Market Research Analysts and Marketing Specialists
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.
Market Research Analysts and Marketing Specialists 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. The role reports a median annual salary of $76,950 in the US with the middle 80% earning between $40,020 and $137,550 and is projected to grow 7% over the next decade (about as fast as average). Entry typically requires a Bachelor's degree, and shows high AI exposure (0.71 on a 0-1 scale) — significant portions of core tasks are already being automated. The most in-demand skills for the role include Active Listening, Critical Thinking, Reading Comprehension, Speaking, Writing.
Salary distribution (US)
Real salary data from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The p10–p90 spread tells you more than the median alone.
Pay in the UK
UK: median £33,412 a year for Marketing associate professionals (ONS ASHE 2025, full-time)
Middle half of full-time jobs: £27,373 to £41,521 a year
UK jobs are grouped differently; this is the closest UK occupation group (ONS SOC 2020 3554). ONS rates this estimate precise. 2025 provisional figures; ONS revises them a year later. Source: ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (Open Government Licence)
Pay in India (occupation group)
Average monthly earnings of salaried employees in the occupation group “Professionals” in India, from the Government of India's Periodic Labour Force Survey (January–December 2025). It covers everyone in this group, not only Market Research Analysts and Marketing Specialists, and it is not US pay converted to rupees.
Source: MoSPI (Government of India), Periodic Labour Force Survey Annual Report 2025, Table 51 — average wage/salary earnings of regular wage/salaried employees, NCO-2015 division 2. Official India data gives one average per occupation group: there are no official India figures for single careers, experience levels or cities. Read the report
How to get here in India
No single fixed route is listed for this career. These Indian degrees lead to it, according to the US CIP–SOC education-to-occupation crosswalk; open a degree for its entrance exams and colleges.[1]
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Marketing — BBA or BMS with a marketing specialisation (three or four years)
Entrance exams: CUET-UG, IPMAT, NPAT, SET
Rules change: check the exam body's and regulator's current notice before you apply.
- CIP 2020 – SOC 2018 crosswalk (NCES / BLS) (read on 2026-09-27)
5 open listings on our jobs board → Recent listings whose job title matches this career. Some jobs in this career are advertised under other titles.
Top skills
Knowledge you'll build
- English Language
- Customer and Personal Service
- Sales and Marketing
- Mathematics
- Administration and Management
- Communications and Media
- Computers and Electronics
- Economics and Accounting
A day in the life
You start your morning reviewing overnight campaign metrics, social-media analytics, and survey responses that rolled in from a consumer panel, looking for trends that could shape the next product launch or ad strategy. Your day involves designing questionnaires, running focus groups or A/B tests, pulling data from tools like Google Analytics or Tableau, and synthesizing findings into presentations for brand managers and C-suite executives. You collaborate with creative teams, sales reps, and external research vendors, often debating whether the data supports a bold new positioning or a safe incremental move. The work is energizing when your insight drives a campaign that resonates with customers, but frustrating when budgets get cut or decision-makers ignore the data in favor of gut instinct.
Illustrative: one typical day. Real days vary by employer and seniority.
What you'd actually do
- Prepare reports of findings, illustrating data graphically and translating complex findings into written text.
- Collect and analyze data on customer demographics, preferences, needs, and buying habits to identify potential markets and factors affecting product demand.
- Conduct research on consumer opinions and marketing strategies, collaborating with marketing professionals, statisticians, pollsters, and other professionals.
- Measure and assess customer and employee satisfaction.
- Devise and evaluate methods and procedures for collecting data, such as surveys, opinion polls, or questionnaires, or arrange to obtain existing data.
- Measure the effectiveness of marketing, advertising, and communications programs and strategies.
Tools & technology you'd use
Frequently asked questions
What does Market Research Analysts and Marketing Specialists do?
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.
What does a typical day look like in Market Research Analysts and Marketing Specialists?
You start your morning reviewing overnight campaign metrics, social-media analytics, and survey responses that rolled in from a consumer panel, looking for trends that could shape the next product launch or ad strategy. Your day involves designing questionnaires, running focus groups or A/B tests, pulling data from tools like Google Analytics or Tableau, and synthesizing findings into presentations for brand managers and C-suite executives.
How much does Market Research Analysts and Marketing Specialists earn?
The median annual salary for Market Research Analysts and Marketing Specialists in the US is $76,950. The middle 80% of workers earn between $40,020 and $137,550 annually. Entry-to-mid-career earners typically fall between $53,290 and $103,080.
What is the job outlook for Market Research Analysts and Marketing Specialists?
The role is projected to grow 7% over the next decade (about as fast as average). Current US employment is approximately 941,700 workers.
How do I become market research analysts and marketing specialists?
The typical entry education is a Bachelor's degree. Building a foundation in the top skills below will strengthen your application.
What skills does Market Research Analysts and Marketing Specialists need?
The most in-demand skills for this role include Active Listening, Critical Thinking, Reading Comprehension, Speaking, Writing, Complex Problem Solving. These are the skills O*NET identifies as most important for competent performance.
Will AI replace Market Research Analysts and Marketing Specialists?
Our AI-durability model gives Market Research Analysts and Marketing Specialists a score of 0.71 on a 0-1 scale (higher = more exposure). That places it at high AI risk — many core tasks are already being automated by generative AI and workflow tools. Focus on AI-adjacent skills or plan a pivot to an AI-durable adjacent role.
How hard is it to enter this field?
Market Research Analysts and Marketing Specialists has moderate barrier to entry — moderately gated — a bachelor's degree or equivalent training is typically required.