Chicago, IL / Marketing agencies
Marketing agencies · Chicago
A trained offshore production pod for your agency.
For Chicago-area marketing agencies: your strategists and account managers shouldn’t be buried in uploads, reports and CRM cleanup. We train Filipino production staff around your workflow and manage their output.
Chicago · May 2025 BLS
$38.65 an hour
Median wage for market research analysts and marketing specialists in the Chicago metro, 2% above the national median of $37.87. Most earn between $29.89 and $50.82. 30,970 people work in this occupation across the metro.
Marketing agencies in Chicago.
The Chicago metro had 1,943 advertising, PR and marketing agencies in 2024, 21 for every 100,000 residents, which ranks 25th of the 50 largest US metros. The number of firms fell 2.8% on 2023, which often means consolidation: fewer firms, each carrying more work per person. These firms are 1.16 times as common here as their national share, so Chicago is a real hub for this work. Jobs in this occupation are 1.19 times as concentrated here as nationally.
BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages, private sector. BLS doesn’t publish employment for this industry in Chicago, to protect individual firms’ data.
A full-time seat in Chicago.
Chicago has the 15th highest median wage for market research analysts and marketing specialists among the 50 largest US metros. Even at the top of our draft range, a managed Molave role costs about 52% less per hour than a local hire with employer costs. That’s one of the widest gaps among the 50 largest US metros. Marketing specialists are more senior than most production roles, so treat this as the top end of what local production staff cost.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, Chicago metropolitan area. Employer costs of about 30% rounded from BLS Employer Costs for Employee Compensation. Both monthly figures use 160 hours. Molave figures are draft ranges.
Nearby metros
How Chicago compares.
Chicago sits in the middle of its region: $8.42 an hour below Minneapolis–St. Paul and $6.26 above Houston at the median.
| Metro | Median wage | Middle 50% earn | Firms (2024) | Change on 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicago, IL | $38.65 | $29.89–$50.82 | 1,943 | −2.8% |
| Dallas–Fort Worth, TX | $36.17 | $28.48–$49.27 | 1,334 | −4.7% |
| Houston, TX | $32.39 | $23.00–$44.75 | 686 | −4.6% |
| Minneapolis–St. Paul, MN | $47.07 | $33.51–$61.71 | 892 | +1.8% |
| St. Louis, MO | $35.64 | $24.55–$47.90 | 424 | −1.2% |
Wages: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, market research analysts and marketing specialists; “middle 50%” is the 25th to 75th percentile hourly wage. Firm counts: BLS QCEW, 2024.
Roles we train for Chicago marketing agencies.
Each role is trained on your tools and SOPs before day one. Full role descriptions →
Workflows
Work we take off your plate.
- Weekly SEO task lists across client accounts
- Monthly client reporting
- Content formatting and publishing
- Google Business Profile upkeep
- CRM cleanup and pipeline follow-up
Working your hours
Chicago hours, covered.
Chicago questions
Straight answers, with local numbers.
How many advertising, PR and marketing agencies are in Chicago?
1,943 in 2024, according to the BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, −2.8% on 2023.
What does a local hire cost Chicago marketing agencies?
The median wage for market research analysts and marketing specialists in the Chicago metro is $38.65 an hour (May 2025). Most earn between $29.89 and $50.82. With payroll taxes and benefits, a full-time median hire costs about $8,039 a month at 160 hours. A managed Molave role costs $2,240–$3,840 a month at the same hours.
Can Molave staff work Chicago hours?
Yes. Staff work Chicago business hours. A 9am–5pm day in Chicago is 10pm–6am in Manila during US daylight saving time and 11pm–7am in winter, a night shift that’s standard in the Filipino outsourcing industry.
Book a staffing call
Start with one role for your Chicago marketing agencie.
Tell us what’s stuck. We’ll come back with the role, the person and the price, with no upfront recruiting fee.