Sales Managers Career, Salary and Skills
Sales Managers have a BLS-reported national median annual wage of $148,270 based on the 2025 OEWS dataset, with reported national employment of 637,080. Wage data is published for 442 locations.
Occupation description
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.
O*NET code
11-2022.00
Job zone
4
Typical education
Bachelor's Degree
Experience
Over 4 years, up to and including 6 years
National salary and employment
Median annual
$148,270
Hourly median
$71.28
Employment
637,080
Data year
2025
National salary distribution
Top skills
| Skill | Importance | Level |
|---|---|---|
| Speaking | 4.00 | 4.00 |
| Negotiation | 4.00 | 4.00 |
| Active Listening | 4.00 | 4.00 |
| Social Perceptiveness | 3.88 | 4.00 |
| Reading Comprehension | 3.88 | 4.00 |
| Critical Thinking | 3.88 | 4.00 |
| Monitoring | 3.88 | 4.62 |
| Persuasion | 3.88 | 4.00 |
| Judgment and Decision Making | 3.88 | 4.00 |
| Management of Personnel Resources | 3.88 | 4.00 |
Typical tasks
- Resolve customer complaints regarding sales and service.
- Monitor customer preferences to determine focus of sales efforts.
- Confer with potential customers regarding equipment needs, and advise customers on types of equipment to purchase.
- Review operational records and reports to project sales and determine profitability.
- Plan and direct staffing, training, and performance evaluations to develop and control sales and service programs.
- Direct and coordinate activities involving sales of manufactured products, services, commodities, real estate, or other subjects of sale.
- Determine price schedules and discount rates.
- Oversee regional and local sales managers and their staffs.
Technology
- Act!
- Adobe Acrobat
- Adobe ActionScript
- Adobe Creative Cloud software
- Airtable
- Apple Keynote
- Avidian Technologies Prophet
- Bentley MicroStation
- Blackbaud The Raiser's Edge
- Contact management software
- Database software
- Delphi Discovery
- Delphi Technology
- Dropbox
Sales Managers salary by location
Areas with the highest reported employment for this occupation.
- Sales Managers Salary in CAMedian $134,910 · Employment 112,440
- Sales Managers Salary in TXMedian $136,020 · Employment 76,010
- Sales Managers Salary in FLMedian $131,900 · Employment 46,480
- Sales Managers Salary in New York, NYMedian $215,150 · Employment 44,870
- Sales Managers Salary in NYMedian $217,640 · Employment 38,510
- Sales Managers Salary in Los Angeles, CAMedian $132,330 · Employment 37,790
- Sales Managers Salary in ILMedian $155,280 · Employment 32,240
- Sales Managers Salary in Dallas, TXMedian $144,290 · Employment 26,780
- Sales Managers Salary in Chicago, ILMedian $158,690 · Employment 25,390
- Sales Managers Salary in OHMedian $135,510 · Employment 22,840
- Sales Managers Salary in PAMedian $130,610 · Employment 20,460
- Sales Managers Salary in NJMedian $173,020 · Employment 20,090
Related careers
- First-Line Supervisors of Office and Administrative Support WorkersNational median $69,500
- Brokerage ClerksNational median $65,750
- Financial and Investment AnalystsNational median $102,740
- LogisticiansNational median $82,320
- Purchasing Agents, Except Wholesale, Retail, and Farm ProductsNational median not published
- Chief ExecutivesNational median $213,990
- Securities, Commodities, and Financial Services Sales AgentsNational median $78,660
- Customer Service RepresentativesNational median $44,770
Career and skills data: O*NET 31.0 (onetcenter.org). Salary and employment data: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS, 2025 (bls.gov/oes). Figures are published survey estimates, not real-time market data.