The median annual wage for advertising sales agents was $48,490 in May 2015.
The median wage is the wage at which half the workers in an occupation earned more than that amount and half earned less. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $22,840, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $114,350.
In May 2015, the median annual wages for advertising sales agents in the top industries in which they worked were as follows:
Other information services
$58,010
Advertising, public relations, and related services
56,020
Television broadcasting
50,590
Radio broadcasting
41,650
Newspaper publishers
36,440
Performance-based pay, including bonuses and commissions, can make up a large portion of an advertising sales agent's earnings. Most employers pay some combination of salaries, commissions, and bonuses. Commissions usually are based on individual sales numbers. Bonuses may depend on individual performance, the performance of all sales workers in a group, or the performance of the entire firm.
Most advertising sales agents work full time. About 1 in 4 advertising sales agents worked more than 40 hours a week in 2014. They frequently work irregular hours and on weekends and holidays.
Advertising Sales Agents
Median annual wages, May 2015
Sales representatives, services
$51,540
Advertising sales agents
$48,490
Total, all occupations
$36,200
Note: All Occupations includes all occupations in the U.S. Economy. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment Statistics
