Market Research Analysts and Marketing Specialists
What Market Research Analysts and Marketing Specialists 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.
See full salary breakdown & percentiles →
Career Outlook
National employment outlook, 2024–2034.
- Related work experience
- None
- On-the-job training
- None
- Self-employed
- 5.9%
Source: BLS Employment Projections — 2024-2034.
How Much Preparation Does This Take?
Job Zone 4 of 5Job Zone Four: Considerable Preparation Needed
- Experience
- A considerable amount of work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is needed for these occupations.
- Education
- Most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.
- Job training
- Employees in these occupations usually need several years of work-related experience, on-the-job training, and/or vocational training.
Source: O*NET Job Zones.
Key Knowledge Areas
Subject-matter areas this occupation draws on most, per O*NET.
- English Languageimportance 4.3/5
- Customer and Personal Serviceimportance 4.2/5
- Sales and Marketingimportance 4.1/5
- Mathematicsimportance 4.0/5
- Administration and Managementimportance 3.7/5
- Communications and Mediaimportance 3.5/5
- Administrativeimportance 3.4/5
- Computers and Electronicsimportance 3.2/5
Work Environment
What the day-to-day work setting is like, per O*NET.
- E-Mail5.0/5
- Spend Time Sitting4.7/5
- Telephone Conversations4.6/5
- Freedom to Make Decisions4.5/5
- Importance of Being Exact or Accurate4.4/5
- Determine Tasks, Priorities and Goals4.3/5
Careers With Similar Skills
Occupations whose Transferable Skills profile most closely matches this one — a mathematical comparison, not observed data about people actually moving between these careers.
- Economists98% skill match
- Industrial-Organizational Psychologists98% skill match
- Atmospheric and Space Scientists98% skill match
- Actuaries98% skill match
- Compensation, Benefits, and Job Analysis Specialists98% skill match
- Geographers98% skill match
- Urban and Regional Planners97% skill match
- Management Analysts97% skill match
Transferable Skills
Cross-functional skills this occupation draws on most, per O*NET — the kind that carry over to other careers.
- Complex Problem Solvingimportance 3.9/5
- Judgment and Decision Makingimportance 3.6/5
- Social Perceptivenessimportance 3.1/5
- Persuasionimportance 3.1/5
- Systems Analysisimportance 3.1/5
- Systems Evaluationimportance 3.1/5
- Coordinationimportance 3.0/5
- Time Managementimportance 3.0/5
Software & Technologies
Tools and software used in this occupation, per O*NET.
Hot Technologies
Other Software Used
- 3M Post-it App
- AcaStat Software
- Act!
- Adaptive conjoint analysis ACA software
- Adobe ActionScript
- Adobe Dreamweaver
- Adxstudio, for Microsoft
- Airtable
Work Style
Personal work characteristics that matter most for this occupation, per O*NET.
- Attention to Detail
- Intellectual Curiosity
- Achievement Orientation
- Dependability
- Innovation
- Adaptability
- Tolerance for Ambiguity
Career Interests
This occupation’s RIASEC interest profile, per O*NET — how strongly it fits each of the six Holland interest types.
- EnterprisingHigh
- ConventionalMedium
- InvestigativeMedium
- ArtisticLow
- SocialLow
- RealisticLow
This page includes information from the O*NET 30.3 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.
Where This Career Is Most Concentrated
Metro areas where market research analysts and marketing specialists make up the largest share of local employment, relative to the national average (BLS location quotient).
- 1Boulder, CO2.81× national avg
- 2Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH2.07× national avg
- 3San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA1.94× national avg
- 4Provo-Orem-Lehi, UT1.86× national avg
- 5Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO1.83× national avg
Possible Career Moves
A computed starting point, not observed job-change data — see the full list for why each one might fit.
- Management AnalystsLateral Move
- ActuariesCareer Change
- LogisticiansLateral Move
- Compensation, Benefits, and Job Analysis SpecialistsLateral Move
See the full career path from Market Research Analysts and Marketing Specialists →
Related Education Programs
Schools that offer related fields of study, based on the NCES CIP-SOC crosswalk — not a guarantee that graduates enter this specific career.
Marketing/Marketing Management, General
- Florida State University (Tallahassee, FL)grads earn ~$84,981
- The University of Alabama (Tuscaloosa, AL)grads earn ~$77,451
- Western Governors University (Salt Lake City, UT)grads earn ~$71,431
- University of Cincinnati-Main Campus (Cincinnati, OH)grads earn ~$72,881
- Ohio State University-Main Campus (Columbus, OH)grads earn ~$81,119
Econometrics and Quantitative Economics
- University of California-Berkeley (Berkeley, CA)grads earn ~$135,050
- University of California-Los Angeles (Los Angeles, CA)grads earn ~$95,440
- University of California-Santa Barbara (Santa Barbara, CA)grads earn ~$98,178
- University of Chicago (Chicago, IL)grads earn ~$159,578
- University of Michigan-Ann Arbor (Ann Arbor, MI)grads earn ~$110,552