Sales managers salary
| Measure | Annual | Hourly |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $73,170 | $35.18 |
| Median (50th percentile) | $148,270 | $71.28 |
| Mean (average) | $164,350 | $79.02 |
| 90th percentile | $290,540 | $139.68 |
These wages describe everyone employed in the occupation, from new entrants to experienced workers. They are not starting salaries and not earnings of graduates from any particular program. Verified data
Sales managers pay by state and metro area
Table: median wage and employment for all 53 states and territories
| State | Median | 10th pct | 90th pct | Employment | Location quotient |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $124,040 | $66,050 | $218,270 | 4,670 | 0.54 |
| Alaska | $98,860 | $70,370 | $171,700 | 850 | 0.64 |
| Arizona | $145,690 | $74,510 | $255,220 | 13,870 | 1.04 |
| Arkansas | $108,330 | $53,860 | $245,640 | 3,710 | 0.69 |
| California | $134,910 | $64,430 | $300,580 | 112,440 | 1.51 |
| Colorado | $180,850 | $105,270 | $316,830 | 8,780 | 0.75 |
| Connecticut | $162,110 | $92,530 | $281,490 | 8,560 | 1.23 |
| District of Columbia | $141,800 | $83,560 | $270,340 | 1,930 | 0.67 |
| Florida | $131,900 | $71,650 | $263,160 | 46,480 | 1.14 |
| Georgia | $159,890 | $79,560 | $292,490 | 17,690 | 0.88 |
| Guam | $60,740 | $44,210 | $125,300 | 220 | 0.8 |
| Hawaii | $116,340 | $71,290 | $218,870 | 1,710 | 0.67 |
| Idaho | $135,350 | $70,730 | $224,890 | 2,490 | 0.71 |
| Illinois | $155,280 | $78,760 | $282,890 | 32,240 | 1.29 |
| Indiana | $131,470 | $69,570 | $231,350 | 9,700 | 0.74 |
| Iowa | $134,010 | $72,130 | $220,770 | 3,260 | 0.51 |
| Kansas | $159,990 | $91,530 | $249,990 | 6,820 | 1.16 |
| Kentucky | $128,650 | $67,690 | $236,990 | 6,650 | 0.81 |
| Louisiana | $110,700 | $61,040 | $217,600 | 4,360 | 0.55 |
| Maine | $158,660 | $66,280 | $213,950 | ||
| Maryland | $137,150 | $67,270 | $257,350 | ||
| Massachusetts | $191,200 | $100,510 | $321,000 | 15,010 | 1.01 |
| Michigan | $136,870 | $69,790 | $230,070 | 17,950 | 1 |
| Minnesota | $151,670 | $79,900 | $258,460 | 11,240 | 0.93 |
| Mississippi | $108,750 | $58,350 | $217,460 | 1,870 | 0.39 |
| Missouri | $115,370 | $60,920 | $223,340 | 7,630 | 0.63 |
| Montana | $117,390 | $81,030 | $205,760 | 1,200 | 0.57 |
| Nebraska | $126,990 | $72,410 | $227,870 | 3,000 | 0.72 |
| Nevada | $109,790 | $66,320 | $221,030 | 5,770 | 0.91 |
| New Hampshire | $141,900 | $88,550 | $265,620 | 2,820 | 1.01 |
| New Jersey | $173,020 | $103,580 | $308,630 | 20,090 | 1.14 |
| New Mexico | $114,080 | $65,190 | $204,790 | 1,750 | 0.49 |
| New York | $217,640 | $107,670 | $378,910 | 38,510 | 0.97 |
| North Carolina | $150,470 | $69,350 | $297,760 | 16,920 | 0.84 |
| North Dakota | $119,990 | $79,610 | $197,290 | 550 | 0.31 |
| Ohio | $135,510 | $74,190 | $251,110 | 22,840 | 1 |
| Oklahoma | $128,920 | $63,070 | $275,440 | 3,250 | 0.46 |
| Oregon | $155,810 | $86,490 | $274,490 | 5,260 | 0.65 |
| Pennsylvania | $130,610 | $71,500 | $239,470 | 20,460 | 0.82 |
| Puerto Rico | $78,960 | $45,700 | $168,130 | 2,180 | 0.57 |
| Rhode Island | $154,970 | $90,910 | $258,950 | 1,120 | 0.54 |
| South Carolina | $131,080 | $62,060 | $223,760 | 9,340 | 0.99 |
| South Dakota | $136,360 | $72,510 | $219,050 | 450 | 0.24 |
| Tennessee | $128,040 | $67,220 | $231,830 | 12,270 | 0.91 |
| Texas | $136,020 | $68,750 | $268,450 | 76,010 | 1.32 |
| Utah | $136,520 | $72,800 | $253,390 | 8,990 | 1.26 |
| Vermont | $138,650 | $87,170 | $261,730 | 930 | 0.74 |
| Virgin Islands | $107,740 | $50,150 | $259,600 | 40 | 0.3 |
| Virginia | $191,130 | $94,710 | $302,900 | 9,670 | 0.57 |
| Washington | $174,000 | $104,000 | $291,620 | 10,030 | 0.69 |
| West Virginia | $94,830 | $57,150 | $188,170 | 1,110 | 0.39 |
| Wisconsin | $134,870 | $76,330 | $222,110 | 10,480 | 0.87 |
| Wyoming | $129,840 | $67,260 | $209,490 | 300 | 0.26 |
A location quotient above 1 means the occupation is more concentrated in that state than in the nation overall.
Metro areas with the most jobs
Highest paying metro areas
Job outlook for sales managers
- Average annual openings, 2025 to 2035: 47,300. Openings include new jobs plus replacement needs when workers retire or leave the occupation. Official projection
- Share of workers who are self-employed (2025): 0.8%.
- Read the official BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook profile.
These are official BLS projections. ConnectPrep does not alter them or present its own forecasts as official statistics.
Education and training for sales managers
- Typical entry education
- Bachelor's degree
- Related work experience
- Less than 5 years
- On-the-job training
- None
- O*NET Job Zone
- Job Zone Four: Considerable Preparation Needed
Highest education of people working in this occupation
O*NET describes this preparation level as: Most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.
Degrees and programs that lead to this career
Programs officially mapped to this occupation in the NCES and BLS CIP to SOC crosswalk. A mapping means the program commonly prepares students for the occupation, not that every graduate works in it. Official crosswalk
- Consumer Merchandising/Retailing Management CIP 19.0203
- Pharmaceutical Marketing and Management CIP 51.2011
- Business/Commerce, General CIP 52.0101
- Business Administration and Management, General CIP 52.0201
- Marketing/Marketing Management, General CIP 52.1401
Skills, knowledge, and daily work
Most important skills
Most important knowledge areas
Typical tasks
- Oversee regional and local sales managers and their staffs.
- Resolve customer complaints regarding sales and service.
- Monitor customer preferences to determine focus of sales efforts.
- Confer with potential customers regarding equipment needs, and advise customers on types of equipment to purchase.
- Review operational records and reports to project sales and determine profitability.
- Plan and direct staffing, training, and performance evaluations to develop and control sales and service programs.
- Direct and coordinate activities involving sales of manufactured products, services, commodities, real estate, or other subjects of sale.
- Determine price schedules and discount rates.
Technology skills
- Microsoft Excel (in demand)
- Microsoft Office software (in demand)
- Microsoft Outlook (in demand)
- Microsoft PowerPoint (in demand)
- Salesforce software (in demand)
- Adobe Acrobat (hot technology)
- Adobe Creative Cloud software (hot technology)
- Bentley MicroStation (hot technology)
- Eclipse IDE (hot technology)
- Facebook (hot technology)
- Google Analytics (hot technology)
- Google Docs (hot technology)
- HubSpot software (hot technology)
- Hypertext markup language HTML (hot technology)
- IBM SPSS Statistics (hot technology)
- Marketo Marketing Automation (hot technology)
Transferable skills for career changers: Negotiation, Social Perceptiveness, Persuasion, Judgment and Decision Making, Management of Personnel Resources, Coordination.
Common job titles: District Sales Manager, Fractional Sales Executive, National Sales Manager, Regional Sales Manager, Sales and Marketing VP (Sales and Marketing Vice President), Sales Director, Sales Manager, Sales Operations Manager (Sales Ops Manager), Sales Supervisor, Sales VP (Sales Vice President).
Is it worth it? Model the cost of getting there
Use the ROI calculator to compare the cost of the education this career usually requires against staying on your current path. It starts from the official wage distribution above, and you can change every assumption.
Frequently asked questions
How much do sales managers make?
The national median annual wage for sales managers was $148,270 in May 2025, according to the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program. The lowest paid 10 percent earned less than $73,170 and the highest paid 10 percent earned more than $290,540. These figures cover all workers in the occupation, not only new entrants.
What education do sales managers need?
BLS lists bachelor's degree as the typical education needed to enter this occupation, with less than 5 years of related work experience and none on-the-job training typically needed to become competent.
Is sales managers a growing career?
BLS projects employment of sales managers to change +4.5% from 2025 to 2035, compared with +3.5% for all occupations. About 47,300 openings are projected each year on average, including openings from workers who retire or change occupations.
Which states pay sales managers the most?
By median annual wage in May 2025, the highest paying states were New York ($217,640), Massachusetts ($191,200), Virginia ($191,130). Pay differences partly reflect differences in living costs.