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Marketing Specialist salary in Riverside-San Bernardino, CA

Riverside-San Bernardino is a lower-cost market for marketing specialists: the median of $69,840 a year1 is 26.3% below the California statewide median of $94,700, and 11.3% below the US median of $78,760. That is in the top quarter of US areas (#128 of 516). BLS counts about 5,280 people in this job here, 4% of the California total.

$5,820median pay per month in Riverside-San Bernardino
$7,510employer cost per month with benefits
$33.58median pay per hour
5,280people in this job in Riverside-San Bernardino

BLS occupation 13-1161, area Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA. Data from the May 2025 release, checked 2026-10-15.

Pay in Riverside-San Bernardino against California and the US

Range10thMedian90th
Riverside-San Bernardino, CA$43,120$69,840$130,840
California$48,440$94,700$181,600
United States$43,390$78,760$155,480
10th to 90th percentilemiddle half (25th to 75th)median

The middle half of marketing specialists in Riverside-San Bernardino earns $52,000–$97,360. Pay is tightly grouped: the top tenth starts at $130,840, only 3.0 times the bottom tenth, against 3.6 times across the US, so the going rate is easier to read. The mean ($79,640) is 14% 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 only $45,360 wide, against $69,340 across California and $49,960 nationally: employers in Riverside-San Bernardino pay within a narrower band.

What to budget for a marketing specialist here

Point in the local rangePer yearPer monthPer hourEmployer cost per year
10th percentile$43,120$3,593$20.73$55,639
25th percentile$52,000$4,333$25.00$67,097
Median$69,840$5,820$33.58$90,116
75th percentile$97,360$8,113$46.81$125,626
90th percentile$130,840$10,903$62.90$168,826

Pay climbs faster above the median than below it here: the 75th percentile is $27,520 over the median, the 25th only $17,840 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 Riverside-San Bernardino, and the California statewide median of $94,700 falls there too.

What a hire really costs in Riverside-San Bernardino

Pay is only part of it. Benefits and payroll taxes other than paid leave are 22.5% of total compensation in US private industry2, which adds about $20,276 to the $69,840 median and brings it to $90,116 a year. 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.

$90,116local hire, first year incl. benefits
$13,888remote hire, first year incl. fee
$76,228difference in year one
85%of the local cost saved

Other roles in Riverside-San Bernardino

Of the 17 roles we track in Riverside-San Bernardino, this one ranks #6 by median pay, between executive assistants ($73,290) and sales development representatives ($62,230). Project Coordinator is the highest at $100,770.

The 5 roles closest in pay. All 17 roles in Riverside-San Bernardino, CA
RoleMedianvs marketing specialistJobs
Office Manager
$73,640
+5.4%13,240
Executive Assistant
$73,290
+4.9%4,140
Marketing Specialist
$69,840
this role5,280
Sales Development Representative
$62,230
-10.9%9,270
Paralegal
$61,460
-12.0%2,460

Measured against the US median, this job is the lowest paid of the 17 roles we track in Riverside-San Bernardino (-11.3%); data entry specialists come first (+11.8%). The typical role here is at +3.3%, so, measured against the US, marketing specialists cost less in Riverside-San Bernardino than the area's general pay level would suggest. Marketing specialists hold 4.4% of the jobs in these 17 roles in Riverside-San Bernardino, 7.1% across California and 5.7% nationally. The job is a smaller part of the local workforce in these roles than it is nationally.

Other areas in California

Across the 28 areas of California with data for this job, the median runs from $60,540 in El Centro to $141,960 in San Jose-Sunnyvale, a gap of $81,420 a year. All 3 areas in California with more marketing specialists than Riverside-San Bernardino also pay more, among them Los Angeles-Long Beach, CA ($82,990) and San Francisco-Oakland, CA ($123,250).

AreaMedianvs Riverside-San BernardinoJobs
Hanford-Corcoran, CA
$70,720
+1.3%80
Salinas, CA
$70,440
+0.9%540
Bakersfield-Delano, CA
$69,910
+0.1%740
Riverside-San Bernardino, CA
$69,840
this area5,280
North Coast Region of California (Nonmetro)
$68,410
-2.0%280
Redding, CA
$68,140
-2.4%220
San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA
$66,660
-4.6%520

Riverside-San Bernardino against other US metro areas

By number of jobs, Riverside-San Bernardino is #32 of 514 US areas for this job. It is one of the larger markets for this job and one of the better-paying ones. Outside California, Pueblo and Utica-Rome pay just above Riverside-San Bernardino and Atlantic City-Hammonton and Staunton-Stuarts Draft just below. All four are within $330 a year of the median in Riverside-San Bernardino. Of the three markets with about as many marketing specialists, two pay more.

Metro areaMedianvs Riverside-San BernardinoJobsClose in
Nashville-Murfreesboro, TN
$77,240
+10.6%5,510jobs
Cleveland, OH
$71,350
+2.2%5,440jobs
Utica-Rome, NY
$70,170
+0.5%460pay
Pueblo, CO
$69,990
+0.2%270pay
Riverside-San Bernardino, CA
$69,840
this area5,280
Atlantic City-Hammonton, NJ
$69,780
-0.1%520pay
Staunton-Stuarts Draft, VA
$69,660
-0.3%160pay
Pittsburgh, PA
$63,190
-9.5%4,940jobs

Questions

How much does it cost to hire a marketing specialist in Riverside-San Bernardino, CA?

About $90,116 a year at the median, or $7,510 a month: $69,840 in pay plus about $20,276 in benefits and payroll taxes. Recruiting, equipment and office space are extra.

What do marketing specialists earn in Riverside-San Bernardino?

Pay here is higher than in three quarters of US areas. The median was $69,840 a year in the May 2025 BLS survey. The 10th percentile was $43,120, the 90th $130,840, and the middle half earned $52,000 to $97,360.

Is Riverside-San Bernardino cheaper than the rest of California for marketing specialists?

Yes, it costs less: a median of $69,840 against $94,700 statewide. The next area up in California is Bakersfield-Delano at $69,910, the next down the North Coast Region of California nonmetro area at $68,410.

How many marketing specialists work in Riverside-San Bernardino?

BLS counts about 5,280 in the May 2025 survey. That is 4% of the California total of 119,070. 3 areas in California have more; the closest in size is San Jose-Sunnyvale, with about 12,710.

Does a marketing specialist cost more than a sales development representative in Riverside-San Bernardino?

Yes: $7,610 a year more at the median. The medians are $69,840 and $62,230.

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 2026-11-12.