The average billboard cost in the US is $73,887 for a four-week campaign and varies based on ad format, circulation, demographics, and impressions. Plan to spend from $750 to $2,000 a month for physical billboard campaigns in rural areas, $1,500–$5,000 in small to midsize cities, and $14,000 and up in larger markets. Digital billboards can cost from $10 per seven-second spot to over $10,000, depending on the billboard’s location, ad duration, and frequency.
How Much Billboards Cost in the US
In the United States, how much a billboard costs is determined by the geographic market, out-of-home (OOH) rating, and whether it’s a physical or digital board. Physical billboards cost from $750 to $14,000 a month (or more, depending on the market). Digital billboards cost as low as $10 a day per 10-second “blip” with Blip Billboards, or for dedicated digital billboards, from $1,200 to over $15,000 per month.
Average Billboard Cost by State
Knowing how much billboard advertising costs will depend on the area you want to advertise in. States with larger markets, such as New York or California, will have much higher billboard prices than areas with smaller and more scattered populations, like Alaska or Kentucky. Click on the interactive map below to find out the average monthly billboard cost by state in 2024.
Note: The prices above are for May 2024; however, they can vary with time.
Billboard Advertising Costs in Representative US Cities at a Glance
Davenport, Iowa | Indianapolis, Indiana | Orlando, Florida | Phoenix, Arizona | Boston, Massachusetts | Los Angeles, California | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Physical Billboard Cost per Month | $250–$10,500 | $572–$118,867 | $350–$154,560 | $450–$247,658 | $910–$204,960 | $280–$322,000 |
Digital Billboard Cost per Month | $350–$10,500 | $572–$118,867 | $350–$154,560 | $450–$247,658 | $910–$204,960 | $280–$322,000 |
Population (May 2024) | 101,724 | 887,642 | 307,573 | 1,608,139 | 675,647 | 3,898,747 |
Data Sources: Billboardsin.com, Data.census.gov
Additional Billboard Expenses
Billboard rental costs aren’t the only expense that goes into how much a billboard costs. Before setting up your billboard, you’ll first need to design and print it. This means you’ll likely need to hire a graphic designer, partner with a billboard printing service, and purchase the materials you need—all of which will require additional costs. That’s why you’ll also need to factor in these expenses to know how much a billboard ad costs.
Here are the other expenses that factor into the overall cost of billboard advertising:
- Design costs: Billboard design costs typically range from a $70 one-time fee with a Fiverr freelancer, or between $150 and $500 per hour, depending on if you choose a freelancer or a professional billboard design agency.
- Materials costs: Vinyl is the standard material used for physical billboard ads, which costs around $1 to $1.50 per square foot.
- Installation cost: This may be included in your monthly rental rate, but check with your provider to confirm.
Factors That Affect Billboard Advertising Costs
As with any other small business advertising strategy, billboard advertising rates are referenced in cost per mille (CPM), or cost per thousand impressions. These are affected by the billboard’s circulation, demographics, and impressions. Together, these factors inform its out-of-home (OOH) rating as determined by Geopath, an audience location measurement tool for outdoor advertising.
Here are the four factors that determine a billboard’s OOH rating:
- Circulation: Circulation is the total volume of traffic that passes the billboard as derived from transportation authorities. The circulation does not take into account whether passersby see your ad.
- Demographics: These are a breakdown by age, gender, and income level of people who typically pass a billboard. Expect to pay more to advertise in locations that reach people with higher income levels.
- Visibility Research: This determines the likelihood that your billboard will be visible to people in the area. This is determined by eye-tracking analysis and the speed at which people pass by your billboard.
- Reach and Frequency: Reach is the likely number of people who actually see your ad, based on the size and location of the billboard. Frequency is the number of times your ad is likely to be seen.
Pros & Cons of Billboard Ads
Billboards can get your brand lots of exposure and communicate a simple, clear message. But on the flip side, they can also be expensive, difficult to read, and inflexible. Along with knowing how much billboards cost, below are some of the biggest pros and cons of billboard advertising to keep in mind before deciding if it’s the best option for your business.
| PROS | CONS |
|---|---|
| Potentially high exposure | Static location (unless using mobile billboards, such as vehicle-mounted ads) |
| Relatively low cost per impression | Long setup time and short exposure periods |
| Location targeting | Measuring effectiveness can be challenging |
| Effective for simple messages | Can be expensive |
| Reach a large, broad audience | No engagement with users (unlike digital ads) |
Traditional (Physical) Billboards vs Digital Billboards
Physical billboards have some advantages over digital billboard advertising. For example, physical billboard ads are often easier to set up because the infrastructure has existed for several decades in the US. Plus, printed advertisements are not subject to glitches and power outages, unlike digital billboards.
On the other hand, digital billboards can be more effective as they are more dynamic, may be animated (and more attention-grabbing), and can be targeted based on time of day and more. Digital ads also provide small businesses on a budget with cheap billboard options.
Traditional Billboards | Digital Billboards |
|---|---|
Typically less expensive per impression | More dynamic, which makes ads potentially more effective |
More existing infrastructure | Better targeting with the ability to display ads during specific days or hours |
Not subject to glitches | More flexibility as you can update and optimize ads quickly |
Full ownership of the ad space for the entirety of your campaign | Lower entry-point cost for rotating billboard ads |
Check out some examples of physical and digital billboards:
Who Billboard Advertising Is Right for (+ Examples & How to Choose)
Billboard advertising can work well in many scenarios, from building brand awareness to generating interest in a cause. For example, if you’re a new business, you can leverage billboard advertising to build your brand presence regionally. In fact, billboards on highways that advertise local businesses are very actionable because audiences are already nearby.
In addition, billboards are a great way to promote brands that don’t necessarily need immediate conversions but want to generate leads, such as for a law or medical practice. If you’re still on the fence about whether or not billboard advertising is right for your business, consider the following questions:
- Does your product pass the 8-second rule? If you can’t make your pitch in eight seconds, billboards are probably not the right channel. The non-animated, static nature of traditional billboards is also ineffective if your message requires interpretation.
- Is your product relevant to a mass audience? If your product is only relevant to a small percentage of the population, you’ll waste a lot of money on “unnecessary” billboard impressions. For example, a distributor of vegan food products likely only appeals to the 4% of Americans who identify as vegan.
The main benefit of billboard advertising is the ability to reach a large number of people within a specific geographical area. This is great for brand-new businesses or local businesses in general whose target audiences are very broad yet within one geographic area. For example, everyone eats, so restaurants are suitable for billboard advertising. Another example is professionals offering services in a local area, like landscapers or real estate agents.
Below are some other types of businesses that are most suitable for billboard advertising:
- Restaurants
- Retail stores
- Real estate agents
- Private doctors, dentists, veterinarians, etc.
- Law firms
- Financial institutions
- Clinics
- Fitness centers
- Educational institutions
- Professional sports teams
- Home services (e.g., heating and oil, landscaping, construction)
- Nonprofits and public service announcements
In contrast, because of their static location and nature, billboards aren’t a great option if you want to target specific audience demographics, like people of a certain age or income level. For these, digital advertising is better suited. Billboards are also mono-directional (i.e., not interactive like online ads), so they won’t be very effective if you want your audience to take a certain action, like sign up for a newsletter or follow your social media profiles.
Billboard Examples
Keep in mind that your billboard ads should fit not only your audience type, but also your marketing goal. Generally, billboards aren’t meant to convert buyers on the spot but to boost general awareness of a local business, service, or organization and to generate foot traffic. Below are examples of billboard ad designs that generate brand awareness and help drive web traffic or leads.
Companies with household names like Coca-Cola don’t really need to advertise. And yet they still spend millions on advertising each year, including on billboards. This is because billboard ads are effective for keeping brand presence top-of-mind.
Meanwhile, small businesses typically use billboards to generate local awareness (e.g., to let you know that there’s some great restaurant in town or a new apartment complex coming soon). Alternatively, large companies often use billboards to stay top of mind, which helps generate more sales.
How to Choose a Billboard Location
A key factor in determining how much to rent a billboard is its location—in fact, it’s the most important consideration when choosing outdoor advertisement. Factors that influence the effectiveness of a billboard include traffic speed, proximity of the sign to the road, and traveler destination. If you decide that a billboard is right for your business, evaluate several locations before choosing the one that will target the most potential customers.
Here are the factors to consider when choosing the best spot for your billboard:
- Traffic speed: People are more likely to see your ad if they’re on a congested highway than on a train route where travelers pass at 40 mph. Therefore, you should choose a billboard located on a street with a low-speed limit or on a roadway susceptible to traffic congestion.
- Proximity of the billboard to the road: The distance of a sign from the road affects how visible it is to passing drivers. For that reason, pick a location close enough to the road to be legible.
- Traveler destination: Consider whether you’re advertising your business to locals or people just passing through town. Also, consider whether people are likely to visit your business on the way to or from work.
These details are generally available from the company selling the billboard space. However, it’s also a good idea to visit the location before committing to billboard advertising. Analyze where your customer base is coming from, and put the billboard exactly where they’re most likely to see it.
An example of a physical billboard capitalizing on brand differentiation (Source: SeattlePI)
Alternatively, you can research digital billboard locations regionally or nationally through providers like Blip Billboards. It has more than 2,000 billboards, you can search by state, and you can start with digital ads for as little as $10 per day per “blip.”
A map of Blip Billboard’s digital billboard locations in the US (Source: Blip Billboards)
How to Rent a Physical Billboard Location
If you’ve already chosen a billboard location, note the advertising company next time you pass the sign. The company name is usually listed below the image on the structure itself. Some of the largest billboard companies in the US are Lamar, Clear Channel, and CBS Outdoor—but there are many local and regional providers too. Ho