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Market Research Analysts and Marketing Specialists

Typical education: Bachelor's degreeLower pressure Bright Outlook

What they do

Research conditions in local, regional, national, or online markets. Gather information to determine potential sales of a product or service, or plan a marketing or advertising campaign. May gather information on competitors, prices, sales, and methods of marketing and distribution. May employ search marketing tactics, analyze web metrics, and develop recommendations to increase search engine ranking and visibility to target markets.

Kinds of work

  • Enterprising: Leading, persuading, selling and starting new projects or businesses.
  • Investigative: Science, research, figuring out how things work and solving complex problems.
  • Conventional: Organizing information, following clear procedures and working with data and details.

Lower pressure: How much pressure workers in this job report: deadlines, conflict, dealing with upset people, the cost of mistakes, responsibility for others' safety, competition and long hours. It varies a lot from one employer to the next. Source: U.S. Department of Labor worker surveys.

Pay, tasks and more

Salary

United States $78,760 Median per year · $37.87/hr Most earn $43,390–$155,480

BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, 2025.

What you might do

  • Collect and analyze data on customer demographics, preferences, needs, and buying habits to identify potential markets and factors affecting product demand.
  • Forecast and track marketing and sales trends, analyzing collected data.
  • Prepare reports of findings, illustrating data graphically and translating complex findings into written text.
  • Gather data on competitors and analyze their prices, sales, and method of marketing and distribution.
  • Monitor industry statistics and follow trends in trade literature.
  • Devise and evaluate methods and procedures for collecting data, such as surveys, opinion polls, or questionnaires, or arrange to obtain existing data.

Job outlook

Bright Outlook Rapid Growth; Numerous Job Openings

United States
7% more jobs by 2035, faster than average · about 82,000 openings a year

Openings include new jobs and jobs left by workers who retire or change careers. Projections: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. "Bright Outlook": U.S. Department of Labor.

Where they work

  • Management, scientific, and technical consulting services10.9%
  • Management of companies and enterprises7.3%
  • Computer systems design and related services4.8%
  • Advertising, public relations, and related services4.3%
  • Self-employed (their own business)3.8%

Share of all workers in this career. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, National Employment Matrix.

Often remoteExperience before this job: 2 to 4 years

Career path

How people usually get into this career, from school to their first job and beyond.

Typical education: Bachelor's degreeExperience before this job: 2 to 4 years

Market research analyst jobs usually require a bachelor's degree, and most people also spend 2 to 4 years in a related entry-level role first. So it's not usually a job you can start straight out of school, but it's a very reachable goal with the right steps.

  1. Bachelor's degree in marketing, business, economics, statistics, or a related field

    4 years

    You learn how markets, consumers, and data work, and you build the base knowledge that employers look for in this field.

  2. Marketing Coordinator

    2-4 years

    You help run campaigns, track results, and gather customer or competitor information, which builds the hands-on experience that research roles require.

  3. Market Research Analyst

    Ongoing

    You research markets, measure potential sales, study competitors, and turn data into recommendations for marketing and business decisions.

Where it can lead

  1. Marketing Manager

    2-4 years of experience first

    You move from doing research and analysis to leading the team and planning overall marketing strategy, budgets, and goals.

  2. Advertising and Promotions Manager

    2-4 years of experience first

    You shift toward planning and managing advertising and promotion campaigns, often leading agencies or in-house creative and media teams.

What you can do now

Ideas for high school and college students.

In high school

  • Take math and statistics classesStrong math skills, especially statistics if your school offers it, prepare you for analyzing market data.
  • Take English or speech classesWriting clear reports and presenting findings are core parts of the job.
  • Join a business, DECA-style, or debate clubClubs like these teach marketing basics, teamwork, and how to present ideas to others.
  • Get a starter job or volunteer for a local businessWorking at a store or helping a nonprofit with flyers or social media shows you how customers and promotions work.
  • Learn spreadsheetsPractice building simple charts and tables in Excel or Google Sheets, since data work starts there.

In college

  • Major in marketing, business, economics, or statisticsThese majors cover consumer behavior, research methods, and data analysis, which are the core skills for this career.
  • Take a research methods or survey design courseLearning how to design surveys and test results is directly used in market research work.
  • Seek a marketing or research internshipInternships give you real experience and often lead to entry-level jobs after graduation.
  • Work a campus job in admissions, a student organization, or a campus newspaper or media officeThese roles build communication skills and show you how organizations reach audiences.
  • Learn data tools like Excel, SQL, or Google AnalyticsMany employers want analysts who can work with data and web metrics, and free online courses or your school's software can help you practice.

Tips for getting started

  • Learn spreadsheet tools like Excel or Google Sheets well, and try basic data tools such as SQL or a charting program. Analysts use these every day.
  • Get experience early through a part-time job, a school project, or volunteering for a club or local business that needs help with social media or customer surveys. Keep examples of your work to show employers.
  • Practice explaining what your data means in plain language. Being able to turn numbers into clear recommendations is a big part of this job.

Related jobs that often lead here

Related jobs a step up

Education, experience and related careers: U.S. Department of Labor. The step-by-step path, where it can lead and what you can do now were written by AI as typical examples; many people take other ways.

College majors that lead here

Majors: U.S. Department of Education and BLS (CIP–SOC crosswalk). Earnings and debt: College Scorecard, typical across U.S. colleges.

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