Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, aged to 2026 using compounded market movement. State selections show BLS state-level figures where published. Actual pay varies with experience, industry, and organization size.
Sales Manager salary in Illinois
The average Sales Manager salary in Illinois is $173,000 per year on WePayFairly's 2026 basis. The 25th-to-75th-percentile range is $112,000 to $216,000. Based on BLS state wage data, aged to 2026.
The following occupation, experience, industry and career information describes the role nationally. For Illinois pay, use the state figures above and the state salary questions below.
Total cash compensation
Base salary plus target annual bonus. Target bonus opportunity scales with role level, so a higher base carries a higher target percentage.
Long-term incentive is not shown for this role. Equity awards are only disclosed publicly for the named executive officers of public companies, so no market figure exists for most jobs. See executive pay disclosures.
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About this role
Sales Manager is a professional role within the function in the Management job family.
Typical experience: 7 to 12 years at the Manager level, per widely used corporate career-level norms (Radford, Mercer, and SHRM career-level frameworks). Actual expectations vary by function, industry, and company size.
Oversee regional and local sales managers and their staffs.
Resolve customer complaints regarding sales and service.
Monitor customer preferences to determine focus of sales efforts.
Confer with potential customers regarding equipment needs, and advise customers on types of equipment to purchase.
Review operational records and reports to project sales and determine profitability.
Top skills:SpeakingNegotiationActive ListeningSocial PerceptivenessReading ComprehensionPersuasion
Includes information from O*NET OnLine by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (CC BY 4.0).
Sales Manager pay by experience level
Entry level$75,500
Typical starting pay (about the 10th percentile)
Early career$104,000
A few years in (about the 25th percentile)
Experienced$153,500
Mid-career median pay
Senior$214,500
Seasoned professionals (about the 75th percentile)
Top earners$300,500
Highest earners (about the 90th percentile)
Experience tiers are derived from the BLS wage percentile distribution for this occupation, aged to 2026. Actual pay varies by employer, location, and specialization.
Job outlook
+4.7%
projected change in jobs, 2024–2034
49,000
projected openings per year
Growing about as fast as average
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections program (2024–2034). Openings include growth and replacement needs.
National sector-level figures, BLS OEWS May 2025, aged to 2026.
Who works in this role
About 563,000 people held this occupation in the United States in 2025.
Women
33.2%
White
85.3%
Black or African American
5%
Asian
6.1%
Hispanic or Latino
13.5%
Race categories and Hispanic or Latino ethnicity overlap, so shares can sum to more than 100 percent. Figures describe this occupation across the national workforce, not any single employer. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Population Survey, Annual Averages, Table 11, 2025.
Pay trend
National median annual wage, 2020 to 2025: $132,290 to $148,270.
+12.1% over this period
Medians as published each May in the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics national estimates. Nominal dollars, not adjusted for inflation. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS.
Pay by experience level
How annual pay for this occupation spreads from newcomers to the highest paid, aged to 2026.
Entry10th percentile
$75,500
Early career25th percentile
$104,000
Median50th percentile
$153,500
Experienced75th percentile
$214,500
Top earners90th percentile
$300,500
Bands are the 10th, 25th, 50th, 75th, and 90th percentile annual wages for this occupation nationally. Percentiles reflect the full mix of tenure, employer, and location, so they approximate but do not equal years of experience. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS national estimates.
Where this job pays most
Top-paying states for this occupation, average annual wage aged to 2026.
State averages for this occupation from the BLS OEWS state estimates. Cost of living differs by state; a higher wage does not always mean more buying power.
Source: U.S. Department of Labor, O*NET occupational database.
Typical duties and FLSA status
Core duties
Oversee regional and local sales managers and their staffs.
Resolve customer complaints regarding sales and service.
Monitor customer preferences to determine focus of sales efforts.
Confer with potential customers regarding equipment needs, and advise customers on types of equipment to purchase.
Review operational records and reports to project sales and determine profitability.
FLSA classification (typical)
Typically Exempt · Executive exemption
Managerial roles at this level typically qualify for the Executive exemption because they customarily direct the work of two or more full-time employees and have authority over hiring, firing, or promotion decisions. Actual classification depends on the specific job duties, salary basis, and any applicable state or local rules. The current federal salary threshold for exemption is $684 per week ($35,568 per year), per the 2020 Department of Labor rule; the 2024 rule that would have raised the threshold was struck down by federal court in November 2024.
Pay outlook
Five-year pay outlook for this title
2026$170,000
2027$176,000
2028$182,000
2029$188,500
2030$195,000
2031$202,000
Projection assumes market wages keep rising about 3.5% a year, consistent with recent wage growth measured by the BLS Employment Cost Index. It reflects market movement for the title, not individual raises or promotions, which vary.
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Sources and assumptions
Modeled market estimate, aged to 2026. Underlying source families are BLS OEWS May 2025 for BLS-mapped occupations and the 2018–19 collection for corporate titles. Annual aging is compounded at approximately 3–4%; geographic, industry and company-size repricing are modeled. See the role details and methodology for the applicable source and assumptions.
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Related occupations from O*NET OnLine, U.S. Department of Labor.
Illinois salary questions
How much does a Sales Manager make in Illinois?
The average base salary for a Sales Manager in Illinois is $173,000 per year, or about $83.17 per hour, on WePayFairly's 2026 basis.
What is the median Sales Manager salary in Illinois?
The median is $160,500 per year on the same 2026 basis. The median is the middle wage in the state distribution; the average is $173,000.
What is the typical Sales Manager salary range in Illinois?
The 25th-to-75th-percentile range in Illinois is $112,000 to $216,000 per year on the 2026 basis. These percentiles describe the state wage distribution; individual pay varies by employer and experience.
How does Sales Manager pay in Illinois compare with the national average?
The Illinois average of $173,000 is $3,000 (1.8%) above the national average of $170,000. Both figures use WePayFairly's 2026 basis.
Where do these Illinois salary figures come from?
The state figures come from BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics state data. WePayFairly applies the same compounded market movement factor used elsewhere on this page to express the published figures on a 2026 basis. They are estimates, not a guarantee of a particular offer.
Need a defensible market price for this role? WePayFairly data is compiled from published survey sources and maintained by compensation professionals.
Need Sales Manager pay benchmarked for your organization, or defensible compensation analysis for a dispute or valuation? Grahall builds it from primary sources, backed by an expert who testifies.
