What an in-house media buyer really costs
Salary.com puts the average US media buyer salary at about $106,000 a year, with the middle of the range between roughly $92,000 and $122,000 (November 2026). That's before benefits, payroll costs, software and the creative they'll need to test.
You also pay for the time it takes to hire and ramp someone up, and you start that over if they leave.
What you get from an agency
A good agency gives you a team, not one person: people on strategy, creative, tracking and reporting. They see many accounts, so they spot problems sooner and know what's working right now.
The trade-off is attention. Agencies juggle clients, so ask who actually runs your account and how often you'll hear from them.
When in-house makes sense
Hiring in-house starts to make sense when:
- Your ad spend is big and steady enough to keep a senior buyer busy full time
- Your channel mix is settled and you know what works
- You need someone in meetings and inside the business every day
- You can also fund creative, tools and a plan for when they leave
The hybrid option
Many companies do both. An in-house marketer owns the strategy and the numbers, and an agency handles buying, creative and tracking. Knowledge stays inside the business without everything resting on one hire.
