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What a Marketing Agency Costs Per Hour in Each State
A US ad agency has to bring in about $122 for every hour it pays a marketing specialist. A marketing consulting firm needs about $133. The specialist sees $43.03 of that23. By state, the agency figure runs from $68 in Hawaii to $167 in New Mexico.
I'm Guy Tate. I worked with Anthony Limpert at Adcom8, then spent about eight years as a partner at Clickflame, and I still own 1421 Digital and run Guy Tate Consulting. Here's what the federal numbers say an agency hour costs in your state, what Google Ads management fees look like, and how to check a quote.
Agency Price Guides Don't Agree
Search what a marketing agency costs and you'll find a different number on every page. A 2026 guide from OuterBox, a Google Ads agency, says most Google Ads management runs $1,500 to $5,000 a month, or 10% to 20% of ad spend, and that specialists bill $75 to $250+ an hour4. Credo's survey of agencies found an average of $137 an hour for agencies and $143 for consultants6. That survey is from 2019.
None of them break it down by state. A $75 to $250 range doesn't tell an owner in Hawaii or New Mexico whether the quote on the table is fair. So we built the state table from Census and BLS data.
What an Agency Has to Bring In
The 2022 Economic Census counted 14,729 advertising agency offices with payroll, run by 13,404 firms. They averaged $4,233,711 in sales per office. Payroll took 35.2% of sales, so every $1 of pay brought in $2.843. Marketing consulting is a different shape. It's 51,544 smaller offices averaging $1,502,621, with payroll at 32.3% of sales, a 3.10x multiple.
Multiply each multiple by the $43.03 average marketing specialist wage2 and you get the agency hour: $122.37 for an ad agency and $133.41 for a consulting firm. It's what has to come in the door for each hour a specialist is paid. It covers software, office space, benefits, sales time, unbilled hours and the owner.
It lines up with what agencies say they charge. Credo's $137 agency average sits right next to our $122 and $1336. Credo also found 60% of PPC firms charge $100 to $200 an hour5.
The Highest and Lowest States
New Mexico tops the ad agency list at $167. That's not because specialists there are well paid; at $32.26 they're some of the lowest paid in the country. It's the 5.17x multiple across just 33 agencies3. Colorado is next at $165, on $47.58 pay and a 3.46x multiple. Hawaii is lowest at $68.
California pays more than almost anywhere, $51.98, and lands at $151 because its ad agency multiple is a lower 2.91x. Florida pays $38.95 but its multiple is 3.61x, so it comes out at $141. For marketing consultants, District of Columbia is highest at $177 and West Virginia is lowest at $76.
What Google Ads Management Costs
Google Ads management is usually priced three ways: a percentage of ad spend, a flat monthly fee, or a mix of both. OuterBox puts percentage fees at 10% to 20% of monthly spend, often with a minimum4. Credo says the most common setup is $1,000 to $2,000 a month for one channel, $500 to $750 for each extra channel, a $1,000 to $2,500 setup fee, and 15% of spend above $10,000 a month5.
Here's OuterBox's 2026 fee table, with each fee turned into the hours of agency time it pays for at the $122 US ad agency hour:
| Monthly ad spend | Management fee4 | Ad agency hours it buys |
|---|---|---|
| $1,000 to $5,000 | $500 to $2,000 | 4 to 16 hours |
| $5,000 to $25,000 | $1,500 to $5,000 | 12 to 41 hours |
| $25,000 to $100,000 | $4,000 to $12,000 | 33 to 98 hours |
| $100,000+ | $10,000 to $25,000 | 82 to 204 hours |
That last column is the useful one. A $500 fee buys about 4 hours of an agency's time a month. That's a check-in and some bid changes, not a rebuild. If a $500 quote promises new landing pages, call tracking and weekly reports, ask who's doing that work and when.
Price Your Own Quote
Pick your state, type in your monthly ad spend and the quote you got. It shows the same spend priced as a percentage, as your flat quote, and on Credo's common base-plus-percentage setup using the $1,500 midpoint of its one-channel range5. It also shows how many hours of agency time your flat fee pays for at your state's ad agency hour.
A worked example: at $15,000 a month in ad spend, a 15% fee is $2,250. Credo's base-plus-percentage setup comes out at the same $2,250. Push spend to $40,000 and they split: 15% is $6,000, while the base plus 15% over $10,000 is $6,000. In Texas, $6,000 pays for about 49 agency hours at $121. OuterBox's own guide says the percentage model gets weaker when spend grows but the workload doesn't, and that large accounts often negotiate lower or tiered percentages4.
What to Ask Before You Sign
- Is the fee a percentage, flat or both? Get the number in dollars at your current spend and at the spend you plan to hit in six months.
- Is ad spend included? It almost never is. OuterBox's own example is a $15,000 Google Ads budget with a $3,000 fee: $18,000 a month before setup or landing page work4.
- Is there a setup fee? Credo puts the common range at $1,000 to $2,500 for research, auditing and the first ad copy5.
- What does each extra channel cost? Adding Microsoft Ads or Meta often adds $500 to $750 a month in Credo's survey5.
- How many hours does the fee buy? Divide the monthly fee by your state's agency hour in the table below. Then ask what gets done in those hours.
- Who owns the Google Ads account? If you leave, you want your account, your history and your conversion data to stay with you.
Every State
Marketing specialist pay is the May 2025 mean hourly wage for market research analysts and marketing specialists, with the 25th to 75th percentile under it1. Ad agency hour is that wage times the state's 2022 advertising agency sales divided by payroll, with the multiple and office count under it3. Marketing consultant hour uses the same wage and the multiple for marketing consulting firms.
| State | Marketing specialist pay per hour | Ad agency hour | Marketing consultant hour |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $32.93$22 to $38 | $892.69x, 115 agencies | $882.67x, 267 firms |
| Alaska | $33.71$26 to $40 | $1113.28x, 23 agencies | $1343.98x, 41 firms |
| Arizona | $38.61$24 to $47 | $1273.30x, 354 agencies | $1283.32x, 1,308 firms |
| Arkansas | $37.71$23 to $49 | $1273.36x, 82 agencies | $1293.41x, 306 firms |
| California | $51.98$31 to $65 | $1512.91x, 2,374 agencies | $1593.05x, 9,309 firms |
| Colorado | $47.58$31 to $61 | $1653.46x, 363 agencies | $1543.25x, 1,797 firms |
| Connecticut | $41.70$28 to $50 | $1403.36x, 171 agencies | $1313.15x, 432 firms |
| Delaware | $50.93$38 to $65 | $1422.79x, 62 agencies | $1452.85x, 232 firms |
| District of Columbia | $51.09$36 to $64 | $1573.07x, 75 agencies | $1773.46x, 189 firms |
| Florida | $38.95$25 to $48 | $1413.61x, 1,366 agencies | $1664.26x, 6,480 firms |
| Georgia | $40.64$25 to $52 | $1273.13x, 393 agencies | $1714.20x, 1,948 firms |
| Hawaii | $31.11$20 to $38 | $682.18x, 29 agencies | $1173.75x, 129 firms |
| Idaho | $35.15$23 to $41 | $952.70x, 76 agencies | $1303.70x, 326 firms |
| Illinois | $42.28$29 to $50 | $1192.82x, 622 agencies | $1232.91x, 1,955 firms |
| Indiana | $34.84$24 to $41 | $1022.93x, 191 agencies | $1032.95x, 650 firms |
| Iowa | $35.28$24 to $41 | $1113.16x, 85 agencies | $1012.85x, 272 firms |
| Kansas | $37.26$25 to $47 | $812.17x, 88 agencies | $902.42x, 295 firms |
| Kentucky | $33.76$23 to $38 | $1033.05x, 135 agencies | $962.84x, 261 firms |
| Louisiana | $32.94$22 to $40 | $1103.33x, 157 agencies | $1083.29x, 283 firms |
| Maine | $38.10$26 to $48 | $1122.95x, 40 agencies | $1142.98x, 150 firms |
| Maryland | $41.16$27 to $48 | $1012.45x, 169 agencies | $1072.60x, 708 firms |
| Massachusetts | $52.21$37 to $64 | $1593.04x, 253 agencies | $1182.26x, 921 firms |
| Michigan | $37.14$24 to $47 | $1092.94x, 334 agencies | $1163.12x, 951 firms |
| Minnesota | $45.25$31 to $59 | $1112.46x, 290 agencies | $1383.05x, 896 firms |
| Mississippi | $29.72$21 to $36 | $933.11x, 45 agencies | $923.09x, 118 firms |
| Missouri | $37.77$23 to $48 | $731.94x, 235 agencies | $1002.65x, 619 firms |
| Montana | $34.26$26 to $39 | $1073.14x, 32 agencies | $1153.34x, 182 firms |
| Nebraska | $31.24$23 to $38 | $1163.73x, 95 agencies | $902.89x, 222 firms |
| Nevada | $36.92$25 to $46 | $1223.30x, 169 agencies | $1423.84x, 929 firms |
| New Hampshire | $38.50$25 to $46 | $962.49x, 42 agencies | $1383.59x, 171 firms |
| New Jersey | $45.51$33 to $55 | $1122.45x, 386 agencies | $1573.45x, 1,343 firms |
| New Mexico | $32.26$23 to $38 | $1675.17x, 33 agencies | $1153.56x, 123 firms |
| New York | $49.65$35 to $62 | $1352.72x, 1,481 agencies | $1472.96x, 3,631 firms |
| North Carolina | $42.99$28 to $53 | $1072.49x, 371 agencies | $1393.23x, 1,451 firms |
| North Dakota | $32.18$24 to $38 | $1033.21x, 26 agencies | $942.91x, 51 firms |
| Ohio | $37.77$25 to $47 | $932.47x, 433 agencies | $942.50x, 1,049 firms |
| Oklahoma | $33.46$22 to $40 | $1374.11x, 118 agencies | $1143.40x, 293 firms |
| Oregon | $43.53$29 to $52 | $1052.42x, 214 agencies | $1132.60x, 762 firms |
| Pennsylvania | $37.07$24 to $46 | $1193.20x, 562 agencies | $1032.78x, 1,219 firms |
| Rhode Island | $43.03$30 to $50 | $1112.58x, 35 agencies | $1343.10x, 137 firms |
| South Carolina | $39.17$25 to $48 | $1393.55x, 175 agencies | $1273.25x, 446 firms |
| South Dakota | $35.57$25 to $42 | $982.74x, 42 agencies | $1654.64x, 94 firms |
| Tennessee | $38.29$25 to $46 | $982.57x, 184 agencies | $1153.00x, 640 firms |
| Texas | $38.35$25 to $47 | $1213.16x, 1,187 agencies | $1173.06x, 3,524 firms |
| Utah | $34.37$22 to $41 | $912.64x, 239 agencies | $1093.17x, 1,148 firms |
| Vermont | $37.70$29 to $43 | $962.56x, 25 agencies | $962.54x, 83 firms |
| Virginia | $42.03$27 to $51 | $1152.73x, 252 agencies | $1333.16x, 1,103 firms |
| Washington | $51.91$32 to $67 | $1563.00x, 270 agencies | $1452.79x, 1,213 firms |
| West Virginia | $28.06$18 to $33 | $762.70x, 25 agencies | $762.71x, 55 firms |
| Wisconsin | $35.53$25 to $43 | $912.55x, 163 agencies | $1052.96x, 590 firms |
| Wyoming | $33.54$23 to $38 | $1424.23x, 43 agencies | $1313.90x, 242 firms |
| United States | $43.03$28 to $52 | $1222.84x, 14,729 agencies | $1333.10x, 51,544 firms |
Every state has at least 20 offices of each kind in the 2022 count, so all 51 get a figure. New Mexico's ad agency hour rests on 33 agencies and a 5.17x multiple, so one or two big firms may be setting it.
The Biggest Metro Areas
This list covers every metro with at least 100 ad agency offices. Sales per worker is 2022 sales divided by everyone on payroll3. Denver, CO is highest at $369,865 and Charlotte, NC is lowest at $186,198.
| Metro | Ad agencies, multiple | Sales per agency | Sales per worker |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York, NY | 1,5312.68x | $10,607,450 | $311,595 |
| Los Angeles, CA | 1,3522.79x | $5,463,409 | $291,888 |
| Miami, FL | 6043.38x | $2,674,096 | $296,576 |
| Chicago, IL | 5592.82x | $8,612,546 | $248,447 |
| Dallas, TX | 4432.97x | $3,335,163 | $252,733 |
| San Francisco, CA | 3492.73x | $9,347,888 | $341,936 |
| Philadelphia, PA | 3343.03x | $3,976,584 | $279,440 |
| Atlanta, GA | 3103.08x | $4,181,313 | $314,766 |
| Phoenix, AZ | 2963.25x | $1,505,628 | $243,002 |
| San Diego, CA | 2504.08x | $3,554,008 | $367,301 |
| Houston, TX | 2472.68x | $1,832,453 | $226,195 |
| Washington, DC | 2443.11x | $3,945,246 | $288,734 |
| Minneapolis, MN | 2402.41x | $3,942,588 | $242,248 |
| Austin, TX | 2383.56x | $4,074,223 | $298,083 |
| Denver, CO | 2313.69x | $4,742,597 | $369,865 |
| Boston, MA | 2153.03x | $9,925,433 | $322,644 |
| Tampa, FL | 1984.79x | $1,788,859 | $351,035 |
| Detroit, MI | 1852.94x | $5,680,422 | $266,450 |
| Orlando, FL | 1843.98x | $935,342 | $275,365 |
| Portland, OR | 1772.32x | $3,427,621 | $252,052 |
| Seattle, WA | 1692.88x | $4,411,911 | $285,895 |
| Charlotte, NC | 1332.33x | $1,817,180 | $186,198 |
| Las Vegas, NV | 1292.90x | $1,670,589 | $224,954 |
| Columbus, OH | 1155.19x | $3,580,713 | $257,686 |
| Kansas City, MO | 1141.82x | $10,337,842 | $191,659 |
| Pittsburgh, PA | 1083.44x | $2,497,167 | $259,571 |
| Bridgeport, CT | 1073.70x | $3,881,047 | $349,262 |
| Salt Lake City, UT | 1052.57x | $1,977,143 | $225,163 |
| Baltimore, MD | 1042.34x | $4,461,144 | $223,918 |
How We Got These Numbers
We used two federal files. The Bureau of Labor Statistics May 2025 wage survey gives pay for market research analysts and marketing specialists in each state1 and the US2. The 2022 Economic Census, the newest one, gives sales, payroll, employees and office counts for advertising agencies and marketing consulting firms with payroll3. Published prices come from the guides cited next to them, read on November 9, 2026.
Four things to keep in mind. The multiple is from 2022 and we assume it has held, because the next Economic Census isn't out yet. Agencies employ designers, writers, account managers and media buyers too, and we price the hour on the marketing specialist wage, which is the closest single job to the people running your ads. The Census file leaves out one-person shops with no payroll, and plenty of freelancers work that way. And none of this is your ad spend, which goes to Google on top of any fee.
Receipt
Every number on this page, and where it came from.
- US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, state file: Market Research Analysts and Marketing Specialists (SOC 13-1161)source
- US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, national file: Market Research Analysts and Marketing Specialists (SOC 13-1161)source
- US Census Bureau, 2022 Economic Census, Professional, Scientific and Technical Services: Selected Statistics (EC2254BASIC), NAICS 541810 Advertising Agencies and 541613 Marketing Consulting Servicessource
- OuterBox: PPC Management Pricing: How Much Do Google Ads Management Services Cost in 2026?source
- Credo Digital Marketing Pricing Survey: PPC Pricing, How Much Do PPC Services Cost?source
- Credo Digital Marketing Pricing Survey: Digital Marketing Agency Pricing and Hourly Rates (2019 survey, page updated July 21, 2022)source
Ratios such as rent share, tax rate and price differences are our math on the published figures above. ACS figures noisier than a 20% coefficient of variation are left out. How we count.