Occupation salary profile

Advertising Sales Agents

SOC 41-3011 BLS OEWS May 2025

Sell or solicit advertising space, time, or media in publications, signage, TV, radio, or Internet establishments or public spaces.

National median · BLS
$64,820
▲ +5.47% YoY
H-1B sponsor median
—
Too few H-1B filings
Average salary · BLS
$80,670
Mean annual wage
U.S. employment
91,700
Jobs (BLS)
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Pay range for Advertising Sales Agents

Annual base pay at each percentile. BLS covers all U.S. workers in this occupation.

Percentile All U.S. workers (BLS)
10th — entry pay$35,240
25th$47,020
Median (50th)$64,820
75th$99,990
90th — top pay$146,010

Hourly ⇄ annual pay

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Based on hrs/week × weeks/year = 2,080 hrs
Projections 2025–2035

Job outlook for Advertising Sales Agents

BLS projects employment of advertising sales agents to decline 7.2% from 2025 to 2035, while employment across all occupations grows 3.5%. About 7,800 openings are projected each year, on average, from new jobs and from replacing workers who retire or move to other occupations.

Jobs 2025 → 2035
99,300 → 92,200
-7,100 jobs
Projected change
-7.2%
All occupations: +3.5%
Openings per year
7,800
Average, 2025–2035
Typical entry education
High school diploma or equivalent
No related experience required
On-the-job training
Moderate-term on-the-job training
Self-employed
7.7% of workers (2025)
Preparation needed (O*NET Job Zone 3)
Medium Preparation Needed. Most occupations in this zone require training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree.
Fastest-declining jobs → Best-paying jobs that need a high school diploma →

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2025–2035 · BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook →

Skills & tools

Skills needed for Advertising Sales Agents

How important each skill and knowledge area is for this job, rated by O*NET on a 1–5 scale from surveys of workers and occupational analysts.

Top skills
  • Persuasion4.1
  • Speaking4.1
  • Active Listening4.0
  • Negotiation3.9
  • Social Perceptiveness3.9
  • Reading Comprehension3.6
  • Service Orientation3.6
  • Critical Thinking3.3
  • Writing3.3
  • Complex Problem Solving3.1
Top knowledge areas
  • Sales and Marketing4.8
  • English Language4.3
  • Customer and Personal Service4.2
  • Communications and Media4.1
  • Computers and Electronics3.5
  • Administrative3.4
  • Mathematics3.0
  • Administration and Management2.8
Software and technology used
Adobe Creative Cloud softwareAdobe InDesignAdobe PhotoshopCanvaMicrosoft ExcelMicrosoft Office softwareMicrosoft OutlookMicrosoft PowerPointMicrosoft WordSalesforce softwareAdobe IllustratorFacebookGoogle AnalyticsMicrosoft AccessWordPressContact management softwareEmail softwareFileMaker Pro

Highlighted = in demand: frequently listed in employer job postings for this occupation (O*NET).

Source: O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.

About the job

What advertising sales agents do

  • Explain to customers how specific types of advertising will help promote their products or services in the most effective way possible.
  • Prepare and deliver sales presentations to new and existing customers to sell new advertising programs and to protect and increase existing advertising.
  • Obtain and study information about clients' products, needs, problems, advertising history, and business practices to offer effective sales presentations and appropriate product assistance.
  • Provide clients with estimates of the costs of advertising products or services.
  • Maintain assigned account bases while developing new accounts.
  • Recommend appropriate sizes and formats for advertising, depending on medium used.
  • Locate and contact potential clients to offer advertising services.
  • Draw up contracts for advertising work, and collect payments due.
Also called
Advertising Account ExecutiveAdvertising RepresentativeAdvertising Sales Representative (Ad Sales Representative)Media ConsultantAdvertising Account RepresentativeAdvertising ConsultantDirectory Advertising Sales Representative (Directory Advertising Sales Rep)Display Advertising Sales Representative (Display Advertising Sales Rep)Multimedia Sales ConsultantRetail Advertising Account Executive
More job titles for this occupation (20)
Advertising AgentAdvertising Sales AssistantAdvertising Sales ExecutiveAdvertising SolicitorDigital Advertising Sales Representative (Digital Advertising Sales Rep)Displays Sales Representative (Displays Sales Rep)Displays SalespersonInside Sales Advertising ExecutiveOutdoor Advertising Leasing AgentOutside Sales Advertising ExecutiveRadio Time Sales Representative (Radio Time Sales Rep)Radio Time SalespersonSales Promotion Representative (Sales Promotion Rep)Signs Sales Representative (Signs Sales Rep)Signs SalespersonSite Leasing AgentSolicitorTime BrokerTV Time Sales Rep (Television Time Sales Representative)Yellow Pages Space Salesperson

Source: O*NET 31.0 (USDOL/ETA, CC BY 4.0). These are general job titles, not H-1B filings; for titles employers actually filed, see “Job titles” above.