Sales Manager Job Outlook
The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects employment of sales managers to grow 4.5% from 2025 to 2035 (about 29,000 more jobs), with about 47,300 openings a year, and the May 2025 median pay of $148,270 a year ranks 39th of 825 occupations.
- Projected change
- +4.5%
- Openings a year
- 47,300
- Median pay
- $148,270
- Pay rank
- 39th of 825
Is employment of sales managers growing or shrinking?
Growing: BLS projects employment of sales managers to rise 4.5% (about 29,000 more jobs) from 2025 to 2035, faster than the 3.5% projected across all occupations. That is slower than the +6.2% summed from BLS's employment levels across the 37 management occupations with a projection. That change ranks 271st of 830 projected occupations.
| Measure | Figure |
|---|---|
| Employment, 2025 | 650,100 |
| Employment, 2035 | 679,100 |
| Projected change | +4.5% |
| Openings a year | 47,300 |
Source: BLS Employment Projections, 2025 to 2035. A projection is a BLS estimate, not a count. The 650,100 jobs here differ from the 637,080 on the salary page because Employment Projections also counts the self-employed and a wider set of workers, while OEWS counts wage and salary jobs in May 2025. BLS published these projections on August 27, 2026; checked November 10, 2026. Confirm any figure in the BLS Employment Projections tables.
BLS's reasons for this projection are at the Occupational Outlook Handbook. State projections are at Projections Central; projections by industry are left to BLS. Education, licensing and work context at O*NET.
How many job openings are there each year?
About 47,300 openings a year, from job growth and from workers leaving the occupation, the 85th most of 830 occupations. About 94% of them replace workers who change occupations or leave the labor force; the rest come from the 2,900 jobs added in an average year.
Source: BLS Employment Projections, 2025 to 2035.
How does pay for sales managers rank?
The median of $148,270 a year ranks 39th of 825 occupations with a published median. It sits in the upper half of occupations on both pay and openings.
Source: BLS OEWS national file, May 2025. Wage and salary jobs only; the self-employed are not counted. OEWS pay excludes overtime, shift differentials and non-production bonuses. Ranks count only the occupations with that published figure: 830 for projected change, 830 for openings, 825 for median pay, which is why the totals differ.
What does it take to start?
- Typical entry-level education: bachelor's degree.
- Work experience in a related occupation: less than 5 years.
Source: BLS Employment Projections, 2025 to 2035, education and training assignments.
How do related jobs compare on outlook?
| Occupation | Change | Openings a year | Median pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Marketing Managers | +6.9% | 34,000 | $166,790 |
| Advertising and Promotions Managers | -3.7% | 2,300 | $133,660 |
| Purchasing Managers | +4.0% | 6,400 | $148,080 |
| General and Operations Managers | +5.0% | 285,000 | $105,770 |
| Chief Executives | +3.2% | 19,100 | $213,990 |
| Sales Representatives of Services, Except Advertising, Insurance, Financial Services, and Travel | +2.7% | 115,700 | $69,990 |
| Market Research Analysts and Marketing Specialists | +7.0% | 82,000 | $78,760 |
| First-Line Supervisors of Retail Sales Workers | -3.7% | 113,500 | $48,520 |
Related occupations from O*NET; projections from BLS Employment Projections, 2025 to 2035; pay from BLS OEWS, May 2025.