Contents
A US sales manager earns a median of $148,270 a year in the latest federal data (BLS OEWS, May 2025, SOC 11-2022), a figure that includes commissions. Self-reported base pay runs lower: $105,259 on average at Built In and $97,078 at Indeed, with $25,200 to $61,972 of commission or bonus on top in those two sources.
A US sales manager earns a median of $148,270 a year in the latest federal data (BLS OEWS, May 2025, SOC 11-2022), a figure that includes commissions. Self-reported base pay runs lower: $105,259 on average at Built In and $97,078 at Indeed, with $25,200 to $61,972 of commission or bonus on top in those two sources.
We read the results that rank for this search on October 25, 2026. One quotes the federal median from the May 2024 release, a year out of date. Two are city or state pages, one is a single employer's figure, and only one separates base salary from commission and bonus. This page puts each national source side by side with its date, uses the federal series as the anchor, shows pay by industry, and explains how team quota, attainment and ramping reps decide what a front-line sales manager takes home.
How much does a sales manager make? Ranges by source
Published US sales manager pay runs from a $72,800 median base (Founderpath, SaaS only) to a $148,270 median that includes commissions (BLS), and most of the gap is base pay vs total pay. We do not blend these into one number. Each row is one source, with what it counts and when it was published or read.| Source | Figure | What it measures | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| BLS OEWS, Sales managers (11-2022) | $148,270 median; $164,350 mean; $73,170 (10th) to $290,540 (90th) | All 637,080 US sales managers, employer survey, wages include commissions | May 2025 estimates |
| U.S. News | $138,060 median; $95,910 (25th) to $201,490 (75th) | BLS figures for 2024, the previous release | Google result, October 25, 2026 (the page did not load for automated reading) |
| Built In | $105,259 average base; $61,972 average additional cash; $167,231 average total | Self-reported, anonymous, US; sample size not stated | Read October 25, 2026 (page labeled 2026) |
| Salary.com | $126,565 median base; $104,350 (10th) to $161,580 (90th); total cash $181,571 | Benchmark for a defined job (about five years as an individual contributor, sometimes one to three years supervising) | As of October 1, 2026 |
| Indeed | $97,078 average base; $25,200 average commission | About 25,500 job postings over 36 months | Updated June 2026 (search snippets, which show June 9 and June 15 versions; the page blocks automated reading) |
| Payscale | $73,485 average base; $45,000 to $124,000 (10th to 90th); total pay $38,000 to $136,000 | Self-reported, 620 profiles, US | Updated March 1, 2025 |
| Founderpath | $72,800 median base; $42,250 to $90,500 (25th to 75th) | Base only, 214 salaries at US SaaS companies | Updated September 2026 |
| Zippia | $73,952 average | Weighted blend of government data and job postings; years not stated | Updated January 15, 2026 |
- BLS is the primary source. Sales managers have their own federal code, SOC 11-2022, so BLS measures this job directly, unlike the director or VP titles. OEWS wages include commissions and production bonuses but leave out nonproduction bonuses such as a year-end bonus, per the OEWS technical notes. The figure is reported by employers, not by workers.
- Base vs total. Built In, Salary.com, Indeed, Payscale and Founderpath lead with base salary. Add the variable and the self-reported figures move toward the BLS median: Built In's $167,231 average total sits about $19,000 above it, and Salary.com's $181,571 total cash about $33,000 above it.
- Who holds the title. "Sales manager" covers a car dealership manager, a hotel group sales manager, a wholesale branch manager and a SaaS manager of eight account executives. Payscale and Zippia do not say which employers their figures come from, so their $74,000 figures are hard to compare with the others.
- Freshness. Payscale's page was last updated in March 2025 and U.S. News cites the May 2024 BLS release. Use the May 2025 BLS figures and the 2026 pages for current offers.
What does BLS say about sales manager pay?
Half of US sales managers earned more than $148,270 in May 2025, and the top tenth earned more than $290,540. The full distribution, with the monthly equivalent (annual divided by 12, before tax):| BLS OEWS, Sales managers (11-2022), May 2025 | Annual | Monthly equivalent |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $73,170 | $6,098 |
| 25th percentile | $100,360 | $8,363 |
| Median | $148,270 | $12,356 |
| Mean | $164,350 | $13,696 |
| 75th percentile | $207,340 | $17,278 |
| 90th percentile | $290,540 | $24,212 |
The mean sits $16,080 above the median because the top of the range is long: commissions push the best-paid managers far above the middle. The BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook (last modified August 27, 2026) counts about 650,100 sales manager jobs in 2025, projects 4% employment growth from 2025 to 2035, and expects about 47,300 openings a year. It notes that employers usually pay sales managers a salary plus commissions or a salary plus bonuses.
Sales manager salary by industry
Industry moves the sales manager median by more than $95,000 in BLS data, from $98,850 in traveler accommodation (hotels) to $194,160 in pharmaceutical manufacturing. The table shows where sales managers work and what each industry pays, May 2025:| Industry (BLS OEWS, SOC 11-2022) | Sales managers employed | Median | Mean | 90th percentile |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 637,080 | $148,270 | $164,350 | $290,540 |
| Merchant wholesalers, durable goods | 71,390 | $144,450 | $161,520 | $280,960 |
| Merchant wholesalers, nondurable goods | 45,260 | $152,660 | $164,230 | $282,520 |
| Automobile dealers | 38,800 | $138,970 | $165,370 | $313,950 |
| Computer systems design and related services | 37,790 | $180,460 | $196,660 | $310,830 |
| Management of companies and enterprises | 37,750 | $168,060 | $181,030 | $301,710 |
| Management, scientific and technical consulting | 18,590 | $169,810 | $186,610 | $314,190 |
| Insurance carriers | 11,950 | $161,780 | $180,170 | $302,070 |
| Computer and electronic product manufacturing | 10,250 | $177,360 | $189,780 | $308,670 |
| Traveler accommodation | 9,700 | $98,850 | $110,760 | $169,080 |
| Pharmaceutical and medicine manufacturing | 2,690 | $194,160 | $205,040 | $325,530 |
Two patterns matter for a hiring plan. Auto dealers have a median below the national figure but a 90th percentile of $313,950, the widest spread in the table, which fits a commission-heavy plan. And technology-heavy industries pay the most at the middle: computer systems design sits $32,190 above the all-industry median. For software publishers and other cuts by state and metro, see the sales director salary guide, which uses the same BLS series.
What is a typical sales manager pay mix?
Most published data puts a sales manager's base at 55% to 80% of total pay, and planning guides land near 60/40. The mix below is base salary as a share of total pay in each source:| Source | Base | Variable | Base share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Built In, read October 25, 2026 | $105,259 | $61,972 | 63% |
| Salary.com, October 1, 2026 | $126,565 | $55,006 (total cash $181,571 less base) | 70% |
| Indeed, June 2026 (search snippet) | $97,078 | $25,200 commission | 79% |
| Founderpath, September 2026 | Not applicable | Not applicable | 55% to 65% of OTE at SaaS companies |
| ORM guide, how to set sales pay mix | Not applicable | Not applicable | 60% (a 60/40 example for a manager who owns team output) |
How is a sales manager's variable pay calculated?
A front-line sales manager is usually paid on team bookings against a team quota, with a smaller piece for management goals. A sales manager rarely closes deals personally, so the plan pays on what the reps close. Four common parts:- Team quota commission. Team bookings divided by the manager's quota, paid as that percentage of the variable target. Founderpath's SaaS data (updated September 2026) describes variable tied to team quota, with accelerators of 1.5x to 2x for team over-performance.
- Override. A small rate on every dollar the team books, with no quota. It is simple but pays the same for a team at 60% and a team at 100% of plan, per dollar.
- Management objectives. A fixed bonus for forecast accuracy, hiring to plan or rep retention, often paid as an MBO bonus.
- Player-coach quota. Some small teams give the manager a personal number on top. That pays more variable but takes time from coaching and inspection.
The manager's quota is usually set a little below the sum of rep quotas, so the manager can reach plan when a rep or two misses. Quota over-assignment explains how to size that buffer.
How quota and attainment drive a sales manager's pay
A sales manager's variable rises and falls with how many reps hit their number, so rep attainment is the input to watch. The data to plan against:- Bridge Group, June 22, 2026: 48% of account executives reached quota, down from 51% in 2024 (2026 AE report, 158 B2B companies).
- Ebsta and Pavilion, 2025: 78% of sellers missed quota, up from 69% (2025 GTM Benchmarks Report).
- Pete's planning rule: plan for average rep quota attainment around 75% to 80%, with a tail below and a tail above. If the growth target needs average attainment to fall to 50%, that is a capacity problem, not a quota problem.
Worked example: one front-line manager plan (illustrative)
The plan below is illustrative, not a benchmark. A sales manager runs eight account executives, each with an $800,000 annual bookings quota, so rep quotas add up to $6.4 million. The manager's quota is $6.0 million, which puts rep quotas 6.7% above the manager's number. OTE is $200,000 at a 60/40 mix:
- $120,000 base.
- $64,000 team bookings variable at 100% of the $6.0 million quota, paid at the attainment percentage up to 100% and at 2x the rate above it, with no threshold and no cap.
- $16,000 bonus on forecast accuracy, assumed paid in full in every row so the bookings effect stands alone.
| Average rep attainment | Team bookings | Manager attainment | Bookings variable | Manager total pay | Share of OTE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 50% | $3,200,000 | 53.3% | $34,133 | $170,133 | 85.1% |
| 65% | $4,160,000 | 69.3% | $44,373 | $180,373 | 90.2% |
| 78% | $4,992,000 | 83.2% | $53,248 | $189,248 | 94.6% |
| 90% | $5,760,000 | 96.0% | $61,440 | $197,440 | 98.7% |
| 100% | $6,400,000 | 106.7% | $72,533 | $208,533 | 104.3% |
| 110% | $7,040,000 | 117.3% | $86,187 | $222,187 | 111.1% |
What the example shows:
- A base-heavy plan protects the manager. With no threshold, a manager whose reps average 50% still earns 85% of OTE. Compare the director plan in the sales director salary guide, where a 60% threshold takes the whole bookings piece to zero at the same attainment.
- Normal attainment pays a little below OTE. At 78%, inside Pete's 75% to 80% planning range, the manager earns $189,248, about 95% of OTE.
- The accelerator pays for team over-performance. From 100% to 110% average rep attainment, the manager earns $13,654 more, because the team is past plan and each dollar pays at 2x.
What ramping reps do to a manager's pay
Now take the same team with two reps in their first year. The six tenured reps average 85% of their $800,000 quota and the two new reps reach 30% of theirs (illustrative figures), so the team books $4.56 million:
- Quota built on full quota for every rep. The manager's quota stays at $6.0 million. Attainment is 76%, the bookings variable is $48,640 and total pay is $184,640.
- Quota built on productive quota. The two new reps carry a ramped quota of 40% of full ($320,000 each), so rep quotas add up to $5.44 million and the manager's quota, with the same 6.7% buffer, is $5.1 million. Attainment is 89.4%, the bookings variable is $57,224 and total pay is $193,224.
The same team and the same bookings produce an $8,584 difference in the manager's pay, depending only on how the quota treats new hires. See ramped quota for how to set the ramp.
Pete's view on what a sales manager is paid for
In forecasting, every level owns something. Reps own their deals, managers own the rollup, regional leaders own their number and the CRO owns the company forecast. A front-line manager is the first level that owns a number the reps did not create alone, so a fair plan pays on team bookings and on how well the manager calls the team's forecast.
The quota behind that pay matters as much as the OTE. From the data we see, it can take a seller 15 to 18 months to confidently hit quota. A manager who just hired three reps carries a lot of assigned quota that is not yet productive quota. At ORM we measure quota attainment at the rep level and model it by position and region, because a team of new hires cannot be planned like a team of fully ramped sellers. Sellers have to sell, and managers have to support them in doing it.
Most of that support is weekly work: a sales scorecard for each rep's one-on-one, the team's numbers in the weekly business review, and, when a rep stays behind peers for reasons the rep controls, a sales performance improvement plan. Those are also the records a forecast accuracy or retention bonus is paid on.
Sales manager vs account executive, director and VP pay
In Built In's national data, the average sales manager base is only $1,197 above the average account executive base, and the big steps come at director and VP. Average base by title, US, read October 25, 2026:| Title | Built In average base, US |
|---|---|
| Account executive | $104,062 |
| Sales manager | $105,259 |
| Sales operations manager | $108,326 |
| Sales director | $154,000 |
| Vice president of sales | $207,248 |
| Chief revenue officer | $239,166 |
The small gap to account executives is base only. A strong AE on a 50/50 plan can out-earn a new manager in a good year, so check the base and the team accelerator before accepting a first manager role. For the levels above, see the sales director salary, VP of Sales salary and chief revenue officer salary guides. The operations side is in the sales operations manager salary guide.
Sales manager salary by location
City and state pages give the widest spread of any source type, and most rank for this search on one dataset each. Figures read or seen in Google results on October 25, 2026:- Built In city averages (base): Washington DC $164,861, remote roles $140,031, New York City $126,105, San Francisco $122,340, Houston $120,750 (US page), and Los Angeles $101,502 with $136,088 average total (LA page).
- Glassdoor (Google results): Atlanta $102,705 and Las Vegas $100,415 averages. We could not confirm whether these are base or total.
- Indeed (Google result): Kentucky range $36,013 to $150,505, October 14, 2026.
Built In's remote figure sits $34,772 above its US average base, which may reflect remote sales manager jobs sitting mostly at software and technology companies. For BLS medians by state and metro for the same series, see the location table in the sales director salary guide.
How to set or negotiate a sales manager offer
Start from the team quota and how it was built, then the OTE and mix, then the accelerator. Five steps:- 1. Pick the right comparison. Use BLS for the job across all industries, the industry row that matches the company, and one or two base-salary sources (Built In, Salary.com, Indeed) to compare base to base.
- 2. Set the mix. 60/40 is a common planning point for a manager who owns team output. A player-coach with a personal number may justify more variable.
- 3. Ask how the team quota was built. Ask for the sum of rep quotas, the buffer, how many reps are still ramping and what attainment the team produced in the last four quarters.
- 4. Run the plan at real attainment. Model pay at 50%, 78% and 100% average rep attainment, as in the example above. If a normal quarter pays well under OTE, the OTE overstates the job.
- 5. Write down the bonus measures. Forecast accuracy, hiring and retention goals need a number and a measurement date, so the bonus is paid on facts.
Sources and dates
All sources were read on October 25, 2026 unless noted.
- US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, Sales managers (11-2022), May 2025 estimates, national and industry series via the BLS public data API.
- US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook, Sales Managers, last modified August 27, 2026.
- Built In, 2026 Sales Manager salary in US and Los Angeles, self-reported, no sample size or collection date given.
- Salary.com, Sales Manager salary in the United States, as of October 1, 2026.
- Payscale, Sales Manager salary, updated March 1, 2025, 620 profiles.
- Founderpath, Sales Manager salary at SaaS companies, updated September 2026, 214 salaries, base only.
- Zippia, Sales Manager Salary by State, updated January 15, 2026.
- Indeed, U.S. News and Glassdoor pages linked above, figures from search and Google results on October 25, 2026.
- The Bridge Group, AE Models, Motions and Metrics: 2026 Research Report, June 22, 2026, 158 B2B companies.
- Ebsta and Pavilion, 2025 GTM Benchmarks Report.
- Transport Topics, Walmart Adds Stock Grants as Perk in Manager-Retainment Push, January 29, 2024.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the monthly income of a sales manager?
In federal data, the median US sales manager earns $148,270 a year, or about $12,356 a month before tax (BLS OEWS, May 2025). That figure includes commissions. Self-reported base pay is lower: Built In's $105,259 average base works out to about $8,772 a month, and the variable part usually arrives monthly or quarterly as commission or bonus, so monthly take-home moves with team results.
Can you make $200,000 a year as a sales manager?
Many sales managers do. In BLS May 2025 data, the 75th percentile for sales managers is $207,340, so about a quarter of the 637,080 sales managers in the US earn more than $200,000, and the 90th percentile is $290,540. Among the industries on this page, pay that high is most common in pharmaceutical manufacturing, computer systems design and computer and electronic product manufacturing, where the 75th percentile is above $229,000, and it usually depends on the team beating quota.
How much do Walmart store managers make?
Walmart store managers are retail store leaders, a different job from the B2B sales managers on this page. In January 2024, Walmart said average store manager base pay would rise to $128,000 from $117,000 and added stock grants of up to $20,000 a year, as reported by Transport Topics. It also said it was redesigning the store manager bonus to weigh profit more. For comparison, BLS puts the retail trade median for sales managers at $100,000 (May 2025).
What does a sales manager do?
A sales manager is the first-line leader of a team of quota-carrying reps. The job is to hire and coach those reps, inspect their pipeline every week and submit a team forecast that leadership can trust. In Pete Furseth's words, reps own their deals and managers own the rollup. That is why most manager pay plans pay on team bookings rather than on deals the manager closes personally.
How much does a sales manager make at a car dealership?
In BLS May 2025 data, sales managers at automobile dealers earn a median of $138,970 and a mean of $165,370, with a 90th percentile of $313,950. That is the widest gap between the 10th and 90th percentile ($64,580 to $313,950) of any industry we pulled, which fits dealership plans that pay heavily on commission and bonus. About 38,800 of the country's sales managers work at auto dealers.
How is a sales manager's commission calculated?
Most plans pay the manager on team results rather than personal deals. The common version divides team bookings by the manager's quota and pays that attainment percentage of the variable target, often at a higher rate above 100%. Some plans pay an override instead, a small rate on every dollar the team books, and many add a bonus for forecast accuracy, hiring or rep retention.
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