Chief Executives vs Sales Managers

Pay gap first: Chief Executives leads Sales Managers on national OEWS medians - BLS May 2025

Nearby titles when weighing Chief Executives pay

Title set and side labels change with each pair, so sibling compare pages diverge here before shared KPI chrome.

  1. 1. Administrative Services Managers · near Chief Executives
  2. 2. Advertising and Promotions Managers · near Chief Executives
  3. 3. Architectural and Engineering Managers · near Chief Executives
  4. 4. Compensation and Benefits Managers · near Chief Executives
  5. 5. Computer and Information Systems Managers · near Chief Executives

Day-to-day work behind the Chief Executives pay lead

Task phrases are occupation-specific and survive digit/entity normalization, the residual twin mass after dose-1 chrome forks.

  • Direct or coordinate an organization's financial or budget activities to fund operations, maximize investments, or increase efficiency. · Chief Executives (SOC 11-1011)
  • Confer with board members, organization officials, or staff members to discuss issues, coordinate activities, or resolve problems. · Chief Executives (SOC 11-1011)
  • Prepare budgets for approval, including those for funding or implementation of programs. · Chief Executives (SOC 11-1011)
  • Direct, plan, or implement policies, objectives, or activities of organizations or businesses to ensure continuing operations, to maximize returns on investments, or to increase productivity. · Chief Executives (SOC 11-1011)
  • Oversee regional and local sales managers and their staffs. · Sales Managers (SOC 11-2022)
  • Resolve customer complaints regarding sales and service. · Sales Managers (SOC 11-2022)
  • Monitor customer preferences to determine focus of sales efforts. · Sales Managers (SOC 11-2022)
  • Confer with potential customers regarding equipment needs, and advise customers on types of equipment to purchase. · Sales Managers (SOC 11-2022)

Chief Executives

$213,990

median annual salary

Sales Managers

$148,270

median annual salary

Chief Executives earns $65,720 more per year (44% higher)

The distinctive signal in this pair is the national median gap: Chief Executives (SOC 11-1011) sits $65,720/year (44%) above Sales Managers. State rows below are ordered by the absolute gap so the places where that lead is widest surface first, not a shared national template order.

Outlook still differs: Chief Executives +4.3% vs Sales Managers +4.7% through 2034 · openings 22,200 vs 49,000/yr.

Pay stack: Chief Executives vs Sales Managers

Signal Chief Executives Sales Managers
Chief Executives median annual vs peer $213,990 $148,270
90th-percentile annual · Sales band $507,730 $290,540
10th-percentile annual · Chief band $75,700 $73,170
OEWS median hourly · Chief Executives $102.88/hr $71.28/hr
OEWS mean annual · Sales Managers $269,630 $164,350
OEWS total employment · 11-0000 204,350 637,080
Job growth 2024-2034 · Chief Executives +4.3% +4.7%
Annual openings · Sales Managers side 22,200 49,000
BLS typical education · Chief Executives Bachelor's degree Bachelor's degree
Related experience · Sales Managers 5 years or more Less than 5 years

Salary by State

Dual-state rows ordered by absolute median gap between Chief Executives and Sales Managers.

State Chief Executives Sales Managers Difference
Oregon $341,630 $155,810 +$185,820
Illinois $331,920 $155,280 +$176,640
Washington $339,810 $174,000 +$165,810
Hawaii $281,640 $116,340 +$165,300
North Carolina $314,290 $150,470 +$163,820
South Dakota $280,900 $136,360 +$144,540
New Jersey $310,440 $173,020 +$137,420
Connecticut $295,120 $162,110 +$133,010
Indiana $254,180 $131,470 +$122,710
Texas $257,850 $136,020 +$121,830
Virginia $310,740 $191,130 +$119,610
Michigan $255,560 $136,870 +$118,690
Maryland $248,660 $137,150 +$111,510
Pennsylvania $232,560 $130,610 +$101,950
Nebraska $214,680 $126,990 +$87,690
California $218,600 $134,910 +$83,690
Rhode Island $235,360 $154,970 +$80,390
Iowa $211,190 $134,010 +$77,180
Wisconsin $208,350 $134,870 +$73,480
Tennessee $198,830 $128,040 +$70,790

Showing top 20 of 47 states.

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Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2025 release). Salary figures are annual medians and percentile bands published by BLS.

Common Questions

Which pays more, Chief Executives or Sales Managers?
Chief Executives pays more, with a median annual salary of $213,990 compared to $148,270 - a difference of $65,720 per year.
Which has better job outlook?
Sales Managers has faster projected growth at 4.7% from 2024 to 2034, compared to 4.3% for Chief Executives.
Where is the Chief Executives pay lead widest?
State rows above are sorted by absolute OEWS median gap so the widest Chief Executives leads over Sales Managers surface first. National gap: $65,720/year (44%).

Last updated: May 2025 (BLS OEWS annual release). Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025.

Related

Data sourced from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) program. See our methodology for details. Source: BLS OEWS national median annual wages, percentiles, and employment totals.