Marketing director: salary in the UK
ONS occupation: Marketing, sales and advertising directors (SOC 1132)
About £66,465 a year after tax (England, Wales and Northern Ireland, 2026/27)
median salary a year, full-time, +2.9% on last year
£8,033 a month About £5,539 a month after tax 193 thousand full-time jobs
Gross pay before tax, including bonuses, commission and overtime. Not included: benefits in kind such as a company car. About the data
Pay range
The dark part is the middle half of full-time employees (25% to 75%); the light bar runs from 10% to 90%. ONS doesn't publish the highest or lowest salary, and x means a figure wasn't published.
Pay by year
The median went from £74,830 in 2021 to £96,393 in 2026 (+29%); for all full-time employees in the UK it changed by +31% over the same years.
Figures by year
| P10 | P25 | Median | P75 | P90 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | £35,547 | £50,000 | £74,830 | £106,143 | x |
| 2022 | x | £53,291 | £77,469 | £109,575 | x |
| 2023 | £39,582 | £56,166 | £83,773 | £114,727 | x |
| 2024 | £43,076 | £59,981 | £87,296 | £122,601 | £153,711 |
| 2025 | £45,616 | £65,000 | £93,715 | £134,435 | x |
| 2026 | £46,363 | £68,288 | £96,393 | £140,018 | x |
ONS figures for each year, not adjusted for inflation. Years before 2021 used a different occupation classification, so they can't be compared. Earlier years are ONS's revised figures; the latest is provisional.
Half of full-time employees in this occupation earn less than £96,393 a year and half earn more. That is 136% more than the median for all full-time employees in the UK (£40,911).
The middle half earn between £68,288 and £140,018; one in ten earns less than £46,363.
Ranked by median, it is number 3 of the 362 occupations with a published figure.
The mean (£125,571) is well above the median: a minority in this job earn much more than most.
At the median salary, take-home pay after Income Tax and National Insurance is about £5,539 a month in England, Wales or Northern Ireland and £5,279 in Scotland.
The median for men is £102,406 and for women £83,098, a gap of 19% in men's favour. This compares full-time salaries only and doesn't account for seniority or hours.
Percentiles
| Percentile | Annual | Monthly |
|---|---|---|
| 10th (P10) | £46,363 | £3,864 |
| 20th | £62,517 | £5,210 |
| 25th (P25) | £68,288 | £5,691 |
| 30th | £74,758 | £6,230 |
| 40th | £85,023 | £7,085 |
| Median (50th) | £96,393 | £8,033 |
| 60th | £111,502 | £9,292 |
| 70th | £130,708 | £10,892 |
| 75th (P75) | £140,018 | £11,668 |
| 80th | £154,701 | £12,892 |
| 90th (P90) | x | x |
Men and women
| Median | Mean | Jobs (thousands) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Men | £102,406 | £135,491 | 128 |
| Women | £83,098 | £106,070 | 65 |
Take-home pay at the median
| Where you live | Per year | Per month |
|---|---|---|
| England, Wales, NI | £66,465 | £5,539 |
| Scotland | £63,346 | £5,279 |
After Income Tax and National Insurance for 2026 to 2027, with the standard tax code and no pension or student loan. Work out your own take-home pay · Take-home pay on £96,000
Job titles in this occupation
ONS codes these 44 job titles to SOC 1132 Marketing, sales and advertising directors. Pay figures are for the whole occupation, not for each title.
- Account director
- Advertising director
- Appeal director
- Appeals director
- Brand director
- Business development director
- Chief commercial officer
- Chief marketing officer
- CMO
- Commercial director
- Digital account director
- Digital marketing director
- Director
- Director of business development
- Director of fund raising
- Director of marketing
- Director of sales
- Director of sales and marketing
- Export director
- Head of advertising
- Head of brand
- Head of business development
- Head of commercial
- Head of digital
- Head of digital marketing
- Head of digital media
- Head of growth
- Head of marketing
- Head of media
- Head of sales
- Head of sales and marketing
- Head of strategy
- International sales director
- Managing director
- Marketing director
- Media account director
- Media director
- Owner
- Regional sales director
- Sales and export director
- Sales and marketing director
- Sales director
- Social media director
- Technical director
Similar occupations
All jobs in Managers, directors and senior officials
Source: ONS, Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings 2026 provisional, Table 14.7a (full-time employees, gross annual pay, UK, tax year ending 5 April 2026). Provisional figures may be revised.