Communications salary
201 market ranges · employer-stated pay · updated Jul 27, 2026
These figures come from 3,159 communications postings where the employer stated pay, covering 82 cities. The single best-evidenced figure is New York at lead, where 246 postings put the middle half between $133,000 and $201,000, with a median of $165,000.
Pay rises with seniority. Typical figures run entry level around $61,000, mid level around $99,000, senior around $132,000 and lead around $171,000. Moving from entry level to lead is worth roughly 181% more.
Location moves the number too. Of the 33 cities with enough disclosures to rank, Cambridge pays most at around $203,000 and Northfield least at around $24,000. That spread is wide enough that the cities are almost certainly not hiring at the same seniority, so treat it as a range of markets rather than a like-for-like premium.
Every range here is counted from real postings, never modelled. 88 of the 170 ranges rest on fewer than 10 postings, so treat those as a hint rather than a benchmark; the sample column tells you which.
Every measured range
201 by city and level| City | Level | Market range | Median | Sample |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arlington | Mid | $107,000 – $150,000 | $122,000 | 27 |
| Atlanta | Entry | $46,000 – $61,000 | $55,000 | 31 |
| Atlanta | Mid | $78,000 – $107,000 | $91,000 | 25 |
| Austin | Entry | $56,000 – $66,000 | $60,000 | 43 |
| Austin | Mid | $60,000 – $95,000 | $75,000 | 21 |
| Boston | Entry | $55,000 – $75,000 | $57,000 | 39 |
| Boston | Lead | $118,000 – $220,000 | $168,000 | 45 |
| Boston | Mid | $76,000 – $120,000 | $105,000 | 29 |
| Boston | Senior | $110,000 – $175,000 | $142,000 | 16 |
| Cambridge | Lead | $183,000 – $226,000 | $218,000 | 23 |
| Charlotte | Entry | $50,000 – $63,000 | $58,000 | 29 |
| Chicago | Entry | $53,000 – $63,000 | $59,000 | 29 |
| Chicago | Lead | $108,000 – $178,000 | $145,000 | 63 |
| Chicago | Mid | $76,000 – $108,000 | $86,000 | 70 |
| Chicago | Senior | $104,000 – $160,000 | $128,000 | 38 |
| Cleveland | Entry | $58,000 – $63,000 | $60,000 | 19 |
| Columbus | Entry | $60,000 – $77,000 | $77,000 | 25 |
| Dallas | Entry | $57,000 – $63,000 | $61,000 | 28 |
| Dallas | Mid | $64,000 – $92,000 | $75,000 | 21 |
| Houston | Entry | $56,000 – $64,000 | $60,000 | 30 |
| Indianapolis | Entry | $48,000 – $52,000 | $48,000 | 21 |
| London | Mid | £45,000 – £88,000 | £67,000 | 16 |
| London | Senior | €46,000 – €96,000 | €85,000 | 16 |
| Los Angeles | Entry | $51,000 – $64,000 | $58,000 | 36 |
| Los Angeles | Lead | $125,000 – $198,000 | $164,000 | 42 |
| Los Angeles | Mid | $90,000 – $148,000 | $129,000 | 52 |
| Los Angeles | Senior | $95,000 – $175,000 | $126,000 | 27 |
| Louisville | Entry | $48,000 – $54,000 | $52,000 | 20 |
| Madison | Entry | $58,000 – $62,000 | $62,000 | 25 |
| Miami | Entry | $53,000 – $62,000 | $57,000 | 33 |
| Minneapolis | Entry | $57,000 – $65,000 | $61,000 | 19 |
| Minneapolis | Mid | $66,000 – $118,000 | $92,000 | 24 |
| New Orleans | Entry | $52,000 – $62,000 | $58,000 | 24 |
| New York | Entry | $54,000 – $90,000 | $70,000 | 97 |
| New York | Lead | $133,000 – $201,000 | $165,000 | 246 |
| New York | Mid | $85,000 – $134,000 | $109,000 | 138 |
| New York | Senior | $110,000 – $189,000 | $133,000 | 69 |
| Northfield | Entry | $24,000 – $24,000 | $24,000 | 46 |
| Ottawa | Entry | CA$79,000 – CA$94,000 | CA$83,000 | 23 |
| Peoria | Mid | $36,000 – $36,000 | $36,000 | 21 |
| Phoenix | Entry | $58,000 – $62,000 | $62,000 | 17 |
| Princeton | Lead | $205,000 – $265,000 | $238,000 | 18 |
| San Antonio | Entry | $56,000 – $61,000 | $60,000 | 24 |
| San Diego | Mid | $87,000 – $140,000 | $123,000 | 19 |
| San Francisco | Entry | $83,000 – $180,000 | $109,000 | 21 |
| San Francisco | Lead | $178,000 – $266,000 | $216,000 | 50 |
| San Francisco | Senior | $123,000 – $195,000 | $164,000 | 21 |
| Seattle | Mid | $82,000 – $136,000 | $114,000 | 30 |
| Seattle | Senior | $102,000 – $136,000 | $118,000 | 20 |
| Spring | Lead | $191,000 – $197,000 | $197,000 | 22 |
| Tampa | Entry | $52,000 – $62,000 | $59,000 | 42 |
| Toronto | Entry | CA$49,000 – CA$78,000 | CA$58,000 | 18 |
| Toronto | Lead | CA$120,000 – CA$180,000 | CA$135,000 | 17 |
| Toronto | Mid | CA$80,000 – CA$112,000 | CA$94,000 | 63 |
| Toronto | Senior | CA$92,000 – CA$135,000 | CA$111,000 | 34 |
| Vancouver | Mid | CA$85,000 – CA$102,000 | CA$94,000 | 33 |
| Washington | Entry | $55,000 – $92,000 | $65,000 | 77 |
| Washington | Lead | $121,000 – $191,000 | $159,000 | 110 |
| Washington | Mid | $75,000 – $119,000 | $91,000 | 90 |
| Washington | Senior | $91,000 – $135,000 | $109,000 | 36 |
Top 60 of 201 ranges by sample size.
Ranges span the 25th to 75th percentile of employer-stated base pay for the city and level. Median is the 50th percentile. Sample is the number of postings measured.
Open communications roles · 11 with stated pay
Some employers here do not state pay. Where they do not, we show our own estimate instead, marked e. Anything without that mark comes from the employer.