Median pay for sales managers runs from $66,190 in Ponce to $215,150 in New York-Newark-Jersey City — a 3.25× range across 518 metropolitan areas. The national median of $148,270 sits inside that range but describes no particular market.
The top tenth of sales managers earn $290,540 or more; the bottom tenth earn under $73,170. That is a 3.97× gap within the same occupation, in the same year. A spread this wide means the job title is not what determines pay — specialisation, employer type, seniority or book of business is. Expect the early years to sit near the bottom of the band rather than the middle, and treat the $148,270 median as a waypoint, not a destination.
New York-Newark-Jersey City (NY-NJ) leads and Ponce (PR) trails, but the gap is modest. For a role like this the more useful comparison is not between cities but between the 10th and 90th percentile within one — see the band above.
| Metropolitan area | Median | Hourly | LQ | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York-Newark-Jersey City NY-NJ | $215,150 | $103.44 | 1.15 | 44,870 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton MA-NH | $206,610 | $99.33 | 1.04 | 11,540 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara CA | $201,780 | $97.01 | 1.92 | 8,940 |
| Boulder CO | $200,970 | $96.62 | 0.94 | 740 |
| Fort Collins-Loveland CO | $198,550 | $95.46 | 0.57 | 400 |
| Durham-Chapel Hill NC | $190,370 | $91.52 | 0.81 | 1,150 |
| Lawrence KS | $189,740 | $91.22 | 0.83 | 180 |
| Balance of Nevada nonmetropolitan area | $189,550 | $91.13 | 0.88 | 320 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue WA | $184,320 | $88.61 | 0.77 | 6,620 |
| Denver-Aurora-Centennial CO | $181,580 | $87.30 | 0.9 | 5,930 |
| Trenton-Princeton NJ | $178,360 | $85.75 | 0.86 | 850 |
| Dover DE | $178,130 | $85.64 | 0.4 | 110 |
| Colorado Springs CO | $177,780 | $85.47 | 0.46 | 600 |
| Greeley CO | $176,390 | $84.80 | 0.57 | 280 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria DC-VA-MD-WV | $175,820 | $84.53 | 0.68 | 8,780 |
| Southside Virginia nonmetropolitan area | $174,370 | $83.83 | 0.22 | 90 |
| Longview-Kelso WA | $172,930 | $83.14 | 0.48 | 80 |
| Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater WA | $172,550 | $82.96 | 0.46 | 240 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont CA | $170,810 | $82.12 | 1.83 | 17,770 |
| Syracuse NY | $170,090 | $81.77 | 0.52 | 640 |
| Charlottesville VA | $169,390 | $81.44 | 0.45 | 210 |
| Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury CT | $169,300 | $81.39 | 1.36 | 2,250 |
| East-Central Montana nonmetropolitan area | $169,200 | $81.35 | 0.3 | 80 |
| Richmond VA | $168,590 | $81.05 | 0.49 | 1,320 |
| Eastern and Southern Colorado nonmetropolitan area | $168,080 | $80.81 | 0.32 | 90 |
| Metropolitan area | Median | Hourly | LQ | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ponce PR | $66,190 | $31.82 | 0.29 | 80 |
| Mayaguez PR | $71,750 | $34.49 | 0.3 | 60 |
| Arecibo PR | $72,860 | $35.03 | 0.38 | 50 |
| Parkersburg-Vienna WV | $74,200 | $35.68 | 0.49 | 70 |
| North Missouri nonmetropolitan area | $78,060 | $37.53 | 0.32 | 140 |
| Aguadilla PR | $79,420 | $38.18 | 0.39 | 80 |
| Northeast Louisiana nonmetropolitan area | $79,750 | $38.34 | 0.34 | 90 |
| Morgantown WV | $80,340 | $38.63 | 0.26 | 70 |
| San Juan-Bayamon-Caguas PR | $80,410 | $38.66 | 0.65 | 1,850 |
| Gadsden AL | $80,950 | $38.92 | 0.46 | 60 |
| Metropolitan area | Median | Hourly | LQ | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara CA | $201,780 | $97.01 | 1.92 | 8,940 |
| Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos TX | $151,760 | $72.96 | 1.86 | 9,880 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont CA | $170,810 | $82.12 | 1.83 | 17,770 |
| Napa CA | $137,770 | $66.24 | 1.63 | 520 |
| Santa Rosa-Petaluma CA | $117,940 | $56.70 | 1.62 | 1,360 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington TX | $144,290 | $69.37 | 1.61 | 26,780 |
| Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura CA | $107,720 | $51.79 | 1.54 | 2,050 |
| Salt Lake City-Murray UT | $143,930 | $69.20 | 1.54 | 5,210 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim CA | $132,330 | $63.62 | 1.47 | 37,790 |
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad CA | $119,750 | $57.57 | 1.37 | 8,630 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin IL-IN | $158,690 | $76.29 | 1.37 | 25,390 |
| Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury CT | $169,300 | $81.39 | 1.36 | 2,250 |
| Metropolitan area | Median | Hourly | LQ | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York-Newark-Jersey City NY-NJ | $215,150 | $103.44 | 1.15 | 44,870 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim CA | $132,330 | $63.62 | 1.47 | 37,790 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington TX | $144,290 | $69.37 | 1.61 | 26,780 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin IL-IN | $158,690 | $76.29 | 1.37 | 25,390 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont CA | $170,810 | $82.12 | 1.83 | 17,770 |
| Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands TX | $135,880 | $65.33 | 1.22 | 16,430 |
| Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach FL | $130,180 | $62.59 | 1.21 | 13,930 |
| Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell GA | $166,920 | $80.25 | 1.02 | 12,080 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton MA-NH | $206,610 | $99.33 | 1.04 | 11,540 |
| Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler AZ | $148,320 | $71.31 | 1.15 | 11,210 |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington PA-NJ-DE-MD | $156,500 | $75.24 | 0.86 | 10,200 |
| Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos TX | $151,760 | $72.96 | 1.86 | 9,880 |
Figures come from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics programme, May 2025 release, SOC code 11-2022. OEWS surveys employers, so it reports what is actually paid rather than what job advertisements claim, and it excludes the self-employed. Estimates cover 518 of 528 metropolitan areas — near-complete coverage, which means the ranges above are reliable rather than drawn from a handful of markets. Read the methodology.