National salary comparison — BLS OES 2024-2025 data
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Software Engineers earn a national median of $132,270/year vs Marketing Managers at $156,580/year. Marketing Managers earn 18% more nationally. The gap is $24,310 per year — or $2,026 per month.
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Software Engineer
$132,270
national median/year
$11,023/mo • $64/hr
VS
Marketing Manager
$156,580
national median/year
$13,048/mo • $75/hr
Annual salary gap
$24,310
Marketing Managers earn 18% more per year nationally. Over 30 years at 7% investment return that gap compounds to approximately $275,561.
Best states for Marketing Managers
vs Software Engineers
New York+$40,000
Connecticut+$30,000
Maryland+$30,000
Massachusetts+$30,000
Minnesota+$30,000
Best states for Software Engineers
vs Marketing Managers
Idaho+$-4,000
Alaska+$-6,000
Alabama+$-10,000
Arkansas+$-10,000
Colorado+$-10,000
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Marketing Managers earn more nationally. The median annual salary for Software Engineers is $132,270 versus $156,580 for Marketing Managers — a difference of $24,310 per year or $2,026 per month.
The national median salary gap between Software Engineers and Marketing Managers is $24,310 per year. Marketing Managers earn 18% more. Over a 30-year career this difference, if invested at 7% annual return, compounds to approximately $275,561.
Based on BLS OES 2024-2025 data, California pays Software Engineers the highest median salary at $168,320 per year.
Based on BLS OES 2024-2025 data, California pays Marketing Managers the highest median salary at $188,320 per year.
Salary is one factor — Marketing Managers earn more nationally. But career choice involves job satisfaction, work-life balance, education requirements, and job growth. Software Developers and Software Quality Assurance Analysts and Marketing Managers both have different educational paths, licensing requirements, and long-term growth projections. Use salary as a starting point, not the only factor.
Based on a standard 2,080-hour work year, Software Engineers earn approximately $64 per hour nationally and Marketing Managers earn approximately $75 per hour. Actual hourly rates vary based on overtime, part-time work, and whether the role is salaried or hourly.
Methodology: Salary data from Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) 2024-2025. Figures represent median annual wages for wage and salary workers. Self-employed excluded. Hourly rates calculated at 2,080 hours per year. State salary figures from same BLS OES dataset. Updated annually.
