Median pay for social media managers runs from $42,770 in Mobile to $117,620 in San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara — a 2.75× range across 492 metropolitan areas. The national median of $74,750 sits inside that range but describes no particular market.
The top tenth of social media managers earn $135,150 or more; the bottom tenth earn under $44,110. That is a 3.06× gap within the same occupation, in the same year. A spread this wide means the job title is not what determines pay — specialisation, employer type, seniority or book of business is. Expect the early years to sit near the bottom of the band rather than the middle, and treat the $74,750 median as a waypoint, not a destination.
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara (CA) leads and Mobile (AL) trails, but the gap is modest. For a role like this the more useful comparison is not between cities but between the 10th and 90th percentile within one — see the band above.
| Metropolitan area | Median | Hourly | LQ | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara CA | $117,620 | $56.55 | 1.06 | 2,200 |
| Kennewick-Richland WA | $103,030 | $49.54 | 0.85 | 200 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont CA | $102,520 | $49.29 | 1.45 | 6,290 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria DC-VA-MD-WV | $101,680 | $48.88 | 3.99 | 22,810 |
| Lexington Park MD | $99,960 | $48.06 | 0.44 | 60 |
| Napa CA | $98,190 | $47.21 | 0.58 | 80 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue WA | $96,000 | $46.16 | 1.05 | 3,980 |
| El Centro CA | $93,100 | $44.76 | 0.31 | 40 |
| Bloomington IL | $91,630 | $44.05 | 0.71 | 110 |
| New Haven CT | $91,530 | $44.00 | 0.82 | 420 |
| Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom CA | $89,640 | $43.10 | 1.33 | 2,620 |
| Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford CT | $87,830 | $42.23 | 0.65 | 710 |
| Salem OR | $87,740 | $42.18 | 1.31 | 450 |
| Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers AR | $85,650 | $41.18 | 0.73 | 370 |
| Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury CT | $84,990 | $40.86 | 0.61 | 450 |
| Trenton-Princeton NJ | $84,990 | $40.86 | 1.39 | 610 |
| Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater WA | $84,470 | $40.61 | 2.66 | 630 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City NY-NJ | $84,130 | $40.45 | 1.43 | 24,820 |
| Bremerton-Silverdale-Port Orchard WA | $83,390 | $40.09 | 0.75 | 130 |
| North Georgia nonmetropolitan area | $83,240 | $40.02 | 0.57 | 200 |
| Santa Cruz-Watsonville CA | $83,180 | $39.99 | 1.01 | 180 |
| Denver-Aurora-Centennial CO | $82,930 | $39.87 | 1.56 | 4,560 |
| Eastern Sierra-Mother Lode Region of California nonmetropolitan area | $82,050 | $39.45 | 0.75 | 90 |
| Yuba City CA | $81,650 | $39.26 | 0.4 | 40 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton MA-NH | $81,440 | $39.16 | 1.09 | 5,380 |
| Metropolitan area | Median | Hourly | LQ | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mobile AL | $42,770 | $20.56 | 0.76 | 240 |
| Southwest Louisiana nonmetropolitan area | $43,680 | $21.00 | 0.23 | 30 |
| Weirton-Steubenville WV-OH | $45,140 | $21.70 | 0.54 | 40 |
| San Juan-Bayamon-Caguas PR | $46,030 | $22.13 | 0.37 | 460 |
| East Kentucky nonmetropolitan area | $46,340 | $22.28 | 0.53 | 90 |
| St. George UT | $47,020 | $22.61 | 0.42 | 70 |
| North Central Tennessee nonmetropolitan area | $47,310 | $22.74 | 0.26 | 60 |
| Eastern Ohio nonmetropolitan area | $47,590 | $22.88 | 0.36 | 90 |
| Columbia MO | $47,700 | $22.93 | 2.76 | 540 |
| East Tennessee nonmetropolitan area | $47,950 | $23.05 | 0.25 | 60 |
| Metropolitan area | Median | Hourly | LQ | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria DC-VA-MD-WV | $101,680 | $48.88 | 3.99 | 22,810 |
| Helena MT | $63,230 | $30.40 | 3.21 | 260 |
| Northern Vermont nonmetropolitan area | $70,260 | $33.78 | 2.79 | 450 |
| Columbia MO | $47,700 | $22.93 | 2.76 | 540 |
| Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater WA | $84,470 | $40.61 | 2.66 | 630 |
| Ames IA | $62,970 | $30.27 | 2.41 | 250 |
| Bozeman MT | $63,720 | $30.63 | 2.4 | 320 |
| Burlington-South Burlington VT | $65,630 | $31.55 | 2.28 | 500 |
| Missoula MT | $61,620 | $29.63 | 2.26 | 280 |
| Tallahassee FL | $59,590 | $28.65 | 2.23 | 760 |
| West Montana nonmetropolitan area | $72,800 | $35.00 | 2.16 | 330 |
| Lansing-East Lansing MI | $71,550 | $34.40 | 2.06 | 820 |
| Metropolitan area | Median | Hourly | LQ | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York-Newark-Jersey City NY-NJ | $84,130 | $40.45 | 1.43 | 24,820 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria DC-VA-MD-WV | $101,680 | $48.88 | 3.99 | 22,810 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim CA | $79,860 | $38.39 | 1.04 | 11,910 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington TX | $69,280 | $33.31 | 0.99 | 7,300 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont CA | $102,520 | $49.29 | 1.45 | 6,290 |
| Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington MN-WI | $73,780 | $35.47 | 1.73 | 6,170 |
| Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach FL | $64,600 | $31.06 | 1.06 | 5,460 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton MA-NH | $81,440 | $39.16 | 1.09 | 5,380 |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington PA-NJ-DE-MD | $64,550 | $31.04 | 0.99 | 5,220 |
| Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands TX | $68,320 | $32.85 | 0.86 | 5,160 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin IL-IN | $77,050 | $37.04 | 0.6 | 4,920 |
| Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell GA | $78,920 | $37.94 | 0.9 | 4,750 |
Figures come from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics programme, May 2025 release, SOC code 27-3031. OEWS surveys employers, so it reports what is actually paid rather than what job advertisements claim, and it excludes the self-employed. Estimates cover 492 of 528 metropolitan areas — near-complete coverage, which means the ranges above are reliable rather than drawn from a handful of markets. Read the methodology.