For the majority of circulation departments, decreasing ad sales, smaller print circulation, stagnate budgets and staffing cuts—all factors cited in last year’s FOLIO: Circulation Salary Survey [0]—not only exist, but have been exacerbated by the recession. Assistant- and associate-level employees, who have seen salaries remain flat over the past few years, expect compensation in 2008 to change for the better, citing an 8 percent increase. Others aren’t so optimistic. Circulation managers reported a significant drop in pay in 2008, down from the $10,000 salary spike from 2006 to 2007. Circulation directors, who have added marketing, production and digital expertise to their repertoires, experienced a slight increase in association and b-to-b salaries in 2007, while consumer circulation executives can expect to salaries to decrease yet again in 2008.

SALARY BY CATEGORY: Circulation Director or Top Circulation Executive [0]

SALARY BY CATEGORY: Circulation Manager [0]

SALARY BY CATEGORY: Circulation Associate/Assistant [0]

Methodology
The survey sample of 2,000 was selected in a systematic, stratified fashion by Red 7 Media [1] and Readex Research [2] from Circulation Management subscribers qualified under any job title classification other than fulfillment director/manager, list rental director/manager, renewal or billing director/manager, circulation consultant, or costumer service director/manager. The sample represented 5,138 individuals meeting this criteria at the time of selection. Data was collected via mail survey from August 12 to September 24, 2008. The survey was closed for tabulation with 605 responses (a 30 percent response rate). To ensure representation of the audience of interest, results have been filtered to include only the 477 respondents who indicated they work full time and their job functions are best described as circulation director or top circulation executive; circulation manager; circulation associate/assistant. The margin of error for percentages based on all 477 respondents is + / - 4.2 percent at the 95 percent confidence level.