Marketing Consulting Firms: By the Numbers
96,264 establishments, 318,836 employees and $34.9 billion in annual payroll. Most of them run on software that records how the work gets done. Here's the industry, state by state.
Establishments
Marketing Consulting Firms worksites in the U.S.
Employees
About 3 per location on average
Average annual pay
$34.9 billion in total payroll
Job growth, 1 year
Year-over-year employment change
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW), 2025 annual averages, private ownership. Establishment counts are worksites, not companies. Pulled November 4, 2026. bls.gov/cew
Most jobs
- California: 42,416 employees
- Florida: 32,197 employees
- Texas: 31,719 employees
- New York: 22,039 employees
- Illinois: 17,195 employees
Fastest growing
- Nevada: +19.7% jobs in a year
- New Hampshire: +8.7% jobs in a year
- Utah: +4.8% jobs in a year
- Iowa: +4.0% jobs in a year
- Oklahoma: +3.6% jobs in a year
Most concentrated
- Utah: 1.86× the national share
- Colorado: 1.71× the national share
- Florida: 1.59× the national share
- New Jersey: 1.40× the national share
- Illinois: 1.38× the national share
All States, Ranked by Employment
| State | Establishments | Employees | Avg. pay | 1-yr jobs | Concentration |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| California | 12,190 | 42,416 | $115,195 | +0.2% | 1.14 |
| Florida | 10,623 | 32,197 | $93,991 | -1.5% | 1.59 |
| Texas | 6,546 | 31,719 | $94,052 | -1.7% | 1.10 |
| New York | 4,878 | 22,039 | $152,958 | +1.5% | 1.10 |
| Illinois | 3,153 | 17,195 | $136,365 | -0.3% | 1.38 |
| North Carolina | 3,154 | 12,754 | $105,398 | -2.1% | 1.26 |
| New Jersey | 2,046 | 12,254 | $114,341 | +1.5% | 1.40 |
| Colorado | 4,144 | 10,117 | $115,630 | -0.7% | 1.71 |
| Pennsylvania | 2,269 | 10,082 | $114,907 | +1.3% | 0.81 |
| Georgia | 3,538 | 9,391 | $92,065 | -4.5% | 0.94 |
| Ohio | 2,170 | 8,273 | $110,505 | -0.1% | 0.73 |
| Massachusetts | 1,923 | 7,382 | $143,286 | -0.8% | 0.99 |
| Tennessee | 2,068 | 6,667 | $91,395 | +1.3% | 1.00 |
| Utah | 2,348 | 6,619 | $90,681 | +4.8% | 1.86 |
| Michigan | 2,004 | 6,575 | $117,338 | -0.3% | 0.73 |
| Arizona | 2,320 | 6,457 | $86,247 | +1.1% | 0.97 |
| Washington | 2,025 | 6,075 | $126,032 | -1.4% | 0.82 |
| Missouri | 1,509 | 5,525 | $106,884 | -5.0% | 0.93 |
| Virginia | 1,984 | 5,518 | $102,135 | -0.3% | 0.65 |
| Minnesota | 1,091 | 5,301 | $124,600 | -1.0% | 0.88 |
| Indiana | 1,593 | 4,565 | $87,775 | -1.4% | 0.70 |
| Wisconsin | 1,580 | 4,298 | $87,811 | -1.9% | 0.71 |
| Oregon | 1,874 | 3,875 | $110,943 | -1.1% | 0.95 |
| Connecticut | 1,501 | 3,822 | $123,211 | -0.6% | 1.10 |
| Maryland | 1,170 | 3,674 | $110,004 | -4.5% | 0.65 |
| Kentucky | 1,018 | 3,291 | $64,571 | +1.7% | 0.81 |
| Nevada | 1,528 | 3,196 | $89,706 | +19.7% | 0.99 |
| South Carolina | 1,095 | 2,864 | $103,732 | -0.6% | 0.60 |
| Alabama | 1,026 | 2,623 | $98,160 | +0.9% | 0.60 |
| Arkansas | 897 | 2,386 | $97,774 | +1.4% | 0.89 |
| Iowa | 637 | 2,044 | $97,617 | +4.0% | 0.64 |
| Kansas | 678 | 1,939 | $91,510 | +1.0% | 0.66 |
| Idaho | 989 | 1,773 | $91,829 | +2.2% | 0.99 |
| Maine | 1,612 | 1,692 | $147,408 | +1.5% | 1.27 |
| New Hampshire | 939 | 1,457 | $121,325 | +8.7% | 1.03 |
| Nebraska | 462 | 1,376 | $88,253 | -6.1% | 0.66 |
| Oklahoma | 631 | 1,251 | $59,426 | +3.6% | 0.36 |
| Louisiana | 692 | 1,236 | $61,050 | +2.0% | 0.31 |
| District of Columbia | 394 | 1,148 | $160,110 | -8.2% | 0.76 |
| Rhode Island | 600 | 1,041 | $94,081 | +0.2% | 1.02 |
| Montana | 475 | 730 | $80,252 | -4.5% | 0.70 |
| Delaware | 556 | 682 | $115,849 | -8.5% | 0.69 |
| Vermont | 457 | 551 | $135,776 | -0.7% | 0.87 |
| West Virginia | 270 | 546 | $61,303 | -7.5% | 0.38 |
| New Mexico | 295 | 494 | $68,971 | +7.9% | 0.28 |
| Mississippi | 370 | 437 | $65,398 | +1.9% | 0.18 |
| South Dakota | 272 | 406 | $87,189 | -5.1% | 0.43 |
| Hawaii | 270 | 381 | $75,966 | -16.6% | 0.29 |
| North Dakota | 146 | 222 | $69,603 | -3.9% | 0.25 |
| Wyoming | 168 | 186 | $114,318 | -8.4% | 0.32 |
| Alaska | 82 | 93 | $77,889 | -2.1% | 0.14 |
Concentration = location quotient (1.00 = the industry's national share of jobs).
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW), 2025 annual averages, private ownership. Establishment counts are worksites, not companies. Pulled November 4, 2026. bls.gov/cew
What This Means for Your Data
Buyers value data that is deep, large and fresh. An industry with 318,836 people working in software every day produces exactly that: years of operating history that the public internet doesn't have. Established companies (roughly 20+ staff, 2+ years, software every day) fit best today.
MLM Data never asks for personal data. See what that data looks like, or text Lexi for a free appraisal.
Marketing Consulting Firms: Data FAQ
How many marketing consulting firms are there in the U.S.?
About 96,264 private marketing consulting firms establishments employed 318,836 people in 2025 (BLS QCEW annual average).
Which state has the most marketing consulting firms jobs?
California leads with 42,416 employees across 12,190 establishments (2025, BLS QCEW).
What is the average pay in marketing consulting firms?
The average annual pay was $109,604 in 2025, according to BLS QCEW.
Is marketing consulting firms business data valuable to AI companies?
It can be. With about 318,836 people logging daily work in software, established marketing consulting firms create years of operating records. MLM Data helps established companies find out what their business data could be worth, free, by text with Lexi. Business data only, never personal data.
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