Sales Managers
Also called: District Sales Manager, Sales Director, Sales Manager, Sales VP (Sales Vice President)Plan, direct, or coordinate the actual distribution or movement of a product or service to the customer. Coordinate sales distribution by establishing sales territories, quotas, and goals and establish training programs for sales representatives. Analyze sales statistics gathered by staff to determine sales potential and inventory requirements and monitor the preferences of customers.
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What the data says: AI could halve the time on 15 of its 17 tasks, yet jobs are projected to grow 4.5% by 2035. How to think about this →
About this projection
BLS builds AI into its projections where the research supports it: “BLS generally applies adjustments based on this research conservatively, where there is convincing evidence for a change.”
It also notes a limit: “BLS projection methods are not designed to capture extremely rapid technological change.”
On its AI exposure groups, BLS says exposure “does not imply job loss.”
Recent conditions
- In 2024, 2.3% of people in this work were unemployed, against 3.8% across all occupations Census ACS 2024
- From Sep 2025 to Aug 2026, 7.9 hires for every 10 job openings in professional and business services, which employs about 24% of people in this work, against 7.3 across all industries BLS JOLTS
One box per opening, filled for each hire; hires beyond the openings are added in a lighter shade. Higher can mean openings get filled, or that people leave often; lower, that jobs go unfilled, or hiring is slow.7.9 this industry7.3 all industries
Median pay by state BLS OEWS May 2025, state estimates
Tap a state for its figures.
Median pay in every state
| State | Median | Middle half earn | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $124,040 | $87,490 to $167,200 | 4,670 |
| Alaska | $98,860 | $81,990 to $136,660 | 850 |
| Arizona | $145,690 | $101,720 to $196,010 | 13,870 |
| Arkansas | $108,330 | $67,600 to $176,480 | 3,710 |
| California | $134,910 | $91,210 to $206,710 | 112,440 |
| Colorado | $180,850 | $140,990 to $237,710 | 8,780 |
| Connecticut | $162,110 | $120,500 to $214,590 | 8,560 |
| District of Columbia | $141,800 | $103,750 to $198,140 | 1,930 |
| Florida | $131,900 | $94,770 to $183,170 | 46,480 |
| Georgia | $159,890 | $106,500 to $210,260 | 17,690 |
| Guam | $60,740 | $52,700 to $84,040 | 220 |
| Hawaii | $116,340 | $86,740 to $162,850 | 1,710 |
| Idaho | $135,350 | $102,320 to $175,160 | 2,490 |
| Illinois | $155,280 | $108,420 to $208,670 | 32,240 |
| Indiana | $131,470 | $96,470 to $178,500 | 9,700 |
| Iowa | $134,010 | $99,780 to $172,810 | 3,260 |
| Kansas | $159,990 | $122,110 to $206,810 | 6,820 |
| Kentucky | $128,650 | $94,410 to $181,770 | 6,650 |
| Louisiana | $110,700 | $77,410 to $161,490 | 4,360 |
| Maine | $158,660 | $93,610 to $174,990 | not published |
| Maryland | $137,150 | $93,610 to $180,000 | not published |
| Massachusetts | $191,200 | $141,040 to $235,420 | 15,010 |
| Michigan | $136,870 | $96,790 to $184,960 | 17,950 |
| Minnesota | $151,670 | $103,440 to $200,740 | 11,240 |
| Mississippi | $108,750 | $79,150 to $155,920 | 1,870 |
| Missouri | $115,370 | $81,410 to $165,930 | 7,630 |
| Montana | $117,390 | $91,980 to $167,610 | 1,200 |
| Nebraska | $126,990 | $88,410 to $174,990 | 3,000 |
| Nevada | $109,790 | $79,350 to $170,900 | 5,770 |
| New Hampshire | $141,900 | $111,050 to $192,830 | 2,820 |
| New Jersey | $173,020 | $132,620 to $225,790 | 20,090 |
| New Mexico | $114,080 | $91,990 to $153,880 | 1,750 |
| New York | $217,640 | $163,090 to $316,030 | 38,510 |
| North Carolina | $150,470 | $100,480 to $211,950 | 16,920 |
| North Dakota | $119,990 | $93,280 to $159,710 | 550 |
| Ohio | $135,510 | $98,850 to $184,450 | 22,840 |
| Oklahoma | $128,920 | $93,670 to $182,500 | 3,250 |
| Oregon | $155,810 | $114,390 to $212,110 | 5,260 |
| Pennsylvania | $130,610 | $95,640 to $175,600 | 20,460 |
| Puerto Rico | $78,960 | $59,380 to $117,030 | 2,180 |
| Rhode Island | $154,970 | $111,000 to $199,310 | 1,120 |
| South Carolina | $131,080 | $86,700 to $177,950 | 9,340 |
| South Dakota | $136,360 | $89,700 to $175,350 | 450 |
| Tennessee | $128,040 | $90,920 to $173,500 | 12,270 |
| Texas | $136,020 | $96,450 to $193,630 | 76,010 |
| Utah | $136,520 | $97,850 to $193,440 | 8,990 |
| Vermont | $138,650 | $102,490 to $189,100 | 930 |
| Virgin Islands | $107,740 | $57,470 to $117,190 | 40 |
| Virginia | $191,130 | $134,490 to $236,690 | 9,670 |
| Washington | $174,000 | $130,610 to $226,150 | 10,030 |
| West Virginia | $94,830 | $68,410 to $134,320 | 1,110 |
| Wisconsin | $134,870 | $101,710 to $178,660 | 10,480 |
| Wyoming | $129,840 | $91,350 to $197,010 | 300 |
Nationally: $148,270. Shades run from the lowest state median to the highest; a territory below that range takes the lightest. How to read this
How AI touches the work
What AI could speed up, task by task, and where people already use it.
AI could halve the time on 15 of its 17 tasks
| AI rating | Its main tasks | Share of Claude conversations May 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| AI + software | Oversee regional and local sales managers and their staffs. | Not published |
| AI + software | Monitor customer preferences to determine focus of sales efforts. | under 0.01% |
| Not much | Plan and direct staffing, training, and performance evaluations to develop and control sales and service programs. | Not published |
| AI alone | Resolve customer complaints regarding sales and service. | under 0.01% |
| AI + software | Review operational records and reports to project sales and determine profitability. | 0.06% |
| AI + software | Direct and coordinate activities involving sales of manufactured products, services, commodities, real estate, or other subjects of sale. | Not published |
See all 17 tasks
| AI + software | Determine price schedules and discount rates. | Not published |
| AI alone | Confer with potential customers regarding equipment needs, and advise customers on types of equipment to purchase. | 0.05% |
| AI + software | Prepare budgets and approve budget expenditures. | Not published |
| Not much | Represent company at trade association meetings to promote products. | Not published |
| AI + software | Confer or consult with department heads to plan advertising services and to secure information on equipment and customer specifications. | Not published |
| AI + software | Advise dealers and distributors on policies and operating procedures to ensure functional effectiveness of business. | 0.01% |
| AI + software | Visit franchised dealers to stimulate interest in establishment or expansion of leasing programs. | Not published |
| AI + software | Direct, coordinate, and review sales and service accounting and record-keeping, as well as receiving and shipping. | Not published |
| AI + software | Direct clerical staff to keep records of export correspondence, bid requests, and credit collections, and to maintain current information on tariffs, licenses, and restrictions. | Not published |
| AI + software | Assess marketing potential of new and existing store locations, considering statistics and expenditures. | Not published |
| AI + software | Direct foreign sales and service outlets of an organization. | Not published |
Ordered by how important O*NET's respondents rate each task (1 to 5) times the share who say it is part of their job. The ordering is ours. 5 of the 17 have a published share of Claude conversations; “not published” means too few conversations for Anthropic to publish a figure.
Where people already use AI
The tasks above say what AI could speed up. This shows what people are using it for. Its 17 tasks fall under 16 work activities that many occupations share, and Microsoft counted how often each one came up in 200,000 conversations with its Copilot assistant in 2024.
- #3 Respond to customer problems or inquiries
- #15 Evaluate the characteristics, usefulness, or performance of products or technologies
- #34 Advise others on products or services
| Work activity | This occupation's tasks under it | People asked AI for help in 10,000 conversations |
AI did it for them in 10,000 conversations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Direct organizational operations, activities, or procedures | |||
| Supervise personnel activities | |||
| Respond to customer problems or inquiries | |||
| Evaluate the characteristics, usefulness, or performance of products or technologies | |||
| Advise others on products or services | |||
| Analyze business or financial data | |||
| Advise others on business or operational matters | |||
| Communicate with others about operational plans or activities |
Show all 16 activities
| Develop professional relationships or networks | |||
| Collect data about consumer needs or opinions | |||
| Manage budgets or finances | |||
| Coordinate activities with clients, agencies, or organizations | |||
| Develop organizational policies, systems, or processes | |||
| Evaluate personnel capabilities or performance | |||
| Manage human resources activities | |||
| Authorize business activities or transactions |
How people in this work use Claude
What people in this work made with Claude % of conversations
- Advice or a recommendation23%
- An analysis or summary14%
- An explanation or answer14%
- A document or report12%
- Data or a spreadsheet9%
How they worked with Claude
55% of these conversations were about work. Anthropic Economic Index, May 2026.
How to read this
Work activities come from O*NET, which links every task to the broader activities it involves. Microsoft's figures are for the activity across everyone who used Copilot, not for sales managers specifically. Copilot is a general chat assistant; dedicated coding tools are not included, so programming help is under-counted here. Activities are listed by how many of this occupation's tasks fall under them.
The task ratings say whether AI could halve the time a task takes: on its own (“AI alone”), or with software built on it (“AI + software”). They were made by people in 2023 (Eloundou et al.). Claude's share is the task's share of all Claude.ai conversations in May 2026; Anthropic doesn't publish a task with too few conversations. None of these add up to the BLS exposure group, which combines five research measures.
More in the Guide: task ratings · task order · work activities · Copilot figures · Claude
High exposure doesn't mean fewer jobs
BLS projects most occupations in its two most exposed groups to grow: 141 of 206 rated Very high and 165 of 206 rated High. Each dot is one of the 831 occupations BLS rates.
Career moves into and out of this occupation
From moves between occupations found in online resumes, 2002–2016. Career changes only: a first job after school isn't a move.
Where people moved next
of 975,238 moves out
- 1 Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products Very high -0.9% 13%
- 2 General and Operations Managers High +5.0% 11%
- 3 Managers, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 7%
- 4 Marketing Managers Very high +6.9% 4%
- 5 Chief Executives Very high +3.2% 4%
Where people moved in from
of 1,115,725 moves in
- 1 Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products Very high -0.9% 15%
- 2 General and Operations Managers High +5.0% 9%
- 3 Managers, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 7%
- 4 First-Line Supervisors of Retail Sales Workers High -3.7% 4%
- 5 Marketing Managers Very high +6.9% 4%
Resumes over-represent younger, white-collar job-seekers and moves into management. Schubert, Stansbury and Taska (resume data).
Education and training for the occupation
O*NET survey of workers in this occupation
- 19% some college
- 5% associate's
- 71% bachelor's
- 5% master's
O*NET 31.0 survey of workers in this occupation · 21 people answered.
Census survey (American Community Survey)
- 2% less than high school
- 12% high school
- 17% some college
- 7% associate's
- 48% bachelor's
- 12% master's
- 1% professional degree
- 1% doctorate
Census ACS 2024, all workers in this occupation · 6,050 people surveyed.
Why the two can differ
O*NET asks about 20 people in each occupation, which makes its shares uncertain, but it reports the exact occupation and counts certificates. The Census survey reaches thousands, but it groups some occupations together and counts degrees only. More in the Guide
Median pay by highest degree full-time, year-round · Census ACS 2024, all workers in this occupation
5 programs, such as Consumer Merchandising/Retailing Management, Pharmaceutical Marketing and Management and Business/Commerce, General.
See all
- Consumer Merchandising/Retailing Management
- Pharmaceutical Marketing and Management
- Business/Commerce, General
- Business Administration and Management, General
- Marketing/Marketing Management, General
Jobs that require a credential BLS Occupational Requirements Survey 2023
47.8% this occupation
45.3% all occupations
| By kind | This occupation | All occupations |
|---|---|---|
| a license | 4.1% | 19.1% |
| an educational certificate | <0.5% | 2.8% |
| a certification | not published |
Share of jobs whose employer requires it. BLS doesn't say which credential. How to read this
Look up certifications, training and licenses U.S. Department of Labor
- Certification Finder ↗ certifications CareerOneStop lists for this occupation
- Training Finder ↗ schools and programs, nationwide; narrow the place there
- License Finder ↗ licenses by state
- Apprenticeships: DOL's list of apprenticeable occupations doesn't include this one.
These open in a new tab and send only the occupation's public code. More in the Guide
BLS AI exposure categories (Aug 2026) · BLS Employment Projections 2025–35 · O*NET 31.0 · Task ratings: Eloundou et al., Science (2024) · Microsoft "Working with AI" v1.1 · Anthropic Economic Index (2026-06-26) · Schubert, Stansbury and Taska · NCES CIP–SOC · Census ACS 2024 · BLS JOLTS
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