Research highlights
Fractional marketing directors bill 2.14x a full-time hire's hourly-equivalent rate, managers bill 1.60x, the narrowest premium on the page.
US fractional CMO rates run $174–283/hr, director $108–186/hr, manager $69–116/hr.
Technology/SaaS pays $165–268/hr at director level, nonprofit/education $88–139/hr, the widest industry spread measured.
56.4% of US in-house postings disclose a salary range. Only 14.6% of fractional postings do.
34% of fractional/interim postings are remote, well above the 16% remote share of full-time in-house postings.
By seniority
Fractional hourly rates by level, USD.
| Level | Rate |
|---|---|
| Marketing Manager | Rate$69–116 |
| Marketing Director | Rate$108–186 |
| VP of Marketing | Rate$152–240 |
| Chief Marketing Officer | Rate$174–283 |
Explore the marketing job requirements by level research.
By country
Fractional hourly rates by country, USD.
| Level | US | UK | Europe | CEE | Nordics | Canada | ANZ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CMO | US$255 | UK$193 | Europe$185 | CEE$135 | Nordics$151 | Canada$137 | ANZ$163 |
| VP Marketing | US$223 | UK$159 | Europe$161 | CEE$118 | Nordics$134 | Canada$122 | ANZ$143 |
| Marketing Director | US$186 | UK$129 | Europe$136 | CEE$99 | Nordics$115 | Canada$106 | ANZ$130 |
| Marketing Manager | US$95 | UK$58 | Europe$67 | CEE$46 | Nordics$61 | Canada$57 | ANZ$69 |
By US state
Fractional hourly rates by state, USD.
By industry (director level unless noted)
Fractional hourly rates by industry, USD.
| Industry | Rate |
|---|---|
| Technology/SaaS | Rate$165–268 |
| Financial Services | Rate$144–222 |
| Healthcare/Pharma | Rate$139–217 |
| Consumer Packaged Goods | Rate$134–201 |
| Agency | Rate$103–165 |
| Nonprofit/Education | Rate$88–139 |
Telecommunications, at CMO level specifically, converts to $277/hr, the highest single figure on this page. The two highest-paying niches nationally for this occupation, web search portals and oil & gas extraction, convert to $274/hr and $270/hr, both on tiny headcounts, treat as curiosities rather than broad benchmarks.
Life Sciences contractor rates (already fractional-basis, unconverted) sit at $85–105/hr at director level, well below the general Healthcare/Pharma figure above. Life Sciences pays well for clinical and regulatory roles, not particularly well for marketing.
B2B vs B2C
Fractional hourly rates by market, USD.
| Level | B2B | B2C |
|---|---|---|
| Marketing Manager | B2B$74–124 | B2C$64–109 |
| Marketing Director | B2B$150–217 | B2C$129–191 |
| VP of Marketing | B2B$164–256 | B2C$141–225 |
| Chief Marketing Officer | B2B$188–302 | B2C$161–266 |
By company stage
Fractional hourly rates by company stage and market, USD.
| Stage | B2B | B2C |
|---|---|---|
| Seed | B2B$171–209 | B2C$147–184 |
| Series A | B2B$190–238 | B2C$163–209 |
| Series B | B2B$214–262 | B2C$184–231 |
| Series C+ | B2B$238–309 | B2C$205–272 |
By work mode
Fractional postings by work mode, share of total.
34% of fractional postings are remote, against about 16% of full-time postings.
Salary disclosure rates
Postings that disclose a salary range, share of total.
| Postings | Disclosed a range |
|---|---|
| Industry-wide, in-house | Disclosed a range56.4% |
| Fractional postings | Disclosed a range14.6% |
12 US states require salary ranges in postings: California, Colorado, Connecticut, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, Washington. The EU's Pay Transparency Directive missed its June 2026 transposition deadline in most member states, EU postings remain largely undisclosed.
Sources
- Public internet sources and survey data.
- Internal research and data, September 2026.
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