# Advertising Sales Agents

US SOC code 41-3011. Markdown version of https://futurehistory.earth/timeline/41-3011

Also called: Ad sales rep, Media sales rep, Ad sales account executive, Advertising account executive, Print ad sales rep.

## In brief

In May 2025, [BLS](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm25nat.zip) counted **91,700** US advertising sales agents, with median pay of **$64,820** a year. Of the BLS counts since 2021, the highest was **108,100**, in May 2023. The earliest figure here is [an estimate](https://pabook.libraries.psu.edu/literary-cultural-heritage-map-pa/feature-articles/business-revolution-ad-agency) of **21,000** from 1900, not measured the same way as today's count. The last full technology era for advertising sales agents: Real-time bidding and programmatic display advertising, 2010 to 2018. The programmatic shift removed the vast majority of mid-market digital display from the direct-sold channel.

## What the sources say

### Official outlook

BLS projects employment to decline 7.2% from 2025 to 2035. Source: [BLS Employment Projections 2025-35](https://data.bls.gov/projections/nationalMatrix?queryParams=41-3011&ioType=o).

### AI exposure studies

- **69.2%** of this job's tasks are exposed to large language models. Not a forecast of job losses. [Eloundou and others, 2023](https://github.com/openai/GPTs-are-GPTs/blob/main/data/occ_level.csv)

Data as of BLS OEWS May 2025; BLS Employment Projections 2025-35. BLS publishes these counts as yearly survey snapshots and cautions against reading them as a precise trend.

## Advertising Sales Agents employment and pay by year

- On record since: 1841
- Latest US employment: 91,700 (May 2025). Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 [5]
- Latest US median pay: $64,820 (May 2025). Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 [8]
- Outlook: -7.2% by 2035. Source: BLS Employment Projections 2025-35 [22]

### All 29 years of cited US data

| Year | US employment | Annual pay (median unless marked) | Source |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1900 | 21,000 (estimate) | n/a | Est., Pennsylvania Center for the Book [1] |
| 1930 | 55,000 (estimate) | n/a | Est., Museum of Broadcast Communications [2] |
| 1956 | n/a | $6,200 (estimate) | Est., University of Missouri Libraries [6] |
| 1960 | 95,000 (estimate) | n/a | Est., AEF / Brought To You By [3] |
| 1990 | n/a | $29,000 (estimate) | Est., University of Missouri Libraries [7] |
| 1994 | 140,000 (estimate) | n/a | Est., Digiday [4] |
| 2003 | 141,340 | $38,640 | BLS OEWS May 2003 [5] |
| 2004 | 144,690 | $40,300 | BLS OEWS May 2004 [5] |
| 2005 | 153,890 | $41,770 | BLS OEWS May 2005 [5] |
| 2006 | 159,640 | $42,750 | BLS OEWS May 2006 [5] |
| 2007 | 161,440 | $42,820 | BLS OEWS May 2007 [5] |
| 2008 | 161,550 | $43,480 | BLS OEWS May 2008 [5] |
| 2009 | 152,420 | $43,360 | BLS OEWS May 2009 [5] |
| 2010 | 145,160 | $45,350 | BLS OEWS May 2010 [5] |
| 2011 | 144,760 | $45,250 | BLS OEWS May 2011 [5] |
| 2012 | 145,500 | $46,290 | BLS OEWS May 2012 [5] |
| 2013 | 148,770 | $45,830 | BLS OEWS May 2013 [5] |
| 2014 | 154,220 | $47,890 | BLS OEWS May 2014 [5] |
| 2015 | 149,770 | $48,490 | BLS OEWS May 2015 [5] |
| 2016 | 141,100 | $50,380 | BLS OEWS May 2016 [5] |
| 2017 | 136,520 | $49,680 | BLS OEWS May 2017 [5] |
| 2018 | 133,110 | $51,740 | BLS OEWS May 2018 [5] |
| 2019 | 129,740 | $53,310 | BLS OEWS May 2019 [5] |
| 2020 | 110,040 | $54,940 | BLS OEWS May 2020 [5] |
| 2021 | 96,660 | $52,340 | BLS OEWS May 2021 [5] |
| 2022 | 106,560 | $58,450 | BLS OEWS May 2022 [5] |
| 2023 | 108,100 | $61,270 | BLS OEWS May 2023 [5] |
| 2024 | 97,470 | $61,460 | BLS OEWS May 2024 [5] |
| 2025 | 91,700 | $64,820 | BLS OEWS May 2025 [5] |

## Sources (87)

### Employment series

1. [Pennsylvania Center for the Book — "Business Revolution: The Ad Agency" (Palmer, Ayer, and the professionalization of advertising sales, 1841-1900); figure is a derived estimate](https://pabook.libraries.psu.edu/literary-cultural-heritage-map-pa/feature-articles/business-revolution-ad-agency), Pennsylvania Center for the Book (Penn State University Libraries)
2. [Museum of Broadcast Communications — Advertising: history of radio time sales and the emergence of network advertising sales (1922-1935); figure is a derived estimate](https://www.museum.tv/radio-encyclopedia/advertising), Museum of Broadcast Communications
3. [AEF / Brought To You By: Postwar Television — Growth of television advertising billings 1953-1961 and the structure of broadcast advertising sales](https://aef.com/classroom-resources/book-excerpts/brought-postwar-television-advertising/), ANA Educational Foundation
4. [Digiday — "'The beginning of a giant industry': An oral history of the first banner ad" (HotWired, October 1994, AT&T banner, click-through rates)](https://digiday.com/media/history-of-the-banner-ad/), Digiday
5. BLS OEWS, national cross-industry estimates (flat file), Bureau of Labor Statistics. Editions: [2003](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm03nat.zip), [2004](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm04nat.zip), [2005](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm05nat.zip), [2006](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm06nat.zip), [2007](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm07nat.zip), [2008](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm08nat.zip), [2009](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm09nat.zip), [2010](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm10nat.zip), [2011](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm11nat.zip), [2012](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm12nat.zip), [2013](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm13nat.zip), [2014](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm14nat.zip), [2015](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm15nat.zip), [2016](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm16nat.zip), [2017](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm17nat.zip), [2018](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm18nat.zip), [2019](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm19nat.zip), [2020](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm20nat.zip), [2021](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm21nat.zip), [2022](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm22nat.zip), [2023](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm23nat.zip), [2024](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm24nat.zip), [2025](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm25nat.zip)

### Wage series

6. [University of Missouri Libraries — "Prices and Wages by Decade: 1950-1959" (BLS occupational wage data, advertising and media industry compensation)](https://libraryguides.missouri.edu/pricesandwages/1950-1959), University of Missouri Libraries / BLS historical sources
7. [University of Missouri Libraries — "Prices and Wages by Decade: 1990-1999" (BLS occupational survey data, advertising and media industry)](https://libraryguides.missouri.edu/pricesandwages/1990-1999), University of Missouri Libraries / BLS historical sources
8. BLS OEWS, national cross-industry estimates (flat file), Bureau of Labor Statistics. Editions: [2003](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm03nat.zip), [2004](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm04nat.zip), [2005](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm05nat.zip), [2006](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm06nat.zip), [2007](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm07nat.zip), [2008](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm08nat.zip), [2009](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm09nat.zip), [2010](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm10nat.zip), [2011](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm11nat.zip), [2012](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm12nat.zip), [2013](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm13nat.zip), [2014](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm14nat.zip), [2015](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm15nat.zip), [2016](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm16nat.zip), [2017](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm17nat.zip), [2018](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm18nat.zip), [2019](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm19nat.zip), [2020](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm20nat.zip), [2021](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm21nat.zip), [2022](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm22nat.zip), [2023](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm23nat.zip), [2025](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm25nat.zip)
9. [BLS OEWS May 2024, national cross-industry estimates (flat file)](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm24nat.zip), U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

### Tool eras

10. [Pennsylvania Center for the Book — "Business Revolution: The Ad Agency" (Volney Palmer, 1841, space brokerage model and rate-card methods)](https://pabook.libraries.psu.edu/literary-cultural-heritage-map-pa/feature-articles/business-revolution-ad-agency), Pennsylvania Center for the Book / Penn State Libraries
11. [NPR — "First Radio Commercial Hit Airwaves 90 Years Ago" (WEAF, August 28, 1922, AT&T toll broadcasting, Queensboro Corporation)](https://www.npr.org/2012/08/29/160265990/first-radio-commercial-hit-airwaves-90-years-ago), NPR
12. [Museum of Broadcast Communications — Advertising: history of radio time sales, network structures, and the station representative firm](https://www.museum.tv/radio-encyclopedia/advertising), Museum of Broadcast Communications
13. [AEF / Brought To You By: Postwar Television — Growth of television advertising billings and broadcast sales structure (1950s-1960s)](https://aef.com/classroom-resources/book-excerpts/brought-postwar-television-advertising/), ANA Educational Foundation
14. [Wikipedia — History of advertising: cable television expansion and fragmentation of the media landscape in the 1980s](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_advertising), Wikipedia
15. [Pew Research Center — "Fast facts about the newspaper industry's financial struggles" (classified advertising revenue, peak and decline)](https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2020/02/14/fast-facts-about-the-newspaper-industrys-financial-struggles/), Pew Research Center
16. [Digiday — "'The beginning of a giant industry': An oral history of the first banner ad" (HotWired October 1994, AT&T, click-through rates, CNET, DoubleClick)](https://digiday.com/media/history-of-the-banner-ad/), Digiday
17. [The Drum — "1994: First banner ad appears on hotwired.com" (AT&T banner, $10,000/month rate, HotWired pricing model)](https://www.thedrum.com/news/1994-first-banner-ad-appears-hotwiredcom), The Drum
18. [Google press release — "Google Expands Advertising Monetization Program for Websites" (AdSense launch, June 2003)](https://googlepress.blogspot.com/2003/06/google-expands-advertising-monetization.html), Google
19. [Agilityads — "The History of Programmatic Advertising": RTB adoption, DSP/SSP emergence 2010-2014, growth from $1.2B (2012) to $10.1B (2014)](https://agilityads.com/blog/history-of-programmatic-advertising), Agilityads
20. [IAB — 2025 Internet Advertising Revenue Report: programmatic now 91% of US display spending; direct-sold share under 9%](https://www.iab.com/insights/internet-advertising-revenue-report/), IAB
21. [Adweek — "CTV advertising as new direct-sales opportunity": audience guarantees and creative integrations beyond self-serve automation (2025)](https://www.adweek.com/media/ctv-advertising-new-direct-sales-opportunity/), Adweek

### Forecasts and exposure studies

22. [BLS Employment Projections 2025-35, National Employment Matrix: 41-3011 Advertising sales agents (2025: 99.3 thousand; 2035: 92.2 thousand; -7.2%)](https://data.bls.gov/projections/nationalMatrix?queryParams=41-3011&ioType=o), Bureau of Labor Statistics
23. [Eloundou, Manning, Mishkin & Rock (2023), "GPTs are GPTs", occupation-level exposure data occ\_level.csv (O\*NET-SOC 41-3011.00, human-rated β 0.692)](https://github.com/openai/GPTs-are-GPTs/blob/main/data/occ_level.csv), OpenAI

### Historical notes

24. [Journalism University — "The Evolution of Advertising Agencies: From Space Brokers to Creative Powerhouses" (N.W. Ayer open contract, 1875)](https://journalism.university/advertising-and-public-relations/evolution-advertising-agencies-creative-powerhouses/), Journalism University
25. [NPR — "First Radio Commercial Hit Airwaves 90 Years Ago" (WEAF, August 28, 1922, Queensboro Corporation, toll broadcasting)](https://www.npr.org/2012/08/29/160265990/first-radio-commercial-hit-airwaves-90-years-ago), NPR
26. [Digiday — "'The beginning of a giant industry': An oral history of the first banner ad" (HotWired, AT&T, October 1994)](https://digiday.com/media/history-of-the-banner-ad/), Digiday
27. [MinnPost — "How Craigslist killed the newspapers' golden goose" (classified advertising peak $19.6B 2000, decline to $4.6B 2012)](https://www.minnpost.com/business/2014/02/how-craigslist-killed-newspapers-golden-goose/), MinnPost
28. [IAB — 2025 Internet Advertising Revenue Report (programmatic 91% of US display; direct-sold under 9%; CTV and retail media as surviving direct-sales formats)](https://www.iab.com/insights/internet-advertising-revenue-report/), IAB

### Predecessors & successors

29. [Pennsylvania Center for the Book — "Business Revolution: The Ad Agency" (origin of advertising solicitors, Volney Palmer 1841)](https://pabook.libraries.psu.edu/literary-cultural-heritage-map-pa/feature-articles/business-revolution-ad-agency), Pennsylvania Center for the Book / Penn State Libraries
30. [Museum of Broadcast Communications — Advertising: development of broadcast time sales as a profession at network and local station level](https://www.museum.tv/radio-encyclopedia/advertising), Museum of Broadcast Communications
31. [BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook — Advertising, Promotions, and Marketing Managers: "typically need work experience in a related advertising, marketing, promotions, or sales occupation, such as sales representatives"](https://www.bls.gov/ooh/management/advertising-promotions-and-marketing-managers.htm), Bureau of Labor Statistics
32. [BLS National Employment Matrix 2024-34 — 41-3011: self-employed advertising sales agents projected to grow 23% even as wage-and-salary employment declines](https://data.bls.gov/projections/nationalMatrix?queryParams=41-3011&ioType=o), Bureau of Labor Statistics

### Present-day analysis

- [Eloundou et al. 2024 — GPTs are GPTs (Science)](https://arxiv.org/abs/2303.10130), accessed 2026-05-24
- [O\*NET 30.3 — Advertising Sales Agents (41-3011.00)](https://www.onetonline.org/link/summary/41-3011.00), accessed 2026-05-24
- [BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook — Advertising Sales Agents (+2% growth 2023–2033)](https://www.bls.gov/ooh/sales/advertising-sales-agents.htm), accessed 2026-05-24
- [IAB — 2025 Internet Advertising Revenue Report: programmatic now 91% of US display spending; direct-sold share under 9%](https://www.iab.com/insights/internet-advertising-revenue-report/), accessed 2026-05-24
- [McKinsey — Reinventing marketing workflows with agentic AI: ad-tech automation absorbing execution tasks previously sold by direct sales teams (2025)](https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/growth-marketing-and-sales/our-insights/reinventing-marketing-workflows-with-agentic-ai), accessed 2026-05-24
- [Adweek — CTV and retail media emerge as the two fastest-growing direct-sales opportunity pockets: complexity and audience guarantees beyond self-serve (2025)](https://www.adweek.com/media/ctv-advertising-new-direct-sales-opportunity/), accessed 2026-05-24
- [Gong "State of Revenue AI 2026" — call AI adoption and quota attainment data across digital media sales teams; AI impact across 7.1M opportunities in 2025](https://www.gong.io/resources/guides/state-of-revenue-ai-2026-report), accessed 2026-06-21
- [Salesforce "State of Sales" 6th Edition — AI prospecting and engagement automation adoption in advertising and media sales (2024)](https://www.salesforce.com/sales/state-of-sales/), accessed 2026-05-24
- [Apollo.io — AI-powered B2B prospecting: intent signals, AI-scored account prioritization, 275M+ contacts database (2025)](https://www.apollo.io/), accessed 2026-05-24
- [HubSpot — Breeze Prospecting Agent: AI researches leads, enriches records, drafts first-touch outreach from CRM data (INBOUND 2024)](https://www.hubspot.com/products/artificial-intelligence/breeze-ai-agents), accessed 2026-05-24
- [Outreach — Sales AI platform: AI-powered signal-based workflows trigger and pause outreach steps based on engagement signals; real-time call coaching and AI agents (2025)](https://www.outreach.io/platform/sales-ai), accessed 2026-06-21
- [Salesloft — Rhythm AI: AI-prioritized rep action queue from buying signals across the revenue stack, 20% reduction in average cycle time (2025)](https://salesloft.com/platform/rhythm/), accessed 2026-06-21

How to read these figures: https://futurehistory.earth/methodology. Every figure links to its own source; gaps stay gaps.