Sales representatives, wholesale & manufacturing

Detailed Occupation

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2020 Workforce

1.3M

Average Age

45.2

Estimated Job Growth

1.52%

10-year projection

Average Salary

$85,917

Average Male Salary

$92,552

Average Female Salary

$68,751

About

Sales representatives, wholesale & manufacturing are most often employed by the Grocery & related product merchant wholesalers industry. The average yearly wage for Sales representatives, wholesale & manufacturing was $85,917 in 2016. The top 3 most similar occupations to Sales representatives, wholesale & manufacturing by wage are Detectives & criminal investigators, Budget analysts, and Chiropractors.

Sales representatives, wholesale & manufacturing are part of the Sales & related occupations, along with Firstline supervisors of retail sales workers, Firstline supervisors of nonretail sales workers, Cashiers, Counter & rental clerks, Parts salespersons, and 13 more.

The top 3 locations that employ the most Sales representatives, wholesale & manufacturing are Forsyth County PUMA, GA, Benton County PUMA, AR, and San Clemente, Laguna Niguel & San Juan Capistrano Cities PUMA, CA. The top 3 locations with a relatively high concentration of Sales representatives, wholesale & manufacturing are Kane County (West) PUMA, IL, Waukesha County (East) PUMA, WI, and San Clemente, Laguna Niguel & San Juan Capistrano Cities PUMA, CA.

Photo by Aleksi Aaltonen

Employment

Information on the businesses and industries that employ Sales representatives, wholesale & manufacturing and on wages and locations for those in the field. Grocery & related product merchant wholesalers is the industry that employs the most Sales representatives, wholesale & manufacturing, both by share and by number, though the highest paid industry for Sales representatives, wholesale & manufacturing, by average wage, is Management of companies & enterprises. Sales representatives, wholesale & manufacturing are paid most in Crown Heights South, Prospect Lefferts & Wingate PUMA, NY but are relatively concentrated in Kane County (West) PUMA, IL.

Yearly Wage

$85,917

AVERAGE SALARY

± $1,730

In 2020, Sales representatives, wholesale & manufacturing earned an average of $85,917, $29,963 more than than the average national salary of $55,954.

Detectives & criminal investigators make somewhat more than Sales representatives, wholesale & manufacturing while Budget analysts make somewhat less. This chart shows the various occupations closest to Sales representatives, wholesale & manufacturing as measured by average annual salary in the US.

Wage Distribution

0.417

WAGE GINI

In 2015, Sales representatives, wholesale & manufacturing had a wage GINI coefficient of 0.417, which is lower than than the national average of 0.478. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly for Sales representatives, wholesale & manufacturing (shown in red) than for the overall labor force (shown in gray).

Wage by Location

HIGHEST PAYING PUMAS

This map shows the Public Use Microdata Areas (PUMAs) in the United States shaded by average annual wage for Sales representatives, wholesale & manufacturing.

Spatial Concentration

PUMAs with a Relatively High Concentration of Sales representatives, wholesale & manufacturing

This map displays which Public Use Microdata Areas (PUMAs) in the United States have a relatively high population of Sales representatives, wholesale & manufacturing.

Most Common

Highest Paying

The highest paying industries for Sales representatives, wholesale & manufacturing, by average wage, are Management of companies & enterprises, Internet publishing, broadcasting & web search portals, and Software publishing.

Industries by Share

1.3M

2020 Workforce

± 27,906

−1.26%

1 YEAR GROWTH

± 3.06%

The number of people employed as Sales representatives, wholesale & manufacturing has been declining at a rate of −1.26%, from 1,320,110 people in 2019 to 1,303,442 people in 2020.

This graphic shows the share of Sales representatives, wholesale & manufacturing employed by various industries. Grocery & related product merchant wholesalers employs the largest share of Sales representatives, wholesale & manufacturing at 8.25%, followed by Machinery, equipment, & supplies merchant wholesalers with 6.99% and Professional & commercial equipment & supplies merchant wholesalers with 6%.

Diversity

Demographic information on Sales representatives, wholesale & manufacturing in the US. The average age of male Sales representatives, wholesale & manufacturing in the workforce is 46 and of female Sales representatives, wholesale & manufacturing is 43.3, and the most common race/ethnicity for Sales representatives, wholesale & manufacturing is White (Non-Hispanic).

Composition by Sex

940k

MALE WORKFORCE

± 23,729

363k

FEMALE WORKFORCE

± 14,781

72.1% of Sales representatives, wholesale & manufacturing are Male, making them the more common sex in the occupation. This chart shows the sex breakdown of Sales representatives, wholesale & manufacturing.

Race & Ethnicity

Most Common Race or Ethnicity of Sales representatives, wholesale & manufacturing

White (Non-Hispanic)
White (Hispanic)
Black (Non-Hispanic)

78.7% of Sales representatives, wholesale & manufacturing are White (Non-Hispanic), making that the most common race or ethnicity in the occupation. Representing 6.84% of Sales representatives, wholesale & manufacturing, White (Hispanic) is the second most common race or ethnicity in this occupation. This chart shows the racial and ethnic breakdown of Sales representatives, wholesale & manufacturing.

Age by Sex

AVERAGE MALE AGE

± 0.341

43.3

AVERAGE FEMALE AGE

± 0.526

The median age of Sales representatives, wholesale & manufacturing is 45.2, and Male employees are generally 2.76 years older than than their Female counterparts.

Education

Data on higher education choices for Sales representatives, wholesale & manufacturing from The Department of Education and Census Bureau. The most common major for Sales representatives, wholesale & manufacturing is Business but a relatively high number of Sales representatives, wholesale & manufacturing hold a major in Agriculture.

Majors

ACS PUMS data only shows the major for bachelor's degrees. However, we can filter the data based on highest degree obtained.

MOST COMMON MAJORS

MOST SPECIALIZED MAJORS

Skills

Data on the critical and distinctive skills necessary for Sales representatives, wholesale & manufacturing from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Sales representatives, wholesale & manufacturing need many skills, but most especially Speaking, Persuasion, and Active Listening. The revealed comparative advantage (RCA) shows that Sales representatives, wholesale & manufacturing need more than the average amount of Negotiation, Persuasion, and Social Perceptiveness.

Radar Distribution

Bar Chart

Projections

Projections on job growth for Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Technical and Scientific Products and Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The 10-year national workforce is projected to grow 3.71%, but Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Technical and Scientific Products and Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products are expected to see a growth of 1.52% over the same period. This occupation is expected to grow less than the national average.

Job Growth

For growth projections, the closest comparible industry reported by the Bureau of Labor Statistics is Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Technical and Scientific Products and Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products.

1.52%

Estimated Job Growth

10-year Projection

3.71%

National Growth

10-year Projection

This line chart shows the projected 10-year growth in the number of jobs for Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Technical and Scientific Products and Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products. This profession is expected to grow less than than 3.71%, the average rate of national job growth.