Cold email software for marketing agencies
Acqro gives marketing and advertising agencies cold email that researches each prospect's company before writing. Below: verified federal data on the industry across all 50 states, the buyers it sells to, and a playbook for outreach that earns replies.
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How many marketing agencies are in the United States?
The United States had 15,512 establishments in NAICS 541810, advertising agencies, in 2023, employing 200,465 people. The largest markets by establishments were California, New York and Florida. Source: U.S. Census Bureau County Business Patterns.
Marketing agencies in the US by the numbers
- US establishments
- 15,512+3.7% vs 2022Census CBP 2023, NAICS 541810
- Paid employees
- 200,465Census CBP 2023
- Average annual pay
- $106,841Census CBP 2023
- Firms under 10 employees
- 80.1%Census CBP 2023
- Largest state
- CaliforniaBy establishments, CBP 2023
Census does not publish a separate category for marketing and advertising agencies; figures use NAICS 541810, Advertising Agencies, the closest official industry. 80.1% of establishments have fewer than 10 employees, so most firms in the industry run outbound with a founder or a very small sales team. The 2,950 firms with 10 to 249 employees are the ones most likely to be building a repeatable outbound process.
The five largest states hold 47.4% of all establishments. Among states with at least 100 establishments, the fastest growth between 2022 and 2023 was in South Carolina (+12.5%), Minnesota (+9.8%) and Washington (+9.1%). Growing markets bring new competitors and new buyers at the same time, which rewards outreach that is specific rather than volume-driven.
Marketing agencies by state
All states and DC ranked by number of establishments, with the change since 2022.
| Rank | State | Establishments | Employees | Change vs 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | 2,462 | 32,122 | +3.8% |
| 2 | New York | 1,610 | 45,266 | +5.1% |
| 3 | Florida | 1,367 | 7,666 | +2.6% |
| 4 | Texas | 1,264 | 11,788 | +3.2% |
| 5 | Illinois | 655 | 15,453 | +1.6% |
| 6 | Pennsylvania | 572 | 6,480 | +2.1% |
| 7 | Ohio | 429 | 4,354 | −1.4% |
| 8 | Arizona | 418 | 2,264 | +6.4% |
| 9 | Georgia | 412 | 4,073 | +0.2% |
| 10 | Colorado | 401 | 3,573 | +2.0% |
| 11 | New Jersey | 393 | 6,133 | +0.5% |
| 12 | Michigan | 358 | 5,721 | +7.8% |
| 13 | North Carolina | 354 | 3,249 | +2.3% |
| 14 | Minnesota | 325 | 3,961 | +9.8% |
| 15 | Washington | 300 | 2,925 | +9.1% |
| 16 | Massachusetts | 260 | 5,754 | +4.8% |
| 17 | Virginia | 259 | 2,799 | −3.4% |
| 18 | Oregon | 240 | 2,270 | +8.6% |
| 19 | Missouri | 235 | 5,183 | −0.4% |
| 20 | Utah | 231 | 2,404 | +6.9% |
| 21 | Indiana | 203 | 1,341 | +3.6% |
| 22 | Tennessee | 203 | 2,138 | +3.6% |
| 23 | South Carolina | 189 | 1,325 | +12.5% |
| 24 | Connecticut | 187 | 1,795 | +3.3% |
| 25 | Wisconsin | 178 | 1,987 | +2.3% |
| 26 | Maryland | 176 | 2,571 | +6.0% |
| 27 | Nevada | 172 | 1,071 | −1.7% |
| 28 | Louisiana | 170 | 1,149 | +8.3% |
| 29 | Kentucky | 150 | 1,386 | +7.1% |
| 30 | Oklahoma | 129 | 892 | +3.2% |
| 31 | Alabama | 113 | 1,119 | −3.4% |
| 32 | Iowa | 93 | 1,161 | +4.5% |
| 33 | Kansas | 93 | 1,090 | +5.7% |
| 34 | Nebraska | 89 | 1,067 | −4.3% |
| 35 | Idaho | 88 | 553 | +2.3% |
| 36 | Arkansas | 81 | 1,303 | +1.2% |
| 37 | District of Columbia | 80 | 1,241 | +9.6% |
| 38 | Delaware | 72 | 439 | +9.1% |
| 39 | Mississippi | 54 | 436 | +10.2% |
| 40 | Wyoming | 51 | 244 | +13.3% |
| 41 | New Hampshire | 48 | 299 | 0.0% |
| 42 | Maine | 46 | 308 | +17.9% |
| 43 | South Dakota | 40 | 319 | −2.4% |
| 44 | New Mexico | 38 | 195 | +8.6% |
| 45 | Rhode Island | 38 | 385 | +5.6% |
| 46 | Hawaii | 37 | 165 | +12.1% |
| 47 | Montana | 32 | 247 | −8.6% |
| 48 | West Virginia | 31 | 129 | +19.2% |
| 49 | Alaska | 30 | 193 | +20.0% |
| 50 | North Dakota | 29 | 365 | +3.6% |
| 51 | Vermont | 27 | 114 | +3.8% |
Who marketing agencies sell to
Common buyer industries for marketing and advertising agencies, with US establishment counts and how many have 10 to 249 employees.
| Buyer industry | Establishments | 10–249 employees | Employees |
|---|---|---|---|
| Software Publishers | 18,425 | 5,923 | 1,011,187 |
| Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services | 225,945 | 22,061 | 1,736,343 |
| Offices of Physicians | 218,066 | 58,939 | 2,771,935 |
| Retail Trade | 1,043,373 | 331,104 | 16,046,207 |
How marketing agencies should run cold email
Marketing and advertising agencies sell campaign strategy, paid media, creative and demand generation to companies that need growth but lack in-house capacity. These are the contacts, triggers and messages that make a first email relevant rather than generic.
Who to email
- Founder or CEO at smaller companies
- VP or head of marketing
- Director of demand generation
- Chief revenue officer
Signals worth researching
- A marketing leadership hire in the last quarter, who is likely reviewing vendors
- A product launch, rebrand or new market announcement
- Job posts for marketing roles that suggest capacity gaps
- Visible changes in paid search or social activity
What to say
- Show one specific observation about their current marketing and what it implies
- Speak to pipeline and revenue outcomes rather than impressions
- Offer a short teardown or audit tied to what you observed
What to avoid
- Generic claims about growth percentages without proof
- Attaching a full credentials deck to the first message
Cold email for marketing agencies, answered
How many marketing agencies are there in the US?
There were 15,512 establishments in NAICS 541810 (Advertising Agencies) in 2023, employing 200,465 people. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, County Business Patterns 2023.
Which states have the most marketing agencies?
By establishments in 2023: California (2,462), New York (1,610), Florida (1,367), Texas (1,264) and Illinois (655). Source: U.S. Census Bureau, County Business Patterns 2023.
How should a marketing agency personalise cold email at scale?
Personalisation that works is based on the prospect's own marketing: a recent launch, a hiring push, a change in messaging, or a gap visible in their search presence. Research tools that pull these signals per account make this possible without writing each email from scratch.
Is cold email effective for agency new business?
It works when the list is narrow and the message is grounded in a real observation about the prospect. Agencies that email broad lists with credentials-first copy tend to see low engagement, while agencies that lead with a specific, useful insight give buyers a reason to reply.
Is cold email legal in the United States?
Yes. The federal CAN-SPAM Act permits commercial email to business contacts without prior consent, provided the message identifies the sender accurately, uses a truthful subject line, includes a valid physical postal address and a working opt-out, and honours opt-out requests promptly. CAN-SPAM applies in every state and preempts most state commercial email laws, except provisions aimed at falsity or deception. This is general information, not legal advice.
Explore related pages
Marketing Agencies by state
Other industries
Sources and methodology
Every figure on this page comes from a federal statistical release and is shown with its source and reference year. Figures the agencies withhold or publish with high noise are left out rather than estimated. Page updated September 17, 2026.
- U.S. Census Bureau, County Business Patterns 2023 and 2022: establishments, paid employment for the pay period including March 12, annual payroll, and establishments by employment size. Industries use NAICS 2017 codes.
- Industry definition: NAICS 541810, Advertising Agencies, used as the closest official category for marketing and advertising agencies.
Built for marketing agencies who sell to a finite list
Acqro researches every account on your list and writes the first email from what it finds.
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