SEO Jobs and Salaries: Best Cities, Countries, and More

This year’s Inbound Marketing Salary Guide brought exciting new insights into the industry. SEO job numbers are booming, SEO skills are becoming more necessary for all marketers, and the SEO Specialist salary is on the rise.

But why should the insights stop there? We dove back into the data to find out how SEO jobs are looking in the U.S. and abroad.

We gathered data on four countries – The United States, Australia, Canada, and the United Kingdom – as well as the top 20 cities with the greatest number of available SEO jobs in the United States.

1. SEO Specialist Salaries are on the Rise in the U.S.

SEO Specialist saw the largest year over year salary increase of all the positions we analyzed, with a 28% increase in average SEO Specialist salary in the U.S.

This salary increase, SEO job growth, and the finding that a third of marketing executives will hire more SEO professionals in 2017, can only mean one thing: it’s a good time to be an SEO.

But let’s talk location:

2. The United States Has the Highest Average SEO Salary

Not only are SEO salaries on the rise in the United States, they’re higher in the U.S. than any other country we looked at. After narrowly losing out to Australia in 2016, the United States pulls ahead with the highest SEO salary at $63,193.

But where exactly are job numbers booming?

3. Boston Beats Out Atlanta for a Top 5 City Spot

This year, both Boston, MA, and Los Angeles, CA, are moving on up on our list of the top cities for available SEO jobs. In the past year, Los Angeles has passed Chicago to take the third spot on our list, and Boston beat out Atlanta to make it into the top five.

Five years running, New York, NY, and San Francisco, CA, are the first and second best cities for available SEO jobs. But where should you work if you want to make the most bank?

4. Washington, DC, and San Francisco, CA, Have The Highest Salaries for SEO

While Washington, DC, was only 6th on our list of cities with the most available SEO jobs, it is the city with the highest average salary for SEO Specialists.

In contrast, SEO Managers on average are paid the best in San Francisco, CA.