Rates, 2026
What should a content marketer charge in New York or LA?
About $800 a day for a content marketer who is working and booked in New York or Los Angeles. $600 in the first years, $1,000 when senior. A content program runs about $5,000.
Other markets: a major city · remote · a smaller market
First years
$600
a day · $75 an hour
Working, booked
$800
a day · $100 an hour
Senior, sought after
$1,000
a day · $125 an hour
The rate card, working level
- Day rate$800 per day
- Hourlyfor anything that does not fit a day$100 per hour
- A content program$5,000 per project
- Monthly retainer$5,250 per month
Sold a monthly retainer, a project fee. The month is the unit; one-off work is priced as a project.
What to charge for each thing
Ranges for New York or Los Angeles: the low end is the first years, the high end is senior. Working and booked sits in the middle.
- Content calendar$500 to $1,500 each
- SEO article$300 to $1,000 each
- Case study$800 to $2,500 each
- Monthly program$2,500 to $8,000 per month
How the number is made
Content marketers at this level day at about $800 ($500 to $1,100 in New York and LA). Put in the year you actually want on the perfect price page and the number moves with it.
A content program runs $2,000 to $8,000 and takes about 40 hours of your time; at your hourly that is $4,000. The number is the higher of the two, because the client is buying the outcome, not the hours.
A retainer is the month, not the hours: a set scope, paid up front on the 1st. It is priced about 20% under the same work bought one at a time, in exchange for the certainty; three months minimum, or it is not a retainer.
Questions
- What is a fair day rate for a content marketer in New York or LA?
- About $800 a day for someone working and booked, $600 in the first years, $1,000 when senior and sought after. Half days usually run 60% of the day.
- How much is a content program?
- $5,000 at a working level in this market. The client is buying the outcome, so the price is the higher of what the market pays for it and what your hours in it are worth.
- What does a monthly retainer look like for a content marketer?
- Around $5,250 a month. About 20% under the same work bought one piece at a time, in exchange for certainty; three months minimum.
- Are these rates a rule?
- No. They are US 2026 ranges for the role, placed by level and moved for the market. What a client actually paid you beats all of it. The tool has a box for that, and it wins.
Your number, in five seconds.
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