Sales salaries: what sales jobs advertise
Sales postings that state pay run $82,500 to $175,000 for the middle half, median $125,000, from 11,617 paid postings from 3,505 employers. With function, level and industry matched, pay is −9.2% (about $12k a year) against other functions.
Is this what you're looking for?
Answer a few questions and we'll show how sales fits your background: matched jobs, a plain-language market read and a weekly plan. Free. No résumé needed.
By Justin KullaLast updated
Sales pay range
From 11,617 paid postings from 3,505 employers. Annual, in US dollars.
- Lower quarter
- $82,500
- Median
- $125,000
- Upper quarter
- $175,000
The median for all professional postings is $140,000, so Sales is below it. With function, level and industry matched, Sales pay is −9.2% (about $12k a year) against other functions.
Sales pay by level
Levels with at least 30 paid postings from 8 employers.
| Group | Median | Middle half | Gap | Postings | Employers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Entry level | $74,500 | $60,000 to $93,000 | n/a | 1,370 | 795 |
| Early career | $94,500 | $67,500 to $125,000 | n/a | 2,498 | 855 |
| Mid-level | $129,500 | $95,000 to $174,000 | n/a | 2,698 | 1,115 |
| Senior individual contributor | $157,500 | $120,000 to $213,500 | n/a | 2,322 | 995 |
| Manager | $137,000 | $95,000 to $180,000 | n/a | 1,192 | 645 |
| Director | $181,500 | $140,000 to $239,500 | n/a | 1,215 | 752 |
| VP and above | $200,000 | $159,000 to $254,000 | n/a | 322 | 220 |
Skills that go with higher Sales pay
Skills listed on 50 or more paid postings from 10 employers in this function, by median pay.
| Skill | Median pay listing it | Raw gap | Gap, job mix matched | Postings | Employers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Enterprise Sales | $201,500 | +20.9% | +14.7% | 1,218 | 510 |
| Cross-functional Leadership | $210,000 | +26.1% | +1.5% | 713 | 385 |
| Go-to-market | $197,500 | +19.7% | +5% | 3,330 | 1,012 |
| GCP | $205,000 | +24.2% | +4% | 1,997 | 615 |
| Change Management | $170,000 | +1.4% | −4.5% | 1,591 | 666 |
| Machine Learning | $209,000 | +26.5% | +13.1% | 2,968 | 732 |
Compare with other functions
The groups ranked just above and below by median.
Questions about this data
- How much do Sales jobs pay?
- $82,500 to $175,000 for the middle half, median $125,000, from 11,617 paid postings from 3,505 employers that state pay. That is below the $140,000 median for all professional postings. It is advertised pay, not what people are paid.
- Is Sales pay higher or lower once the job mix is matched?
- With function, level and industry matched, advertised pay is −9.2% (about $12k a year) against other functions.
- How does Sales pay change with level?
- Entry level: $74,500; Early career: $94,500; Mid-level: $129,500; Senior individual contributor: $157,500; Manager: $137,000; Director: $181,500; VP and above: $200,000.
Method, download and how to cite
Data as of November 3, 2026. Rebuilt daily.
Pay is the midpoint of the range an employer posted (or stated in the posting text), converted to a year, on live U.S. professional jobs. It is advertised pay, not what anyone is paid.
A “gap, job mix matched” compares postings inside cells of the same function, level and industry, so a group is not credited for simply holding more senior or better-paid roles. It needs 150 or more postings across at least 5 cells with 15 postings on each side, and is shown as n/a otherwise. A gap is a difference in advertised pay between postings. It does not show that a skill, an industry or an employer size causes higher pay.
Download the CSV (aggregates only; no posting, employer or person is in it). Cite as: NextChapter, “Advertised pay in Sales (function) on U.S. professional job postings”, data as of November 3, 2026, https://launchyournextchapter.com/resources/pay-data/function/sales
See also the AI skills salary premium, which uses the same method for AI skills only, and the salary by job title pages.
More pay data
The job market, once a week
One email every Tuesday with the week's most useful read on the job market and the search, plus occasional news from NextChapter. No account needed. Unsubscribe any time.
Do you want this for your own search?
A free account turns this page into your plan: a plain-language read on sales, jobs matched to you and a weekly action plan.
Yes, start freeNot ready for an account? Get a first-week plan by email.
Question 1
Where are you right now?
Why we ask: a laid-off week and a thinking-about-a-move week look nothing alike. No résumé, no account.