A sales representative in West North Dakota nonmetropolitan area has a median wage of $116,840. In Mayaguez the median is $24,340. That is a 4.8-fold difference for the same job title, which is unusually wide even by the standards of a country this large — and it means a national average for this role is close to meaningless.
The top tenth of sales representatives earn $148,840 or more; the bottom tenth earn under $37,980. That is a 3.92× 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 $69,990 median as a waypoint, not a destination.
The top of the table is spread across several states rather than concentrated in one, which points away from a pure cost-of-living story. Where a role pays 4.8× more in one market than another without a single expensive state dominating, the usual cause is local demand density — a few metros where the industry clusters and employers compete for the same small pool. The sales representative concentration table further down shows where that is happening.
| Metropolitan area | Median | Hourly | LQ | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| West North Dakota nonmetropolitan area | $116,840 | $56.17 | 0.58 | 410 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara CA | $116,510 | $56.01 | 1.46 | 13,390 |
| Boulder CO | $99,990 | $48.07 | 2.08 | 3,230 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont CA | $96,960 | $46.61 | 1.56 | 29,980 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City NY-NJ | $93,750 | $45.07 | 1.2 | 91,680 |
| Northern New Mexico nonmetropolitan area | $93,710 | $45.05 | 0.24 | 170 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton MA-NH | $83,420 | $40.11 | 1.16 | 25,310 |
| Sussex Delaware nonmetropolitan area | $82,790 | $39.80 | 0.88 | 690 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue WA | $82,540 | $39.68 | 0.74 | 12,450 |
| Denver-Aurora-Centennial CO | $80,650 | $38.77 | 1.88 | 24,480 |
| Midland TX | $80,460 | $38.68 | 1.74 | 1,710 |
| Burlington-South Burlington VT | $79,680 | $38.31 | 0.51 | 500 |
| Eastern New Mexico nonmetropolitan area | $79,550 | $38.25 | 0.76 | 1,030 |
| Pittsfield MA | $79,530 | $38.23 | 0.75 | 350 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim CA | $79,450 | $38.20 | 1 | 50,470 |
| Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell GA | $78,950 | $37.96 | 1.45 | 33,900 |
| Lawrence KS | $78,410 | $37.70 | 0.86 | 360 |
| Southwest Colorado nonmetropolitan area | $78,390 | $37.69 | 1.1 | 960 |
| Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury CT | $78,380 | $37.69 | 1 | 3,280 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria DC-VA-MD-WV | $78,110 | $37.55 | 1.16 | 29,300 |
| Northwest Colorado nonmetropolitan area | $77,730 | $37.37 | 1.11 | 1,190 |
| Bremerton-Silverdale-Port Orchard WA | $77,670 | $37.34 | 0.47 | 360 |
| Trenton-Princeton NJ | $77,490 | $37.25 | 0.83 | 1,620 |
| Worcester MA | $77,380 | $37.20 | 0.77 | 2,180 |
| Fort Collins-Loveland CO | $77,320 | $37.17 | 1.1 | 1,510 |
| Metropolitan area | Median | Hourly | LQ | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mayaguez PR | $24,340 | $11.70 | 0.25 | 100 |
| Arecibo PR | $25,260 | $12.14 | 0.21 | 60 |
| Ponce PR | $26,470 | $12.73 | 0.27 | 140 |
| San Juan-Bayamon-Caguas PR | $28,960 | $13.92 | 0.44 | 2,480 |
| Aguadilla PR | $32,970 | $15.85 | 0.21 | 80 |
| Northeast Oklahoma nonmetropolitan area | $36,140 | $17.38 | 0.57 | 540 |
| East Tennessee nonmetropolitan area | $37,870 | $18.21 | 0.52 | 590 |
| North Missouri nonmetropolitan area | $39,360 | $18.92 | 0.32 | 280 |
| Hot Springs AR | $40,040 | $19.25 | 0.51 | 160 |
| Hawaii / Kauai nonmetropolitan area | $40,490 | $19.47 | 0.65 | 550 |
| Metropolitan area | Median | Hourly | LQ | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boulder CO | $99,990 | $48.07 | 2.08 | 3,230 |
| Provo-Orem-Lehi UT | $61,220 | $29.43 | 1.89 | 4,650 |
| Denver-Aurora-Centennial CO | $80,650 | $38.77 | 1.88 | 24,480 |
| Midland TX | $80,460 | $38.68 | 1.74 | 1,710 |
| Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford FL | $58,870 | $28.30 | 1.61 | 18,340 |
| Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos TX | $62,900 | $30.24 | 1.6 | 16,700 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont CA | $96,960 | $46.61 | 1.56 | 29,980 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin IL-IN | $70,710 | $34.00 | 1.53 | 55,730 |
| Raleigh-Cary NC | $68,560 | $32.96 | 1.49 | 8,970 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara CA | $116,510 | $56.01 | 1.46 | 13,390 |
| Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell GA | $78,950 | $37.96 | 1.45 | 33,900 |
| El Paso TX | $45,200 | $21.73 | 1.4 | 3,830 |
| Metropolitan area | Median | Hourly | LQ | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York-Newark-Jersey City NY-NJ | $93,750 | $45.07 | 1.2 | 91,680 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin IL-IN | $70,710 | $34.00 | 1.53 | 55,730 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim CA | $79,450 | $38.20 | 1 | 50,470 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington TX | $63,280 | $30.42 | 1.33 | 43,560 |
| Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell GA | $78,950 | $37.96 | 1.45 | 33,900 |
| Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach FL | $62,090 | $29.85 | 1.33 | 30,300 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont CA | $96,960 | $46.61 | 1.56 | 29,980 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria DC-VA-MD-WV | $78,110 | $37.55 | 1.16 | 29,300 |
| Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands TX | $63,090 | $30.33 | 1.08 | 28,720 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton MA-NH | $83,420 | $40.11 | 1.16 | 25,310 |
| Denver-Aurora-Centennial CO | $80,650 | $38.77 | 1.88 | 24,480 |
| Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler AZ | $74,910 | $36.01 | 1.03 | 19,810 |
Figures come from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics programme, May 2025 release, SOC code 41-3091. OEWS surveys employers, so it reports what is actually paid rather than what job advertisements claim, and it excludes the self-employed. Estimates cover 523 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.