State medians come from the same OEWS release as the national figures. The cost-of-living column divides each state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity, restating pay in national-average dollars so a high-cost state and a low-cost one can be compared directly.
Sales Manager Salary (2026): Data, Outlook & How to Become One
Sales Managers earn a median of $148,270 per year ($71.28/hr) (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Employment is projected to grow 4.7% through 2034, with about 49,000 openings a year (BLS EP, 2024–2034). Typical entry-level education: Bachelor's degree.
SOC 11-2022ManagementLast updated August 15, 2026
- Median pay
- $148,270
- Projected growth
- +4.7%
- Openings a year
- 49,000
- Typical education
- Bachelor's
BLS OEWS, May 2025
BLS EP, 2024–2034
BLS EP, 2024–2034
BLS EP, 2024–2034
Also advertised as: District Sales Manager, Fractional Sales Executive, National Sales Manager, Regional Sales Manager, Sales and Marketing VP (Sales and Marketing Vice President), Sales Director.
How much do Sales Managers make?
10th percentile$73,170
Entry / lowest-paid tenth
25th percentile$100,360
Lower quartile
Median (50th)$148,270
Half earn more, half earn less
75th percentile$207,340
Upper quartile
90th percentile$290,540
Top-paid tenth
| Median annual wage | $148,270 |
|---|---|
| Median hourly wage | $71.28/hr |
| Mean annual wage | $164,350 |
| People employed | 637,080 |
Versus all US occupations
At $148,270, Sales Managers earn 191% above the $50,980 median across all US occupations, a difference of $97,290 a year.
Versus management occupations
Inside the Management group, where the middle occupation pays $126,060, this is 18% above the group median.
Pay range
The top 10% earn $290,540 or more while the bottom 10% earn $73,170, a gap of 4.0×. That is an unusually wide spread, which usually tracks specialisation, employer type and years of experience.
Rank in the bank
This median pays more than 95% of the 923 occupations in the NueCareer career bank.
Highest-paying state
New York pays the most at $217,640, and still leads at $201,666 once local prices are taken into account.
Which states pay Sales Managers the most?
| State | Median | COL-adjusted | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York | $217,640 | $201,666 | 38,510 |
| Massachusetts | $191,200 | $180,792 | 15,010 |
| Virginia | $191,130 | $189,043 | 9,670 |
| Colorado | $180,850 | $175,494 | 8,780 |
| Washington | $174,000 | $162,597 | 10,030 |
| New Jersey | $173,020 | $159,018 | 20,090 |
| Connecticut | $162,110 | $156,462 | 8,560 |
| Kansas | $159,990 | $177,632 | 6,820 |
| Georgia | $159,890 | $166,045 | 17,690 |
| Maine | $158,660 | $163,483 | N/A |
Is Sales Manager a growing career?
Sales Managers4.7%
All US occupations3.1%
+4.7% projected growth vs 3.1% for all occupations.
Faster than average
BLS projects employment of Sales Managers to change 4.7% over 2024–2034, against 3.1% projected for all occupations. That is 29,000 more jobs.
Annual openings
About 49,000 openings are projected each year, 7.9% of the 619,500 jobs that existed in 2024. Most come from workers leaving the occupation, not from growth alone.
Many of those openings are expected to result from the need to replace workers who transfer to different occupations or exit the labor force, such as to retire.
An effective sales team remains crucial for profitability. As the economy grows, organizations will focus on generating new sales and will look to their sales strategy as a way to increase competitiveness.
Online shopping is expected to continue to increase, meaning more sales will be completed without a sales worker involved in the transaction. However, brick-and-mortar retail stores also are expected to increase their emphasis on customer service as a way to compete with online sellers. Because sales managers will be needed to direct and navigate this mix between online and brick-and-mortar sales, sustained demand is expected for these workers.
How to become a Sales Manager
Sales managers typically need a bachelor’s degree and work experience as a sales representative. For some jobs, workers qualify with a high school diploma.
| Typical entry-level education | Bachelor's degree |
|---|---|
| Preparation needed (O*NET job zone) | Medium preparation |
| Work experience in a related occupation | Less than 5 years |
| Typical on-the-job training | None |
What education people in the job have
O*NET incumbent survey: the highest level of education reported by people already working as sales managers.
- Bachelor's Degree71.4%
- Some College Courses19.1%
- Associate's Degree (or other 2-year degree)4.8%
- Master's Degree4.8%
What does a Sales Manager do?
Plan, direct, or coordinate the actual distribution or movement of a product or service to the customer. Coordinate sales distribution by establishing sales territories, quotas, and goals and establish training programs for sales representatives. Analyze sales statistics gathered by staff to determine sales potential and inventory requirements and monitor the preferences of customers.
Sales managers plan, direct, or coordinate the delivery of a product or service to the customer. They set sales goals, analyze data, and develop training programs for organizations’ sales representatives.
Day-to-day tasks
- Monitor customer preferences to determine focus of sales efforts.
- 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.
- Represent company at trade association meetings to promote products.
- Oversee regional and local sales managers and their staffs.
- Resolve customer complaints regarding sales and service.
- Review operational records and reports to project sales and determine profitability.
- Determine price schedules and discount rates.
O*NET core tasks, ordered by reported importance.
Where sales managers work
| Wholesale trade | 20% |
|---|---|
| Retail trade | 16% |
| Professional, scientific, and technical services | 13% |
| Finance and insurance | 11% |
| Manufacturing | 10% |
BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2024–2034 edition.
Core skills
- Active Listening4.0/5
- Speaking4.0/5
- Reading Comprehension3.9/5
- Critical Thinking3.9/5
- Monitoring3.9/5
- Active Learning3.8/5
- Writing3.6/5
- Learning Strategies3.1/5
Transferable skills
- Negotiation4.0/5
- Social Perceptiveness3.9/5
- Persuasion3.9/5
- Judgment and Decision Making3.9/5
- Management of Personnel Resources3.9/5
- Coordination3.8/5
- Instructing3.8/5
- Complex Problem Solving3.8/5
Tools and software
- Analytical or scientific software · in demand
- Business intelligence and data analysis software · in demand
- Cloud-based management software · in demand
- Computer aided design CAD software · in demand
- Customer relationship management CRM software · in demand
- Data base management system software · in demand
- Data base user interface and query software · in demand
- Data mining software · in demand
- Development environment software · in demand
- Document management software · in demand
- Electronic mail software · in demand
- Enterprise resource planning ERP software · in demand
“In demand” marks an O*NET Employer-Based Hot Technology, software named in real job postings for this occupation.
What personality type suits a Sales Manager?
Interest profile: O*NET Occupational Interests, scored 1–7
Realistic1.5
Investigative1.7
Artistic1.4
Socialprimary3.4
Enterprisingprimary7.0
Conventionalprimary5.5
Day to day this is work built around leading, persuading, selling and making decisions, combined with organising, following procedures and working precisely with data.
Closest MBTI types
NueCareer fit scores: cosine similarity between each MBTI type's interest vector and this occupation's O*NET interest profile. Not a BLS or O*NET figure; the method is documented on our methodology page.
Sales Manager: frequently asked questions
How much do Sales Managers make?
Sales Managers earn a median of $148,270 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025). That is 191% above the $50,980 median for all US occupations. That works out at $71.28/hr. The middle half earn between $100,360 and $207,340. The top 10% earn $290,540 or more.
Do you need a degree to become a Sales Manager?
Yes. BLS reports a bachelor's degree as the typical entry-level education for Sales Managers, and O*NET rates the preparation needed as medium preparation. Employers typically expect less than 5 years of related work experience first. In O*NET's survey of people already doing the job, 71.4% hold bachelor's degree.
Is Sales Manager a growing career?
Yes. Employment is projected to grow 4.7% over 2024–2034, faster than the 3.1% average for all occupations (BLS EP, 2024–2034). BLS still projects about 49,000 openings a year, mostly from workers retiring or moving to other work.
What does a Sales Manager do?
Sales managers plan, direct, or coordinate the delivery of a product or service to the customer. A core O*NET task: monitor customer preferences to determine focus of sales efforts. Employers most often ask for Analytical or scientific software, Business intelligence and data analysis software, Cloud-based management software.
Which states pay Sales Managers the most?
The highest state medians for Sales Managers are New York ($217,640), Massachusetts ($191,200), Virginia ($191,130) (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
What personality type suits a Sales Manager?
O*NET scores Sales Managers highest on the Enterprising, Conventional and Social interest areas, so the work mixes leading, persuading, selling and making decisions with organising, following procedures and working precisely with data. On NueCareer's MBTI-to-interest mapping the closest types are ESTJ, ESFJ. Personality is a fit signal, not a gate. The free NueCareer quiz scores your own profile against all 923 occupations in the bank.