Marketing Specialist salary in the West Central Illinois nonmetro area
No other area in Illinois pays marketing specialists less than the West Central Illinois nonmetro area. The median is $44,860 a year1, 43.3% below the Illinois statewide median of $79,120 and 43.0% below the US median of $78,760. Only 4 of 516 US areas pay less for this job. About 640 marketing specialists work here, 2% of the Illinois total.
BLS occupation 13-1161, area West Central Illinois nonmetropolitan area. Data from the May 2025 release, checked 2026-10-15.
Pay in the West Central Illinois nonmetro area against Illinois and the US
| Range | 10th | Median | 90th | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| West Central Illinois (Nonmetro) | $31,200 | $44,860 | $82,090 | |
| Illinois | $46,970 | $79,120 | $139,110 | |
| United States | $43,390 | $78,760 | $155,480 |
The middle half of marketing specialists in the West Central Illinois nonmetro area earns $31,200–$63,010. Pay is tightly grouped: the top tenth starts at $82,090, only 2.6 times the bottom tenth, against 3.6 times across the US, so the going rate is easier to read. The mean ($52,330) is 17% 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 $31,810 wide, against $44,590 across Illinois and $49,960 nationally: employers in the West Central Illinois nonmetro area pay within a narrower band.
What to budget for a marketing specialist here
| Point in the local range | Per year | Per month | Per hour | Employer cost per year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $31,200 | $2,600 | $15.00 | $40,258 |
| 25th percentile | $31,200 | $2,600 | $15.00 | $40,258 |
| Median | $44,860 | $3,738 | $21.57 | $57,884 |
| 75th percentile | $63,010 | $5,251 | $30.29 | $81,303 |
| 90th percentile | $82,090 | $6,841 | $39.47 | $105,923 |
An offer at the 75th percentile instead of the median adds $18,150 a year in pay and about $23,419 in employer cost. Going down to the 25th percentile saves $13,660 in pay. 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 75th and 90th percentiles in the West Central Illinois nonmetro area, and the Illinois statewide median of $79,120 falls there too. An offer at the national rate would beat what three quarters of local marketing specialists earn.
What a hire really costs in the West Central Illinois nonmetro area
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 $13,024 to the $44,860 median and brings it to $57,884 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.
Other roles in the West Central Illinois nonmetro area
Of the 17 roles we track in the West Central Illinois nonmetro area, this one ranks #12 by median pay, between HR assistants ($45,250) and customer support specialists ($41,760). Project Coordinator is the highest at $93,300.
| Role | Median | vs marketing specialist | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| E-commerce Order Specialist | +1.5% | 60 | |
| HR Assistant | +0.9% | 90 | |
| Marketing Specialist | this role | 640 | |
| Customer Support Specialist | -6.9% | 1,930 | |
| Administrative Assistant | -8.3% | 2,290 |
Measured against the US median, this job is the lowest paid of the 17 roles we track in the West Central Illinois nonmetro area (-43.0%); e-commerce order specialists come first (-1.4%). The typical role here is at -13.1%, so, measured against the US, marketing specialists cost less in the West Central Illinois nonmetro area than the area's general pay level would suggest. Marketing specialists hold 4.9% of the jobs in these 17 roles in the West Central Illinois nonmetro area, 6.6% across Illinois and 5.7% nationally. The job is a smaller part of the local workforce in these roles than it is nationally.
Other areas in Illinois
Across the 11 areas of Illinois with data for this job, the median runs from $44,860 in the West Central Illinois nonmetro area to $80,400 in Chicago-Naperville, a gap of $35,540 a year. All 2 areas in Illinois with more marketing specialists than the West Central Illinois nonmetro area also pay more, among them Chicago-Naperville, IL-IN ($80,400) and Peoria, IL ($78,700).
| Area | Median | vs the West Central Illinois nonmetro area | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Champaign-Urbana, IL | +46.8% | 380 | |
| Springfield, IL | +45.1% | 410 | |
| Northwest Illinois (Nonmetro) | +38.6% | 420 | |
| Rockford, IL | +37.8% | 460 | |
| South Illinois (Nonmetro) | +35.0% | 330 | |
| Kankakee, IL | +25.1% | 100 | |
| West Central Illinois (Nonmetro) | this area | 640 |
the West Central Illinois nonmetro area against other US metro areas
By number of jobs, the West Central Illinois nonmetro area is #142 of 514 US areas for this job. It is a mid-sized market, and its pay is in the bottom quarter of US areas. Outside Illinois, Parkersburg-Vienna and Laredo pay just above the West Central Illinois nonmetro area and Kahului-Wailuku just below. Of the three markets with about as many marketing specialists, all three pay more.
| Metro area | Median | vs the West Central Illinois nonmetro area | Jobs | Close in |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Olympia-Lacey, WA | +78.1% | 620 | jobs | |
| Eugene-Springfield, OR | +43.8% | 630 | jobs | |
| Montgomery, AL | +36.5% | 620 | jobs | |
| Laredo, TX | +5.3% | 200 | pay | |
| Parkersburg-Vienna, WV | +2.6% | 60 | pay | |
| West Central Illinois (Nonmetro) | this area | 640 | ||
| Kahului-Wailuku, HI | -5.9% | 280 | pay |
Questions
How much does it cost to hire a marketing specialist in West Central Illinois (Nonmetro)?
About $57,884 a year at the median, or $4,824 a month: $44,860 in pay plus about $13,024 in benefits and payroll taxes. Recruiting, equipment and office space are extra.
What do marketing specialists earn in the West Central Illinois nonmetro area?
Pay here is lower than in three quarters of US areas. The median was $44,860 a year in the May 2025 BLS survey. The 10th percentile was $31,200, the 90th $82,090, and the middle half earned $31,200 to $63,010.
Is the West Central Illinois nonmetro area the cheapest area in Illinois for marketing specialists?
Yes. Its median of $44,860 is the lowest of 11 areas in Illinois. Kankakee is next at $56,110.
How many marketing specialists work in the West Central Illinois nonmetro area?
BLS counts about 640 in the May 2025 survey. That is 2% of the Illinois total of 40,560. Only Chicago-Naperville and Peoria have more in Illinois.
Does a marketing specialist cost more than a customer support specialist in the West Central Illinois nonmetro area?
Yes: $3,100 a year more at the median. The medians are $44,860 and $41,760.
Sources
4 sources, with links
- BLS OEWS May 2025, 13-1161: bls.gov
- BLS Employer Costs for Employee Compensation, private industry, June 2026: bls.gov
- Stafka pricing: stafka.com
- Deel pricing, contractor management: deel.com
How these pages are built: methodology and data sources. Last updated 2026-11-12.