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Free benchmark · filed spend · from 10-Ks

Marketing and advertising spend as a percentage of revenue by industry, from 10-K disclosures

Across 149 US public companies in 27 sectors, disclosed advertising runs 0.1% to 37.5% of revenue, median 1.8%. Among sectors with at least three filers, the heaviest is Tobacco at a median of 11.1% and the leanest is Industrial - Distribution at 0.4%. From each company's latest 10-K; updated October 2026.

Only companies that disclose a dollar figure for advertising appear; most filers do not, and an absent line is absent, not zero. The figure is the filer's own, as a percent of the same year's revenue.

See it by sector ↓ How it’s measured ↓
27 sectors
149 companies
10-K sourced
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By sector

SectorCompaniesDisclosed advertising, % of revenue, medianRange
Tobacco611.1%3.8% to 12.7%
Apparel and footwear57.8%6.0% to 9.1%
Travel Services (thin)27.6%0.7% to 14.6%
Furnishings, Fixtures & Appliances47.0%3.1% to 13.1%
Leisure56.5%4.0% to 9.9%
Apparel - Manufacturers (thin)26.3%5.5% to 7.0%
Branded household and personal care95.1%0.8% to 26.7%
Travel Lodging33.8%2.3% to 5.5%
Packaged-food83.6%1.2% to 10.8%
Environmental Services43.4%0.1% to 6.4%
Restaurants153.0%1.2% to 37.5%
Specialty Retail231.7%0.1% to 7.0%
Consumer durables and housewares71.5%0.5% to 7.4%
Building products101.1%0.5% to 5.2%
Consulting Services60.9%0.3% to 1.5%
Conglomerates (thin)10.9%0.9% to 0.9%
Discount and value retail80.7%0.2% to 2.9%
Rental & Leasing Services40.7%0.2% to 4.5%
Tools and industrial (thin)20.7%0.4% to 1.1%
Staffing & Employment Services60.7%0.1% to 6.6%
Residential Construction80.5%0.2% to 2.4%
Manufacturing - Metal Fabrication (thin)10.5%0.5% to 0.5%
Airlines, Airports & Air Services30.4%0.4% to 0.7%
Renewable Utilities (thin)20.4%0.2% to 0.5%
Auto - Dealerships (thin)10.4%0.4% to 0.4%
Industrial - Distribution30.4%0.3% to 1.2%
Railroads (thin)10.3%0.3% to 0.3%
Sectors marked thin carry fewer than three filers; read those medians as single data points, not benchmarks.

Every company

CompanySectorDisclosed advertising, % of revenueFiscal year endBriefing
Wingstop Inc.Restaurants37.5%/r/WING
Coty Inc.Branded household and personal care26.7%/r/COTY
Jack in the Box Inc.Restaurants16.6%/r/JACK
Travel + Leisure Co.Travel Services14.6%/r/TNL
Prestige Consumer Healthcare Inc.Branded household and personal care13.7%/r/PBH
RhFurnishings, Fixtures & Appliances13.1%/r/RH
Celsius Holdings, Inc.Tobacco12.7%/r/CELH
Brown-Forman CorporationTobacco11.8%/r/BF-B
Domino's Pizza, Inc.Restaurants11.3%/r/DPZ
The Coca-Cola CompanyTobacco11.3%/r/KO
Edgewell Personal Care CompanyBranded household and personal care11.1%/r/EPC
The Procter & Gamble CompanyTobacco10.9%/r/PG
CloroxPackaged-food10.8%/r/CLX
SharkNinja, Inc.Leisure9.9%/r/SN
Deckers Outdoor CorporationApparel and footwear9.1%/r/DECK
V.F. CorporationApparel and footwear8.8%/r/VFC
Papa John's International, Inc.Restaurants8.2%/r/PZZA
Ralph Lauren CorporationApparel and footwear7.8%/r/RL
YETI Holdings, Inc.Leisure7.8%/r/YETI
Helen of TroyConsumer durables and housewares7.4%/r/HELE
Williams-Sonoma, Inc.Furnishings, Fixtures & Appliances7.1%/r/WSM
Oxford Industries, Inc.Apparel - Manufacturers7.0%/r/OXM
National Vision Holdings, Inc.Specialty Retail7.0%/r/EYE
La-Z-Boy IncorporatedFurnishings, Fixtures & Appliances7.0%/r/LZB
Levi Strauss & Co.Apparel and footwear7.0%/r/LEVI
Upwork Inc.Staffing & Employment Services6.6%/r/UPWK
Chewy, Inc.Specialty Retail6.5%/r/CHWY
Columbia Sportswear CompanyLeisure6.5%/r/COLM
Copart, Inc.Environmental Services6.4%/r/CPRT
Kontoor Brands, Inc.Apparel and footwear6.0%/r/KTB
WD-40 CompanyBranded household and personal care6.0%/r/WDFC
Hasbro, Inc.Leisure5.9%/r/HAS
PVH Corp.Apparel - Manufacturers5.5%/r/PVH
Wyndham Hotels & Resorts, Inc.Travel Lodging5.5%/r/WH
TrexBuilding products5.2%/r/TREX
Energizer Holdings, Inc.Branded household and personal care5.1%/r/ENR
W.W. Grainger, Inc.Rental & Leasing Services4.5%/r/GWW
General MillsPackaged-food4.3%/r/GIS
Kraft HeinzPackaged-food4.3%/r/KHC
MondelezTobacco4.3%/r/MDLZ
Build-A-Bear Workshop, Inc.Leisure4.0%/r/BBW
Ulta Beauty, Inc.Specialty Retail4.0%/r/ULTA
Campbell's CompanyPackaged-food3.9%/r/CPB
El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc.Restaurants3.8%/r/LOCO
Marriott International, Inc.Travel Lodging3.8%/r/MAR
Keurig Dr Pepper Inc.Tobacco3.8%/r/KDP
DICK'S Sporting Goods, Inc.Specialty Retail3.7%/r/DKS
The ONE Group Hospitality, Inc.Restaurants3.5%/r/STKS
Cracker Barrel Old Country StoreRestaurants3.4%/r/CBRL
Rollins, Inc.Environmental Services3.4%/r/ROL
Brady CorporationEnvironmental Services3.3%/r/BRC
Arhaus, Inc.Specialty Retail3.3%/r/ARHS
McCormickPackaged-food3.3%/r/MKC
Spectrum Brands Holdings, Inc.Branded household and personal care3.1%/r/SPB
Bassett Furniture Industries, IncorporatedFurnishings, Fixtures & Appliances3.1%/r/BSET
Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc.Restaurants3.0%/r/CMG
Ollie's Bargain Outlet Holdings, Inc.Discount and value retail2.9%/r/OLLI
Ethan AllenConsumer durables and housewares2.9%/r/ETD
Academy Sports and Outdoors, Inc.Specialty Retail2.8%/r/ASO
Boot Barn Holdings, Inc.Specialty Retail2.8%/r/BOOT
Brinker International, Inc.Restaurants2.7%/r/EAT
Petco Health and Wellness Company, Inc.Specialty Retail2.6%/r/WOOF
A.O. SmithBuilding products2.6%/r/AOS
MasterBrandBuilding products2.5%/r/MBC
Worthington EnterprisesBuilding products2.4%/r/WOR
Dutch Bros Inc.Restaurants2.4%/r/BROS
LGI Homes, Inc.Residential Construction2.4%/r/LGIH
Shake Shack Inc.Restaurants2.4%/r/SHAK
Conagra BrandsPackaged-food2.3%/r/CAG
MGM Resorts InternationalTravel Lodging2.3%/r/MGM
BJ's Restaurants, Inc.Restaurants2.2%/r/BJRI
Best Buy Co., Inc.Specialty Retail2.1%/r/BBY
J.M. SmuckerPackaged-food2.1%/r/SJM
Camping World Holdings, Inc.Specialty Retail2.1%/r/CWH
Sally Beauty Holdings, Inc.Specialty Retail1.8%/r/SBH
WhirlpoolConsumer durables and housewares1.8%/r/WHR
MarineMax, Inc.Specialty Retail1.7%/r/HZO
Five Below, Inc.Discount and value retail1.6%/r/FIVE
Fair Isaac CorporationConsulting Services1.5%/r/FICO
Reynolds Consumer Products Inc.Branded household and personal care1.5%/r/REYN
ToroConsumer durables and housewares1.5%/r/TTC
Owens CorningBuilding products1.4%/r/OC
Target CorporationDiscount and value retail1.4%/r/TGT
TransUnionConsulting Services1.4%/r/TRU
First Watch Restaurant Group, Inc.Restaurants1.4%/r/FWRG
Portillo's Inc.Restaurants1.3%/r/PTLO
CAVA Group, Inc.Restaurants1.2%/r/CAVA
Ferguson plcIndustrial - Distribution1.2%/r/FERG
Hormel FoodsPackaged-food1.2%/r/HRL
Equifax Inc.Consulting Services1.1%/r/EFX
Lifetime BrandsConsumer durables and housewares1.1%/r/LCUT
Lowe's Companies, Inc.Specialty Retail1.1%/r/LOW
CarMax, Inc.Specialty Retail1.1%/r/KMX
Snap-onTools and industrial1.1%/r/SNA
Toll Brothers, Inc.Residential Construction1.1%/r/TOL
Korn FerryStaffing & Employment Services1.1%/r/KFY
Acme United CorporationBranded household and personal care1.0%/r/ACU
3M CompanyConglomerates0.9%/r/MMM
Robert Half Inc.Staffing & Employment Services0.9%/r/RHI
The Home Depot, Inc.Specialty Retail0.8%/r/HD
Century Communities, Inc.Residential Construction0.8%/r/CCS
FlexsteelConsumer durables and housewares0.8%/r/FLXS
RPM International Inc.Branded household and personal care0.8%/r/RPM
Walmart Inc.Discount and value retail0.8%/r/WMT
Alaska Air Group, Inc.Airlines, Airports & Air Services0.7%/r/ALK
FTI Consulting, Inc.Consulting Services0.7%/r/FCN
McGrath RentCorpRental & Leasing Services0.7%/r/MGRC
WillScot Holdings CorporationRental & Leasing Services0.7%/r/WSC
Tractor Supply CompanySpecialty Retail0.7%/r/TSCO
Huron Consulting Group Inc.Consulting Services0.7%/r/HURN
Armstrong WorldBuilding products0.7%/r/AWI
AcuityBuilding products0.7%/r/AYI
BJ's Wholesale Club Holdings, Inc.Discount and value retail0.7%/r/BJ
Boyd Gaming CorporationTravel Services0.7%/r/BYD
Sonic Automotive, Inc.Specialty Retail0.7%/r/SAH
LennoxBuilding products0.7%/r/LII
Albertsons Companies, Inc.Discount and value retail0.6%/r/ACI
Lennar CorporationResidential Construction0.6%/r/LEN
Gibraltar IndustriesBuilding products0.6%/r/ROCK
AutoZone, Inc.Specialty Retail0.6%/r/AZO
Insperity, Inc.Staffing & Employment Services0.6%/r/NSP
Simpson ManufacturingBuilding products0.5%/r/SSD
BrunswickConsumer durables and housewares0.5%/r/BC
Deere & CompanyRenewable Utilities0.5%/r/DE
O'Reilly Automotive, Inc.Specialty Retail0.5%/r/ORLY
Janus International Group, Inc.Manufacturing - Metal Fabrication0.5%/r/JBI
PulteGroup, Inc.Residential Construction0.5%/r/PHM
Pool CorporationIndustrial - Distribution0.4%/r/POOL
Group 1 Automotive, Inc.Specialty Retail0.4%/r/GPI
Penske Automotive Group, Inc.Specialty Retail0.4%/r/PAG
United Airlines Holdings, Inc.Airlines, Airports & Air Services0.4%/r/UAL
Illinois Tool WorksTools and industrial0.4%/r/ITW
Asbury Automotive Group, Inc.Specialty Retail0.4%/r/ABG
American Airlines Group Inc.Airlines, Airports & Air Services0.4%/r/AAL
America's Car-Mart, Inc.Auto - Dealerships0.4%/r/CRMT
D.R. Horton, Inc.Residential Construction0.3%/r/DHI
Verisk Analytics, Inc.Consulting Services0.3%/r/VRSK
Dollar General CorporationDiscount and value retail0.3%/r/DG
SiteOne Landscape Supply, Inc.Industrial - Distribution0.3%/r/SITE
Dover CorporationRailroads0.3%/r/DOV
Dollar Tree, Inc.Discount and value retail0.2%/r/DLTR
AMETEK, Inc.Renewable Utilities0.2%/r/AME
Installed Building Products, Inc.Residential Construction0.2%/r/IBP
EquipmentShare.com Inc.Rental & Leasing Services0.2%/r/EQPT
Green Brick Partners, Inc.Residential Construction0.2%/r/GRBK
ManpowerGroup Inc.Staffing & Employment Services0.2%/r/MAN
Kelly Services, Inc.Staffing & Employment Services0.1%/r/KELYA
Rush Enterprises, Inc.Specialty Retail0.1%/r/RUSHA
ABM Industries Inc.Environmental Services0.1%/r/ABM
Download this benchmark. 149 rows, one row per filer, as a percent of that year's revenue. Free to use with attribution to sgabenchmarking.com.
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How this is measured

Three steps, the same for every company on the page. The long version, including what these numbers cannot tell you, is on how it’s measured and as data at methodology.json.

01

Read the filing

Every figure starts in the company's own 10-K or 10-Q: the SG&A line, and the notes where advertising, R&D, stock compensation and restructuring are disclosed.

02

Put filers on one footing

Reported SG&A less those disclosed lines gives a residual overhead line that means the same thing at every company, so a filer that buries logistics in SG&A is not compared against one that does not.

03

Compare to a real peer set

Each company is measured against US-GAAP peers in its own sector, not a broad average. An undisclosed line is treated as absent, never as zero.

Questions & answers

FAQs

What is a marketing spend as a percentage of revenue by industry?

Across 149 US public companies in 27 sectors, disclosed advertising runs 0.1% to 37.5% of revenue, median 1.8%. Among sectors with at least three filers, the heaviest is Tobacco at a median of 11.1% and the leanest is Industrial - Distribution at 0.4%. From each company's latest 10-K; updated October 2026. Only companies that disclose a dollar figure for advertising appear; most filers do not, and an absent line is absent, not zero. The figure is the filer's own, as a percent of the same year's revenue.

Which sectors spend the most and least?

Tobacco runs heaviest, at a median of 11.1% of revenue across 6 filers. Industrial - Distribution runs leanest, at 0.4%. Then: Apparel and footwear 7.8%, Furnishings, Fixtures & Appliances 7.0%, Leisure 6.5%, Branded household and personal care 5.1%, Travel Lodging 3.8%, Packaged-food 3.6%, Environmental Services 3.4%, Restaurants 3.0%. Sectors with fewer than three filers stay in the table but out of this ranking, because two companies do not make a benchmark.

Where do these numbers come from?

Every figure starts in a company's own 10-K or 10-Q. Only companies that disclose a dollar figure for advertising appear; most filers do not, and an absent line is absent, not zero. The figure is the filer's own, as a percent of the same year's revenue. Each company's briefing page shows its peer set and every line we took out. The full method is at https://sgabenchmarking.com/how-its-measured/.

How do I compare my own company?

Take your reported SG&A, subtract the same disclosed lines, and divide by revenue for the same year. Then read it against your own sector row rather than the all-company median. If you would rather we did it, add your company at the top of this page.

For AI assistants and developers: this page as data

Every number here is available as JSON, and any company can be compared against these cohorts over plain HTTP. No key, no form. Each response also names the next step.

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