Side-by-side distribution
Demand Generation
$132,500
median · per year, annualized USD
- Disclosing
- 39.7%
- Live roles
- 136
SEM
$105,000
median · per year, annualized USD
- Disclosing
- 35%
- Live roles
- 140
Highest-paying jobs
Content Marketing Manager, Demand Generation
Senior Manager Demand Generation
Founding Demand Generation Manager
Demand Generation Sr Manager - Customer Experiences for Slack
Senior Program Manager, Demand Generation
Demand Generation Manager, AI
Senior Demand Generation Manager
Senior Demand Generation Manager
Senior Demand Generation Manager
Senior Manager, Demand Generation, WordPress VIP
Highest-paying jobs
Global Paid Search Senior Manager
Senior Manager, Paid Search
Senior Manager, Performance Marketing, SEM
Senior Performance Marketing Manager, Paid Search
Senior Performance Marketing Manager, Paid Search
Senior Performance Marketing Manager, Paid Search
Senior Performance Marketing Manager, Paid Search
Global Paid Search Marketing Manager
Product Marketing Manager - Brave Search APIs
Product Manager - Paid Search
Top companies hiring
| Company | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
Grafana Labs
|
$106,313 | 4 |
|
Glean
|
$175,000 | 2 |
commercetools
|
$105,000 | 2 |
Relay
|
$102,851 | 2 |
Motive
|
$101,750 | 2 |
|
OpenAI
|
$239,500 | 1 |
|
Opal Security
|
$215,000 | 1 |
|
Basis AI
|
$187,500 | 1 |
Top companies hiring
| Company | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
|
Harvey
|
$170,000 | 4 |
Wpromote
|
$87,000 | 4 |
|
Airwallex
|
$145,000 | 3 |
OneTrust
|
$140,625 | 2 |
Omnicom Media
|
$92,500 | 2 |
| WM WPP Media | $82,463 | 2 |
Monks
|
$75,000 | 2 |
Remotely
|
$17,143 | 2 |
SEM salary by location
| Location | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
| San Francisco | $147,500 | 6 |
| Atlanta | $140,625 | 3 |
| Chicago | $127,500 | 8 |
| New York | $97,500 | 11 |
Demand Generation vs SEM: which pays more?
The median for Demand Generation is $132,500 per year (typically $105,000–$150,500), versus $105,000 for SEM ($82,000–$140,000). That puts Demand Generation about 26% ahead at the median.
Both figures are computed live from active listings on JobsRadar and normalized to annualized USD, so Demand Generation and SEM are compared on equal terms regardless of the currency each role was originally posted in. Only roles that publish a salary range feed the medians; numbers refresh every few hours as new roles post and older ones close, so this comparison reflects the market right now rather than a fixed survey. Use it as a directional benchmark when weighing one path against the other.