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Marketing Specialist salary in Lafayette-West Lafayette, IN

Lafayette-West Lafayette pays marketing specialists close to the Indiana norm. The median is $64,120 a year1, about level with the Indiana statewide median of $63,700 and 18.6% below the US median of $78,760. Nationally it ranks #218 of 516 areas. The market is small, about 280 people, 2% of the Indiana total, so expect few local candidates at a time.

$5,343median pay per month in Lafayette-West Lafayette
$6,895employer cost per month with benefits
$30.83median pay per hour
280people in this job in Lafayette-West Lafayette

BLS occupation 13-1161, area Lafayette-West Lafayette, IN. Data from the May 2025 release, checked 2026-10-15.

Pay in Lafayette-West Lafayette against Indiana and the US

Range10thMedian90th
Lafayette-West Lafayette, IN$38,780$64,120$131,210
Indiana$39,740$63,700$117,640
United States$43,390$78,760$155,480
10th to 90th percentilemiddle half (25th to 75th)median

Marketing specialists at the 90th percentile earn $131,210, 3.4 times the 10th percentile; the US ratio is 3.6. The middle half of marketing specialists in Lafayette-West Lafayette earns $49,400–$91,640. The mean ($74,590) is 16% over the median, so a group of high earners pulls the average up; price a typical hire from the median. From the 25th to the 75th percentile, the local range is $42,240 wide, between the figure for Indiana ($36,970) and the US figure ($49,960).

What to budget for a marketing specialist here

Point in the local rangePer yearPer monthPer hourEmployer cost per year
10th percentile$38,780$3,232$18.64$50,039
25th percentile$49,400$4,117$23.75$63,742
Median$64,120$5,343$30.83$82,735
75th percentile$91,640$7,637$44.06$118,245
90th percentile$131,210$10,934$63.08$169,303

Pay climbs faster above the median than below it here: the 75th percentile is $27,520 over the median, the 25th only $14,720 under it. An offer at the 75th percentile adds about $35,510 a year in employer cost. These percentiles describe what people in the job earn locally, not experience levels, so place your offer by the tasks and seniority you need.

For scale, the US median of $78,760 falls between the median and the 75th percentile in Lafayette-West Lafayette, and the Indiana statewide median of $63,700 falls between the 25th percentile and the median.

What a hire really costs in Lafayette-West Lafayette

At the $64,120 median, a local hire costs about $82,735 a year: benefits and payroll taxes other than paid leave are 22.5% of total compensation in US private industry2, about $18,615 here. Recruiting, equipment and office space come on top. Benefit levels vary by employer, so treat this as an estimate.

We place executive assistants, customer support and e-commerce staff today; for marketing specialists we answer within one business day whether we can help. Enter the monthly pay you have in mind to compare it with a local hire. The fee field shows our standard fee3; Deel's contractor plan is the default payroll tool4.

$82,735local hire, first year incl. benefits
$13,888remote hire, first year incl. fee
$68,847difference in year one
83%of the local cost saved

Other roles in Lafayette-West Lafayette

Of the 16 roles we track in Lafayette-West Lafayette, this one ranks #6 by median pay, between recruiters ($64,140) and sales development representatives ($62,870). Project Coordinator is the highest at $83,330.

The 5 roles closest in pay. All 16 roles in Lafayette-West Lafayette, IN
RoleMedianvs marketing specialistJobs
Executive Assistant
$64,970
+1.3%180
Recruiter
$64,140
+0.0%510
Marketing Specialist
$64,120
this role280
Sales Development Representative
$62,870
-1.9%450
Payroll Specialist
$52,920
-17.5%100

Measured against the US median, marketing specialists rank #15 of the 16 roles we track in Lafayette-West Lafayette (-18.6%), between project coordinators (-18.6%) and paralegals (-19.0%). The typical role here is at -8.2%, so, measured against the US, marketing specialists cost less in Lafayette-West Lafayette than the area's general pay level would suggest. Marketing specialists hold 3.7% of the jobs in these 16 roles in Lafayette-West Lafayette, 5.4% across Indiana and 5.7% nationally. The job is a smaller part of the local workforce in these roles than it is nationally.

Other areas in Indiana

Across the 15 areas of Indiana with data for this job, the median runs from $54,440 in Muncie to $66,390 in Columbus, a gap of $11,950 a year. Of the 8 areas in Indiana with more marketing specialists than Lafayette-West Lafayette, 6 pay less, the largest of them Fort Wayne, IN ($61,730), South Bend-Mishawaka, IN-MI ($64,000) and Evansville, IN ($59,770).

AreaMedianvs Lafayette-West LafayetteJobs
Columbus, IN
$66,390
+3.5%180
Elkhart-Goshen, IN
$65,240
+1.7%560
Indianapolis-Carmel, IN
$65,200
+1.7%6,330
Lafayette-West Lafayette, IN
$64,120
this area280
South Bend-Mishawaka, IN-MI
$64,000
-0.2%620
Terre Haute, IN
$63,710
-0.6%170
Kokomo, IN
$62,450
-2.6%70

Lafayette-West Lafayette against other US metro areas

By number of jobs, Lafayette-West Lafayette is #300 of 514 US areas for this job. Both its size and its pay sit in the middle half of US areas. Outside Indiana, Salem and Roanoke pay just above Lafayette-West Lafayette and Dayton-Kettering and Pinehurst-Southern Pines just below. All four are within $220 a year of the median in Lafayette-West Lafayette. Of the three markets with about as many marketing specialists, none pays as much.

Metro areaMedianvs Lafayette-West LafayetteJobsClose in
Roanoke, VA
$64,340
+0.3%700pay
Salem, OR
$64,160
+0.1%590pay
Lafayette-West Lafayette, IN
$64,120
this area280
Dayton-Kettering, OH
$64,100
-0.0%1,420pay
Pinehurst-Southern Pines, NC
$64,080
-0.1%160pay
Macon-Bibb County, GA
$60,510
-5.6%280jobs
Auburn-Opelika, AL
$59,650
-7.0%280jobs
Kahului-Wailuku, HI
$42,220
-34.2%280jobs

Questions

How much does it cost to hire a marketing specialist in Lafayette-West Lafayette, IN?

About $82,735 a year at the median, or $6,895 a month: $64,120 in pay plus about $18,615 in benefits and payroll taxes. Recruiting, equipment and office space are extra.

What is the pay range for marketing specialists in Lafayette-West Lafayette?

The median was $64,120 a year in the May 2025 BLS survey. The 10th percentile was $38,780, the 90th $131,210, and the middle half earned $49,400 to $91,640.

Is Lafayette-West Lafayette cheaper than the rest of Indiana for marketing specialists?

About the same: a median of $64,120 against $63,700 statewide. The next area up in Indiana is Indianapolis-Carmel at $65,200, the next down South Bend-Mishawaka at $64,000.

How many marketing specialists work in Lafayette-West Lafayette?

BLS counts about 280 in the May 2025 survey. That is 2% of the Indiana total of 14,400. 9 areas in Indiana have more; the closest in size is Bloomington, with about 280.

Does a marketing specialist cost more than a sales development representative in Lafayette-West Lafayette?

Yes: $1,250 a year more at the median. The medians are $64,120 and $62,870.

Sources

4 sources, with links
  1. BLS OEWS May 2025, 13-1161: bls.gov
  2. BLS Employer Costs for Employee Compensation, private industry, June 2026: bls.gov
  3. Stafka pricing: stafka.com
  4. Deel pricing, contractor management: deel.com

How these pages are built: methodology and data sources. Last updated 2026-11-13.