Average Sales Managers Salary in the United States
The national median salary for Sales Managers is $148,270 per year. The middle 50% earn between $100,360 and $207,340, with 637,080 workers employed nationally.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey, May 2025 estimates . Data covers 50 states and 389 metro areas.
Pay distribution
Here is how Sales Managers pay is distributed across workers nationally. The 10th percentile typically reflects entry-level or early-career pay, the median is the midpoint, and the 90th percentile represents the top earners in the field.
- 10th
- $73,170
- 25th
- $100,360
- Median
- $148,270
- 75th
- $207,340
- 90th
- $290,540
All values are percentiles of annual wages.
Sales Managers are among the highest-paid occupations tracked by BLS, well into the top decile of US wages.
The pay band is unusually wide for this occupation. Experience, employer, and specialization can double or even triple an early-career salary, so what sales managers earn depends heavily on where they are in their career and who they work for.
Job outlook
BLS projects employment for sales managers from 2024 to 2034. Growth is roughly in line with the US average of about 4% across all occupations.
- Projected growth
- +4.7%
- 29,000 net jobs over the projection period.
- Annual openings
- 49,000
- Includes growth plus replacements for workers who leave.
- Typical entry education
- Bachelor's degree
- Work experience
- Less than 5 years
A bachelor's degree is the typical entry requirement for sales managers.
Where Sales Managers earn the most
Location matters a lot. The gap between top-paying and bottom-paying states is large, so where sales managers work can reshape their total compensation. Right now, the top-paying state is New York at $217,640, about 46.8% above the national median. At the metro level, New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ leads with a median of $215,150.
Top-paying states
| State | Median salary | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| New York | $217,640 | 38,510 |
| Massachusetts | $191,200 | 15,010 |
| Virginia | $191,130 | 9,670 |
| Colorado | $180,850 | 8,780 |
| Washington | $174,000 | 10,030 |
| New Jersey | $173,020 | 20,090 |
| Connecticut | $162,110 | 8,560 |
| Kansas | $159,990 | 6,820 |
Top-paying metros
| Metro area | Median salary | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | $215,150 | 44,870 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | $206,610 | 11,540 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $201,780 | 8,940 |
| Boulder, CO | $200,970 | 740 |
| Fort Collins-Loveland, CO | $198,550 | 400 |
| Durham-Chapel Hill, NC | $190,370 | 1,150 |
| Lawrence, KS | $189,740 | 180 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | $184,320 | 6,620 |
Compare two locations side by side
Pick two states or metros to see sales managers pay in each, along with a cost-of-living adjusted view.
Salary trend and related occupations
Between 2019 and 2025, the national median salary for Sales Managers rose from $126,640 to $148,270, a gain of +17.1% in nominal dollars.
Over the same period, US consumer prices rose by +25.9%. Just to keep pace with inflation, the 2019 median of $126,640 would need to be worth $159,475 in 2025 dollars.
The actual 2025 median of $148,270 is −$11,205 below that inflation-adjusted benchmark, a real change of -7.0% in purchasing power.
Adjusted for inflation, pay has lost ground. Nominal growth of 17.1% has not kept up with rising prices.
- Nominal change
- +17.1%
- 2019–2025
- Cumulative inflation
- +25.9%
- US CPI, 2019–2025
- Real change
- -7.0%
- After adjusting for inflation
Median salary over time
Sales Managers median pay by year, going back through the available BLS releases.
- 2025
- $148,270
- 2024
- $138,060
- 2023
- $135,160
- 2022
- $130,600
- 2021
- $127,490
- 2020
- $132,290
- 2019
- $126,640
BLS did not publish a median for 2000–2018, so those years are omitted.
Related occupations
Other occupations in the same field, with median pay for comparison.
- Public Relations Managers
- $146,910
- Advertising And Promotions Managers
- $133,660
- Marketing Managers
- $166,790
- Fundraising Managers
- $125,470
- Purchasing Managers
- $148,080
- Compensation And Benefits Managers
- $149,230
- Human Resources Managers
- $149,280
- Managers, All Other
- $141,900
Common salary questions for Sales Managers
What does the median salary mean? +
The median is the midpoint of all wages. Half of Sales Managers workers earn more and half earn less. It is a better measure of typical pay than the average, which can be skewed by very high or very low earners.
Why does pay vary so much by location? +
Local labor markets, cost of living, industry concentration, and employer competition all affect wages. High-cost metros like San Francisco and New York often pay more in nominal terms, though some of that premium is offset by higher living costs.
How current is this salary data? +
This page uses the May 2025 BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics release. BLS publishes OEWS data once per year, typically in the spring for the previous May reference period.
What do the percentile ranges tell me? +
The 10th and 90th percentiles show the full pay band. The 25th to 75th percentile range, the middle 50%, is where most workers fall. A wide spread usually means experience, specialization, or location matter a lot for this occupation.