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The national median salary for Sales Managers is $148,262 per year ($71.28/hr) according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2025. The middle 50% of earners make between $100,360 and $207,334 annually. Top earners at the 90th percentile reach $290,534 per year. There are approximately 637,080 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
Professional and Commercial Equipment and Supplies Merchant Wholesalers
NAICS 423400
23K
$167,270
Wage range across top 5 industries: $137,680 to $180,460 (31% spread)
Wage Percentiles
Hourly & annualized (2,080 hours)
Percentile
Hourly Rate
Annual Salary
P10
$35.18
$73,174
P25
$48.25
$100,360
P50MEDIAN
$71.28
$148,262
P75
$99.68
$207,334
P90
$139.68
$290,534
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 $148,262 per year ($71.28/hr) according to BLS OEWS May 2025 data. The middle 50% earn between $100,360 and $207,334 annually.
How much do top-earning sales managers make?
The 90th percentile salary for Sales Managers is $290,534 per year ($139.68/hr). The 75th percentile is $207,334 per year.
What is the entry-level salary for sales managers?
Entry-level Sales Managers (10th percentile) earn approximately $73,174 per year ($35.18/hr). The 25th percentile is $100,360 per year.
Wage figures on this page come from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2025 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.