Five Top Cities for Marketing Careers

Discover five top cities for marketing careers of which you might not have been aware, for recent students major in business or looking to start a career.

Updated October 12, 2022 ยท 2 Min Read

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Top Cities for Marketing Careers

  • New York City, NY
  • San Francisco, CA
  • Boston, MA
  • Atlanta, GA
  • Chicago, IL

As someone who has majored or is looking to major in marketing, you're likely going to want to know what the top five cities for marketing careers are. While there is need for marketers across the country, most jobs are concentrated in the cities, especially cities that have long been known as home to major advertising firms or other businesses. These five cities are where you should go if you're looking to start a marketing career.

1. New York City, NY

Long the center of the advertising world and the biggest city in the United States, it should come as no surprise that many of the job opportunities for marketers are in New York. New York is a sprawling metropolis and home to some of the biggest, oldest and most respected advertising agencies in the world, such as Interpublic Group, BBDO, Deutsch Inc., Grey Group, J. Walter Thompson and Ogilvy & Mather. Newer firms include Omnicom Group, 360i, DeVito/Verdi, R/GA and McGarryBowen. There are also hundreds and hundreds of other advertising and corporate operations in New York that employ marketers and advertisers, so it should come as no surprise that the Big Apple is the epicenter of marketing careers.

2. San Francisco, CA

Los Angeles also ranks fairly high, but San Francisco has more job openings for marketers on average, making it the top choice. Some marketing firms that call the Bay Area home include Butler, Shine, Stern & Partners, AKQA, Goodby, Silverstein & Partners and Epsilon. A number of businesses, particularly giants in the tech industry, either have their headquarters in the area or nearby. Make sure any job you're considering in this city offers a salary you can live on - the cost of living in San Francisco is particularly high when compared to the rest of the country.

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3. Boston, MA

Businesses and firms in Boston hire a lot of advertising and marketing professionals. Major firms in the city (some of which have topped lists of best ad agencies at which to work) include Allen & Gerritsen, Digitas, Sapient and iProspect, among others. Like New York and San Francisco, living in Boston isn't cheap, but the salaries for marketing jobs in the city are also higher than average. Many positions are for marketing managers, but there are just as many for mid- and entry-level employees, making Boston a very solid choice to start your marketing career.

4. Atlanta, GA

As one of the fastest-growing cities in the marketing field, Atlanta, GA averages about 1,000 advertising and marketing jobs available at any given time that generally command a competitive salary. Atlanta is a booming southern city and home to major marketing firms like 22squared, BKV Inc. and Moxie. Major businesses with their headquarters in the Atlanta area include Coca-Cola, Chick-fil-A, Arby's, The Home Depot, Delta Air Lines and UPS, among others, so there is a lot of demand for young people looking to start a career in marketing.

5. Chicago, IL

Chicago, IL is home to a number of major marketing firms, including Cramer-Krasselt, Leo Burnett Company and newer, digital upstarts like Conversant and Tribune Content Solutions. Many, many businesses also call Chicagoland home, making the city a great destination for those seeking careers in marketing. Chicago's cost of living is quite reasonable compared to the major cities on either coast, and being in the Midwest the city tends to not be as fast-paced or intense as cities on the East Coast like New York or Boston.

With the rise of the Internet and the need for digital marketing, marketers and advertisers are very in demand at the moment. But no matter how in demand a profession might be, you still improve your chances of getting a job and building a career if you go where the industry is centered. So look at these five cities for marketing careers as the places to go.

Related Resource: The 25 Best Online Marketing MBA Programs

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