.(=) Connecticut 84,386 50,194 34,192 168.1% 
37. New Jersey 86,274 51,504 34,770 167.5% 
38. Washington 89,129 53,242 35,887 167.4% 
39. Rhode Island 83,422 50,418 33,004 165.5% 
40.(=) Georgia 78,015 48,448 29,567 161.0% 
40.(=) Virginia 80,452 49,973 30,479 161.0% 
41. Colorado 83,007 51,644 31,363 160.7% 
42. Maryland 82,466 51,460 31,006 160.3% 
43. California 89,427 56,825 32,602 157.4% 
44.(=) New York 84,018 55,878 28,140 150.4% 
44.(=) Hawaii 85,464 56,841 28,623 150.4% 
45. Massachusetts 82,813 58,009 24,804 142.8%