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The national median salary for Sales Managers is $138,070 per year ($66.38/hr) according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2024. The middle 50% of earners make between $95,909 and $201,490 annually. Top earners at the 90th percentile reach $220,913 per year. There are approximately 603,710 sales managers employed in the United States.
About This Role
BLS Standard Occupational Classification 2018
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.
Career Outlook
BLS Employment Projections · 2024-2034
10-year growth
+4.7%
Faster than average
Annual openings
49K
per year, on avg
Workforce today
620K
as of 2024
Why those openings exist
6% from new growth94% from people leaving the role
Most openings come from replacement, not growth. Retention matters more than recruiting here.
Typical entry requirements
Education
Bachelor's degree
Experience
Less than 5 years
On-the-job training
None
Industry Wage Breakdown
Top 5 industries by employment · median annual wage, sector-specific
Merchant Wholesalers, Nondurable Goods (4244 and 4248 only)
NAICS 4240A1
22K
$110,510
Wage range across top 5 industries: $110,510 to $173,430 (57% spread)
Wage Percentiles
Hourly & annualized (2,080 hours)
Percentile
Hourly Rate
Annual Salary
P10
$32.17
$66,914
P25
$46.11
$95,909
P50MEDIAN
$66.38
$138,070
P75
$96.87
$201,490
P90
$106.21
$220,913
Market Context Signal
JOLTS · other sector
Active
Openings Rate
3.4%
Quits Rate
2.0%
The labor market rebounded in March: hires jumped to 5.6M (+655K) and separations rose to 5.4M (+356K), both more than offsetting February's drop. Job openings held at 6.9M. Quits ticked to 2.0%.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the average sales managers salary?
The national median salary for Sales Managers is $138,070 per year ($66.38/hr) according to BLS OEWS May 2024 data. The middle 50% earn between $95,909 and $201,490 annually.
How much do top-earning sales managers make?
The 90th percentile salary for Sales Managers is $220,913 per year ($106.21/hr). The 75th percentile is $201,490 per year.
What is the entry-level salary for sales managers?
Entry-level Sales Managers (10th percentile) earn approximately $66,914 per year ($32.17/hr). The 25th percentile is $95,909 per year.
Wage figures on this page come from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2024 release. OEWS surveys roughly 1.1 million establishments annually. It is the most comprehensive employer-reported wage dataset in the United States.
P10 through P90 percentiles represent the wage distribution across all surveyed employers (not self-reported by workers). Geographic adjustments use BLS-derived cost multipliers calibrated from regional wage variation.
Wages are estimates. Individual compensation depends on experience, education, employer size, industry, and negotiation. Use this as benchmark context, not absolute ground truth.
CompSignal is a free labor market intelligence tool built for HR, compensation, and talent acquisition teams. We make BLS data, the same primary source Mercer and Radford cross-reference in their paid surveys, searchable and actionable without an enterprise subscription.
Built and maintained by Falcon Incentives, a compensation strategy and incentive design consultancy.