Executive Summary

About 1,266,860 sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, except technical and scientific products work nationally, and $66,780 is the BLS national median annual wage. Much hiring sits in wholesale trade.

Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products: what the data shows

Common questions about sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, except technical and scientific products careers, answered from BLS OEWS and O*NET in this repository.

What is a sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, except technical and scientific products?

Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products is tracked by the Bureau of Labor Statistics under SOC 41-4012.

U.S. employment in our OEWS extract is about 1,266,860 workers.

What does a sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, except technical and scientific products do?

O*NET work activities rated highest for this occupation include Selling or Influencing Others, Getting Information, Making Decisions and Solving Problems, Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge, Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships, Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates, and related tasks. See Work Activities for the full list.

How much does a sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, except technical and scientific products make?

BLS national median annual wage: $66,780 (May 2024 in our extract).

Mean annual wage in our occupational extract: $87,987 — 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 percentileAnnual wage
10th percentile$41,217
25th percentile$53,580
Median (50th)$75,584
75th percentile$104,041
90th percentile$151,485

What skills do you need?

O*NET ratings for this occupation emphasize skills such as Speaking, Active Listening, Social Perceptiveness, Persuasion, Negotiation, Critical Thinking, and knowledge areas including Sales and Marketing, Customer and Personal Service, English Language, Mathematics. See Education & Skills for detail.

Is sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, except technical and scientific products in demand?

Historical employment trend in our series implies about 0.3% annual decline (compound rate in the extract).

Five-year projected employment change: -1.3%.

Ten-year projected employment change: -2.6%.

Current U.S. headcount: 1,266,860.

We report federal series only—compare wages, growth, and openings against your target market.

Where do sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, except technical and scientific productss work?

Top industries by employment share in our OEWS industry extract:

IndustryEmploymentShare
Cross-industry1,266,86019.9%
Cross-industry, Private Ownership only1,266,44019.9%
Wholesale Trade808,71012.7%
Merchant Wholesalers, Durable Goods420,8806.6%
Merchant Wholesalers, Nondurable Goods269,8904.2%
Manufacturing233,8403.7%

See Industry for charts.

What degrees lead to this career?

Common majors for Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products in O*NET:

See Related degrees.

What careers are related?

Other occupations linked through shared degree pathways in our mapping:

OccupationU.S. employmentMedian wage
Computer User Support Specialists146,450$73,340
Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Technical and Scientific Products293,930$100,070
Technical Writers55,530$91,670
Career/Technical Education Teachers, Secondary School104,450$63,910
Office and Administrative Support Workers, All Other195,890$46,040
Career/Technical Education Teachers, Middle School14,200$63,620
Career/Technical Education Teachers, Postsecondary111,150$61,490

Employment

Employment and salary information for the Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products workforce.

Employment Over Time

1,266,860 U.S. workforce (OEWS)

California employment for Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products shrank from 560,880 in 2009 to 538,060 in 2025 (4.1%).

Historical employment for Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products 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

$66,780 Median pay (BLS national)

Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products earn $66,780 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 Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products.

Salary distribution for Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products.

Employment Growth Projections

-0.3% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR)

531,120 Projected Employment (5 years)

Projected growth: -1.3%

524,271 Projected Employment (10 years)

Projected growth: -2.6%

This occupation is experiencing a decline. Consider related fields with better growth prospects.

Historical employment trends and future projections for Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products.

Industry

Information on the industries that employ Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products and on wages for those in the field.

Occupations by Industries

This graphic shows the share of Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products employed by various industries.

Industry distribution for Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products.

Wage Trends by Industry

-2.5% Average Annual Wage Growth Rate

Historical wage growth trends by industry for Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products.

Geographic Distribution

Employment and wage information by geographic location for Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products.

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: 141,300 employees, $86,050 avg wage
  • FL: 92,370 employees, $73,990 avg wage
  • TX: 91,290 employees, $78,760 avg wage
  • NY: 67,050 employees, $89,130 avg wage
  • IL: 58,080 employees, $80,700 avg wage
  • OH: 57,610 employees, $82,410 avg wage
  • PA: 53,290 employees, $80,780 avg wage
  • GA: 45,810 employees, $82,420 avg wage
  • NC: 45,550 employees, $79,180 avg wage
  • MI: 42,910 employees, $82,870 avg wage

Top 10 states by employment for Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products.

Top Metropolitan Areas

Top Metropolitan Areas:

  • New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ: 66,660 employees, $93,410 avg wage
  • Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA: 57,620 employees, $82,040 avg wage
  • Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN: 42,390 employees, $82,450 avg wage
  • Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL: 32,970 employees, $74,620 avg wage
  • Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA: 28,610 employees, $83,960 avg wage
  • Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX: 26,660 employees, $78,530 avg wage
  • Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX: 24,600 employees, $79,580 avg wage
  • Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI: 21,410 employees, $90,490 avg wage
  • Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO: 20,670 employees, $96,130 avg wage
  • Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD: 19,060 employees, $86,050 avg wage

Top 10 metropolitan statistical areas by employment for Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products.

Diversity

Demographic information on Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products in the US.

Gender and Age

The U.S. workforce for Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products is about 1,266,860 people in our OEWS extract.

Gender and age distribution for Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products.

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 Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products.

Education & Skills

Data on higher education choices and required skills for Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products.

Majors

The most common majors achieved by Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products in 2023 were Business Administration, Business, Marketing.

Common majors for Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products.

Education Levels

The main educational levels achieved by Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products workers.

Education level distribution for Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products.

Skills

Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products need many skills, but most especially Speaking, Active Listening, Social Perceptiveness, Persuasion, Negotiation.

Required skills for Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products.

Knowledge & Abilities

Knowledge areas and abilities required for Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products.

Knowledge Areas

The most important knowledge areas for Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products include Sales and Marketing, Customer and Personal Service, English Language, Mathematics, Transportation.

Knowledge areas required for Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products.

Abilities

Key abilities needed for Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products include Oral Expression, Speech Clarity, Oral Comprehension, Written Comprehension, Speech Recognition.

Required abilities for Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products.

Work Activities

Common work activities performed by Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products.

Daily Activities

Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products spend their time on activities such as Selling or Influencing Others, Getting Information, Making Decisions and Solving Problems, Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge, Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships.

Most important work activities for Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products.

About

Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products

Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products earn $66,780 as the BLS national median annual wage.

SOC Code

41-4012 - Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products

Insights and Analysis

Compensation snapshot: Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products reports an average salary of $87,987.

Labor market presence: The current workforce is approximately 1,266,860 workers, indicating sustained demand.

Forward outlook: Projected annual decline is -0.3%, 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.