Data Report

The 2026 US Marketing Agency Landscape: Data from 181 Verified Agencies

NMA

NMA Research Team

12 min read

This report summarizes 181 verified US marketing agencies in the National Marketing Awards directory as of July 8, 2026. The median founding year among these agencies is 2002, and only 12% were founded in 2015 or later. California, New York, and Texas together host 57 headquarters, about 31% of the field. The most common employee band is 50-199 people, with 91 of 181 agencies in that range.

Where are US marketing agencies headquartered?

Headquarters for the 181 verified agencies span 51 states and DC. California leads with 28 agencies, followed by New York with 17 and Texas with 12. The West region accounts for 57 agencies, the largest regional share in the directory.

Top headquarters states

California (CA) 28
New York (NY) 17
Texas (TX) 12
Illinois (IL) 9
Minnesota (MN) 8
Utah (UT) 6
Colorado (CO) 6
Florida (FL) 5
Pennsylvania (PA) 5
Tennessee (TN) 5
North Carolina (NC) 5
Ohio (OH) 5

Regional distribution

Among the 181 agencies, regional headquarters break down as West 57, Northeast 36, Southeast 35, Midwest 34, and Southwest 18. One agency has an unclassified region in the source data.

West 57
Northeast 36
Southeast 35
Midwest 34
Southwest 18
Unknown 1

How long have ranked US marketing agencies been in business?

The median founding year for the 181 agencies is 2002. The oldest listed agency dates to 1915; the newest was founded in 2024. Only 21 agencies (12%) were founded in 2015 or later.

Founding year by decade

1910s 1
1920s 1
1930s 2
1940s 3
1950s 1
1960s 7
1970s 18
1980s 16
1990s 27
2000s 59
2010s 42
2020s 4

The 2000s decade contains the largest cohort at 59 agencies, more than any other single decade in the directory. The ranked field skews toward established firms rather than recently launched shops. Longevity in this dataset correlates with sustained client demand and repeated inclusion in national rankings, though this report does not claim that founding year alone causes performance outcomes.

What size are US marketing agencies in this directory?

Employee counts are reported in normalized bands across the 181 profiles. The 50-199 employee band is the mode, with 91 agencies. The 10-49 band includes 42 agencies; 200-499 includes 31; 500-999 includes 11; and 1,000 or more includes 6.

50-199 employees 91
10-49 employees 42
200-499 employees 31
500-999 employees 11
1000+ employees 6

What services and industries do ranked agencies focus on?

Service tags are drawn from each agency's published capabilities. Media Planning & Buying appears on 110 of 181 profiles, SEO on 97, and Creative Development on 73. Consumer Brands is the most common industry served at 82 agencies, followed by Media at 75 and Technology at 55.

Most common services

Media Planning & Buying 110
SEO 97
Creative Development 73
Brand Strategy 55
Public Relations 50
Content Marketing 36
Creative Advertising 33
Full-Service Advertising 29
Marketing Analytics 25
Digital Marketing 23
Social Media Marketing 21
Media 19
Analytics 18
Creative 14
PPC 13

Most common industries served

Consumer Brands 82
Media 75
Technology 55
Healthcare 37
E-commerce 26
Professional Services 22
B2B 20
Retail 19
Hospitality 12
Financial Services 12
Education 9
SaaS 8
Nonprofit 6
Franchise 5
Automotive 5

How was this data compiled?

All statistics in this report were computed deterministically from the 181 verified agency profiles in the National Marketing Awards directory as of July 8, 2026. Profile fields, including headquarters, founding year, employee band, services, and industries served, were compiled from each agency's own published information. For scoring criteria and selection rules used elsewhere on the site, see our ranking methodology. To explore individual firms, visit the agency directory or national leaderboard.

Discover How Top Agencies Navigate 2026

Our comprehensive National Marketing Awards rankings identify and celebrate the agencies leading the industry forward.

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