Sales Managers Salary: $138,060 Median Pay (2026 stats)
Executive Summary
About 603,710 sales managers work nationally, and $138,060 is the BLS national median annual wage. Employment in the series shown fell about 5% from the first to the last year; projections imply about 3.7% annual growth.
Sales Managers: what the data shows
Common questions about sales managers careers, answered from BLS OEWS and O*NET in this repository.
What is a sales managers?
Sales Managers is tracked by the Bureau of Labor Statistics under SOC 11-2022.
U.S. employment in our OEWS extract is about 603,710 workers.
What does a sales managers do?
O*NET work activities rated highest for this occupation include Selling or Influencing Others, Thinking Creatively, Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships, Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates, Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work, Coaching and Developing Others, and related tasks. See Work Activities for the full list.
How much does a sales managers make?
BLS national median annual wage: $138,060 (May 2024 in our extract).
Mean annual wage in our occupational extract: $160,084 — higher than the median, which often reflects top earners in the distribution.
Wage percentiles below are from the California OEWS extract (not national unless noted).
| Wage percentile | Annual wage |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $64,280 |
| 25th percentile | $85,934 |
| Median (50th) | $134,896 |
| 75th percentile | $206,407 |
What skills do you need?
O*NET ratings for this occupation emphasize skills such as Persuasion, Speaking, Active Listening, Negotiation, Coordination, Critical Thinking, and knowledge areas including Sales and Marketing, Customer and Personal Service, English Language, Administration and Management. See Education & Skills for detail.
Is sales managers in demand?
Historical employment trend in our series implies about 3.7% annual growth (compound rate in the extract).
Five-year projected employment change: 20.0%.
Ten-year projected employment change: 44.1%.
Current U.S. headcount: 603,710.
We report federal series only—compare wages, growth, and openings against your target market.
Where do sales managerss work?
Top industries by employment share in our OEWS industry extract:
| Industry | Employment | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Cross-industry | 603,710 | 19.6% |
| Cross-industry, Private Ownership only | 602,170 | 19.5% |
| Wholesale Trade | 123,910 | 4.0% |
| Retail Trade | 100,180 | 3.2% |
| Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 83,200 | 2.7% |
| Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 83,200 | 2.7% |
See Industry for charts.
What degrees lead to this career?
Common majors for Sales Managers in O*NET:
See Related degrees.
What careers are related?
Other occupations linked through shared degree pathways in our mapping:
| Occupation | U.S. employment | Median wage |
|---|---|---|
| General and Operations Managers | 3,584,420 | $102,950 |
| Administrative Services Managers | — | — |
| Marketing Managers | 384,980 | $161,030 |
| Database Administrators | 73,180 | $104,620 |
| Education Administrators, Kindergarten through Secondary | 319,630 | $104,070 |
| Education Administrators, Postsecondary | 176,420 | $103,960 |
| Public Relations Managers | 76,060 | $138,520 |
Employment
Employment and salary information for the Sales Managers workforce.
Employment Over Time
603,710 U.S. workforce (OEWS)
California employment for Sales Managers grew from 232,100 in 2009 to 416,480 in 2025 (79.4%).
Historical employment for Sales Managers from the California OEWS series, 2009–2025. The U.S. workforce figure is national and is not the endpoint of this line.
Yearly Wage Ranking
$138,060 Median pay (BLS national)
Sales Managers earn $138,060 as the BLS national median annual wage.
Wage ranking compared to other occupations.
Wage Distribution
This chart shows the distribution of average salaries by income buckets for Sales Managers.
Salary distribution for Sales Managers.
Employment Growth Projections
3.7% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR)
499,969 Projected Employment (5 years)
Projected growth: 20.0%
600,196 Projected Employment (10 years)
Projected growth: 44.1%
This occupation is projected to grow at 3.7% annually, indicating strong future demand.
Historical employment trends and future projections for Sales Managers.
Industry
Information on the industries that employ Sales Managers and on wages for those in the field.
Occupations by Industries
This graphic shows the share of Sales Managers employed by various industries.
Industry distribution for Sales Managers.
Wage Trends by Industry
0.7% Average Annual Wage Growth Rate
Historical wage growth trends by industry for Sales Managers.
Geographic Distribution
Employment and wage information by geographic location for Sales Managers.
State employment and wages are from the U.S. BLS OEWS May 2024 state extract. Metropolitan areas use the national MSA file when available.
Top States by Employment
Top States by Employment:
- CA: 108,120 employees, $157,170 avg wage
- TX: 76,980 employees, $148,530 avg wage
- FL: 37,060 employees, $146,130 avg wage
- NY: 35,160 employees, $251,500 avg wage
- IL: 31,160 employees, $163,650 avg wage
- OH: 20,320 employees, $146,930 avg wage
- PA: 19,850 employees, $145,510 avg wage
- GA: 18,110 employees, $167,400 avg wage
- NJ: 18,110 employees, $190,380 avg wage
- NC: 18,020 employees, $157,770 avg wage
Top 10 states by employment for Sales Managers.
Top Metropolitan Areas
Top Metropolitan Areas:
- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ: 40,990 employees, $244,410 avg wage
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA: 37,030 employees, $148,480 avg wage
- Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX: 27,600 employees, $155,880 avg wage
- Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN: 24,390 employees, $166,320 avg wage
- San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA: 17,890 employees, $195,730 avg wage
- Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX: 17,400 employees, $145,850 avg wage
- Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA: 12,540 employees, $172,510 avg wage
- Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH: 11,110 employees, $195,970 avg wage
- Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL: 10,780 employees, $149,940 avg wage
- Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ: 10,700 employees, $160,610 avg wage
Top 10 metropolitan statistical areas by employment for Sales Managers.
Diversity
Demographic information on Sales Managers in the US.
Gender and Age
The U.S. workforce for Sales Managers is about 603,710 people in our OEWS extract.
Gender and age distribution for Sales Managers.
Races
Racial and ethnic shares when present in the career dataset. If the chart area shows a notice instead, occupational race/ethnicity fields are not yet populated for this extract.
Race and ethnicity distribution for Sales Managers.
Education & Skills
Data on higher education choices and required skills for Sales Managers.
Majors
The most common majors achieved by Sales Managers in 2023 were Business Administration, Management, Business.
Common majors for Sales Managers.
Education Levels
The main educational levels achieved by Sales Managers workers.
Education level distribution for Sales Managers.
Skills
Sales Managers need many skills, but most especially Persuasion, Speaking, Active Listening, Negotiation, Coordination.
Required skills for Sales Managers.
Knowledge & Abilities
Knowledge areas and abilities required for Sales Managers.
Knowledge Areas
The most important knowledge areas for Sales Managers include Sales and Marketing, Customer and Personal Service, English Language, Administration and Management, Education and Training.
Knowledge areas required for Sales Managers.
Abilities
Key abilities needed for Sales Managers include Written Comprehension, Oral Expression, Oral Comprehension, Written Expression, Deductive Reasoning.
Required abilities for Sales Managers.
Work Activities
Common work activities performed by Sales Managers.
Daily Activities
Sales Managers spend their time on activities such as Selling or Influencing Others, Thinking Creatively, Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships, Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates, Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work.
Most important work activities for Sales Managers.
About
Sales Managers
Sales Managers earn $138,060 as the BLS national median annual wage.
SOC Code
11-2022 - Sales Managers
Insights and Analysis
High earnings profile: Sales Managers reports an average salary of $160,084, placing it among stronger-paying occupations.
Labor market presence: The current workforce is approximately 603,710 workers, indicating sustained demand.
Forward outlook: Projected annual growth is 3.7%, which should inform long-term career planning.
Data Sources
This page uses data from the following sources:
- College Scorecard - U.S. Department of Education
- Institutional characteristics, costs, completion rates, and earnings data
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: collegescorecard.ed.gov
- Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)
- Employment and wage data by occupation
- Latest data: May 2024
- Source: bls.gov/oes
- O*NET Online - U.S. Department of Labor
- Occupational skills, knowledge, abilities, and work activities
- Database version: 28.0 (August 2023)
- Source: onetcenter.org
- IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) - National Center for Education Statistics
- Institutional data, completions, enrollment, and financial aid
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: nces.ed.gov/ipeds
- Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS)
- Demographic and workforce data
- Latest data: 2023 ACS 5-Year Estimates
- Source: census.gov/acs
Data Processing: All data has been processed, cleaned, and aggregated for presentation. Where specific data points are unavailable, estimates are based on available data and clearly marked.
Last Updated: Data reflects the most recent available information as of January 2025.
Methodology
Data for this profile is sourced from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS), and O*NET Online.
All wage figures represent annual averages and may vary by location, industry, and experience level.