The median annual wage for sales managers was $113,860 in May 2015.
The median wage is the wage at which half the workers in an occupation earned more than that amount and half earned less. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $54,490, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $187,200.
In May 2015, the median annual wages for sales managers in the top industries in which they worked were as follows:
Finance and insurance
$148,390
Professional, scientific, and technical services
141,460
Manufacturing
118,200
Wholesale trade
117,540
Retail trade
81,180
Compensation methods for sales managers vary significantly with the type of organization and the product sold. Most employers use a combination of salary and commissions or salary plus bonuses. Commissions usually are a percentage of the value of sales, whereas bonuses may depend on individual performance, on the performance of all sales workers in the group or district, or on the organization's performance.
Most sales managers work full time. They often must work additional hours including some evenings and weekends.
Sales Managers
Median annual wages, May 2015
Advertising, marketing, promotions, public relations, and sales managers
$116,810
Sales managers
$113,860
Total, all occupations
$36,200
Note: All Occupations includes all occupations in the U.S. Economy. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment Statistics