DMA and metro benchmarks matter for location-sensitive channels, local services, franchises, healthcare, and real estate programs. Local CPC, local lead rate, map-pack performance, and cost-per-booking.
Use these labeled KPIs together instead of judging dma / metro performance from one headline number. Conversion-sensitive metrics update when you change the conversion type above.
| Metric | Median | Top Quartile | What It Tells You |
|---|---|---|---|
| CTR | 2.4% | 4.1% | Creative and message-to-audience fit |
| CPC | $2.80 | $1.65 | Click acquisition efficiency |
| CVR | 3.4% | 6.2% | Landing-page and offer effectiveness |
| CPA | $82 | $45 | Cost to generate the selected conversion |
| CPM | $12.40 | $7.80 | Auction pressure and reach efficiency |
| ROAS | 3.1x | 5.2x | Revenue efficiency where purchase value is tracked |
Local CPC, local lead rate, map-pack performance, and cost-per-booking. Benchmarks should be interpreted with contextual commentary, not as standalone averages.
| Country | Average | Median | Top Quartile | Bottom Quartile |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DMA / Metro | $54 | $47 | $31 | $89 |
These are the main drivers that typically explain why the same headline metric changes across channels, industries, and conversion contexts.
| Factor | Why It Matters |
|---|---|
| Population density and competition | Changes how local cpc, local lead rate, map-pack performance, and cost-per-booking. |
| Call center coverage and local operations | Changes how local cpc, local lead rate, map-pack performance, and cost-per-booking. |
| Local pack presence and map visibility | Changes how local cpc, local lead rate, map-pack performance, and cost-per-booking. |
DMA and metro benchmarks matter for location-sensitive channels, local services, franchises, healthcare, and real estate programs.
Metro benchmarks are especially useful when offline coverage, local competition, and call handling materially change conversion economics.
Metro benchmarks are especially useful when offline coverage, local competition, and call handling materially change conversion economics.
Metro benchmarks are especially useful when offline coverage, local competition, and call handling materially change conversion economics.
The Benchmarketing 4-Band Method. The Benchmarketing 4-Band Method reads every marketing metric against four percentile bands — P25 (bottom quartile), median, P75 (top quartile), and elite (top ~10%) — for a specific industry and channel, instead of a single cross-industry average. Averages blend brand and non-brand campaigns, $500/month and $500,000/month accounts, and unrelated industries into a number almost nobody actually has.
Where the numbers come from. The figures on this page come from the Benchmarketing benchmark dataset — thousands of curated benchmark observations across channels, industries, and US metro areas. Every statistic traces to a named source: WordStream Google Ads Benchmarks (2024), Meta Business Insights (2024), HubSpot Email Marketing Report (2024), Unbounce Conversion Benchmark Report (2024), Databox Marketing Benchmark Report (2024), Benchmarketing Platform Data (2023–2024). Benchmarketing does not publish anonymous "studies show" figures.
The Benchmarketing position. Beating the cross-industry average is a vanity milestone, not a target. Compare your number to the P25–P75 band for your specific industry and channel; if you are above average but below your industry's P75, you are leaving performance on the table.
They differ sharply even inside the same state because media auction pressure, local competition, and consumer behavior vary by market density.
They should connect into service or industry context instead of standing alone with thin benchmark tables.