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 Representative, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products Salary (2026): Data, Outlook & How to Become One
Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products earn a median of $72,080 per year ($34.65/hr) (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Employment is projected to grow 0.3% through 2034, with about 114,800 openings a year (BLS EP, 2024–2034). Typical entry-level education: High school diploma or equivalent.
SOC 41-4012Sales and RelatedLast updated August 15, 2026
- Median pay
- $72,080
- Projected growth
- +0.3%
- Openings a year
- 114,800
- Typical education
- High school
BLS OEWS, May 2025
BLS EP, 2024–2034
BLS EP, 2024–2034
BLS EP, 2024–2034
Also advertised as: Account Representative, Customer Account Technician, Inside Salesperson, Outside Sales Representative, Route Sales Representative, Sales Consultant.
How much do Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products make?
10th percentile$39,090
Entry / lowest-paid tenth
25th percentile$50,470
Lower quartile
Median (50th)$72,080
Half earn more, half earn less
75th percentile$99,640
Upper quartile
90th percentile$137,550
Top-paid tenth
| Median annual wage | $72,080 |
|---|---|
| Median hourly wage | $34.65/hr |
| Mean annual wage | $82,530 |
| People employed | 1,238,190 |
Versus all US occupations
At $72,080, Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products earn 41% above the $50,980 median across all US occupations, a difference of $21,100 a year.
Versus sales and related occupations
Inside the Sales and Related group, where the middle occupation pays $51,495, this is 40% above the group median.
Pay range
The top 10% earn $137,550 or more while the bottom 10% earn $39,090, a gap of 3.5×. 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 56% of the 923 occupations in the NueCareer career bank.
Cost of living
Rhode Island posts the highest raw median ($82,420), but once local prices are taken into account South Dakota leads at $87,158 in national-average dollars.
Which states pay Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products the most?
| State | Median | COL-adjusted | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rhode Island | $82,420 | $80,583 | 4,870 |
| District of Columbia | $80,010 | $72,802 | 560 |
| Washington | $79,830 | $74,598 | 27,340 |
| Massachusetts | $79,810 | $75,465 | 22,700 |
| New York | $79,590 | $73,748 | 61,500 |
| New Jersey | $79,410 | $72,984 | 34,360 |
| Colorado | $79,250 | $76,903 | 27,530 |
| South Dakota | $77,210 | $87,158 | 5,220 |
| Vermont | $76,840 | $78,442 | 1,890 |
| Minnesota | $76,750 | $77,823 | 31,230 |
Is Sales Representative, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products a growing career?
Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products0.3%
All US occupations3.1%
+0.3% projected growth vs 3.1% for all occupations.
Slower than average
BLS projects employment of Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products to change 0.3% over 2024–2034, against 3.1% projected for all occupations. That is 4,400 more jobs.
Annual openings
About 114,800 openings are projected each year, 8.8% of the 1,310,500 jobs that existed in 2024. Most come from workers leaving the occupation, not from growth alone.
Overall employment of wholesale and manufacturing sales representatives is projected to show little or no change from 2024 to 2034.
Despite limited employment growth, about 142,100 openings for wholesale and manufacturing sales representatives are projected each year, on average, over the decade.
Most 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.
Projected employment of wholesale and manufacturing sales representatives varies by occupation (see table).
How to become a Sales Representative, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products
Educational requirements vary with the type of product sold. If the products are not scientific or technical, a high school diploma is generally enough for entry into the occupation. If the products are scientific or technical, sales representatives typically need at least a bachelor’s degree.
| Typical entry-level education | High school diploma or equivalent |
|---|---|
| Preparation needed (O*NET job zone) | Medium preparation |
| Work experience in a related occupation | None |
| Typical on-the-job training | Moderate-term on-the-job training |
What education people in the job have
O*NET incumbent survey: the highest level of education reported by people already working as sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, except technical and scientific products.
- High School Diploma48.0%
- Bachelor's Degree33.9%
- Some College Courses14.2%
- Associate's Degree (or other 2-year degree)4.0%
What does a Sales Representative, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products do?
Sell goods for wholesalers or manufacturers to businesses or groups of individuals. Work requires substantial knowledge of items sold.
Wholesale and manufacturing sales representatives sell goods for wholesalers or manufacturers to businesses, government agencies, and other organizations. They contact customers, explain the features of the products they are selling, negotiate prices, and answer any questions that their customers may have about the products.
Day-to-day tasks
- Answer customers' questions about products, prices, availability, product uses, and credit terms.
- Recommend products to customers, based on customers' needs and interests.
- Monitor market conditions, product innovations, and competitors' products, prices, and sales.
- Consult with clients after sales or contract signings to resolve problems and to provide ongoing support.
- Contact regular and prospective customers to demonstrate products, explain product features, and solicit orders.
- Identify prospective customers by using business directories, following leads from existing clients, participating in organizations and clubs, and attending trade shows and conferences.
- Perform administrative duties, such as preparing sales budgets and reports, keeping sales records, and filing expense account reports.
- Estimate or quote prices, credit or contract terms, warranties, and delivery dates.
O*NET core tasks, ordered by reported importance.
Where sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, except technical and scientific products work
| Merchant wholesalers, durable goods | 33% |
|---|---|
| Merchant wholesalers, nondurable goods | 21% |
| Manufacturing | 18% |
| Wholesale trade agents and brokers | 9% |
| Retail trade | 6% |
BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2024–2034 edition.
Core skills
- Active Listening4.0/5
- Speaking4.0/5
- Critical Thinking3.5/5
- Reading Comprehension3.4/5
- Writing3.3/5
- Active Learning3.1/5
- Monitoring3.1/5
- Mathematics2.3/5
Transferable skills
- Social Perceptiveness3.8/5
- Persuasion3.8/5
- Negotiation3.8/5
- Coordination3.1/5
- Service Orientation3.1/5
- Complex Problem Solving3.1/5
- Judgment and Decision Making3.1/5
- Time Management3.0/5
Tools and software
- Accounting software · in demand
- Analytical or scientific software · in demand
- Business intelligence and data analysis software · in demand
- Cloud-based data access and sharing software · in demand
- Computer aided design CAD software · in demand
- Customer relationship management CRM software · in demand
- Data base user interface and query software · in demand
- Data mining software · in demand
- Desktop publishing software · in demand
- Development environment software · in demand
- Document management software · in demand
- Electronic mail 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 Representative, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products?
Interest profile: O*NET Occupational Interests, scored 1–7
Realistic2.6
Investigative2.2
Artistic1.6
Social2.7
Enterprisingprimary6.1
Conventionalprimary4.9
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 Representative, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products: frequently asked questions
How much do Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products make?
Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products earn a median of $72,080 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025), 41% above the $50,980 US median across all occupations. That works out at $34.65/hr. The middle half earn between $50,470 and $99,640. The top 10% earn $137,550 or more.
Do you need a degree to become a Sales Representative, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products?
No. A bachelor's degree is not the norm: BLS reports a high school diploma or equivalent as the typical entry-level education for Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products. BLS also lists moderate-term on-the-job training as typical on-the-job training. In O*NET's survey of people already doing the job, 48.0% hold high school diploma.
Is Sales Representative, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products a growing career?
It is growing, but slowly: 0.3% over 2024–2034 against 3.1% for all occupations (BLS EP, 2024–2034). BLS still projects about 114,800 openings a year, mostly from workers retiring or moving to other work.
What does a Sales Representative, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products do?
Wholesale and manufacturing sales representatives sell goods for wholesalers or manufacturers to businesses, government agencies, and other organizations. A core O*NET task: answer customers' questions about products, prices, availability, product uses, and credit terms. Employers most often ask for Accounting software, Analytical or scientific software, Business intelligence and data analysis software.
Which states pay Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products the most?
The highest state medians for Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products are Rhode Island ($82,420), District of Columbia ($80,010), Washington ($79,830) (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Adjusted for local prices using BEA Regional Price Parities, South Dakota moves to the top at $87,158.
What personality type suits a Sales Representative, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products?
O*NET scores Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products highest on the Enterprising and Conventional 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 that lines up most closely with ESTJ personalities. Personality is a fit signal, not a gate. The free NueCareer quiz scores your own profile against all 923 occupations in the bank.