Sales Representative, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products Salary (2026), outlook and how to become one

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.

The median hourly wage for sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, except technical and scientific products is $34.65 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). On a full-year basis the $72,080 annual median works out to about $6,010 a month before tax.

BLS does not publish a starting salary. The nearest measure is the low end of the pay range: the lowest-paid 10% of sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, except technical and scientific products earn less than $39,090 a year and the bottom quarter less than $50,470 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). New workers often start near that end, but where a particular job starts depends on the employer, the state and the credentials you bring, so read these as the bottom of the range rather than a guaranteed entry wage.

A minority do. $100,000 sits between the 75th percentile ($99,640) and the 90th ($137,550), so roughly 10% to 25% of sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, except technical and scientific products earn more than that (BLS OEWS, May 2025). No state's median reaches $100,000; the highest is Rhode Island at $82,420.

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.

BLS does not split sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, except technical and scientific products' pay by specialty or employer, but its range shows how far the top end runs: the highest-paid 10% earn more than $137,550, against a median of $72,080 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Location moves pay the most in the published data: the best-paying states are Rhode Island ($82,420), District of Columbia ($80,010), Washington ($79,830).

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 or the equivalent (such as a ged).

BLS does not publish a fixed length; it depends on the route. What it does publish: the typical way in for sales representatives is a high school diploma or equivalent. Once hired, BLS lists moderate-term on-the-job training as typical. O*NET classes the work as needing considerable preparation.

No. BLS projects employment to fall 0.9% over 2025–2035, a loss of 11,200 jobs (BLS EP, 2025–2035). BLS still projects about 99,800 openings a year, mostly from workers retiring or moving to other work.

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.

Most work more than 40. In O*NET's survey of people in the job, 66% of sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, except technical and scientific products usually work more than 40 hours a week, 33% work exactly 40 and 1% work fewer. 88% say their schedule is regular and 12% irregular. Source: O*NET 31.0 Database, Work Context.

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 1,731 careers in the bank.

Women make up 29.7% of sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, except technical and scientific products, against 47.1% of all employed people: more men than in the workforce as a whole. 25.5% are 55 or older, close to the 23.2% across all jobs. The median worker is 44.2 years old (all workers: 42.1). Source: BLS Current Population Survey, 2025 annual averages, for the Census group "Sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing".