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Sales Manager

Sales Manager

Sales Managers at high-growth companies earn $105K–$167K. Median: $132K. Based on 2,222 public job postings (2025–2026). US DOL certified wage filings (FY2026): $170K median. Recruiting from Scratch's network includes 17,000+ sales managers, including 800+ with top-tier-company experience.

💰 $105K–$167K salary range

Median: $132K  ·  Based on 2,222 public job postings  ·  Updated August 30, 2026


📊 Salary breakdown

Sales Manager salary by location

  • All locations: $132K median ($105K–$167K typical range)
  • New York: $154K median, $120K–$197K range (+17% vs. national)
  • San Francisco: $173K median, $150K–$229K range (+31% vs. national)
  • Chicago: $133K median, $115K–$163K range (+1% vs. national)
  • Los Angeles: $117K median, $95K–$163K range (-12% vs. national)
  • Boston: $142K median, $110K–$179K range (+8% vs. national)
  • Denver: $128K median, $106K–$155K range (-3% vs. national)
  • Seattle: $125K median, $93K–$160K range (-5% vs. national)
  • Austin: $136K median, $104K–$214K range (+3% vs. national)

Highest paying companies

San Francisco

  • Scribe: $313K median
  • Anthropic: $310K median
  • Harvey: $230K median
  • Figma: $218K median
  • Decagon: $196K median
  • Rippling: $170K median

New York

  • PermitFlow: $338K median
  • Harvey: $230K median
  • Ramp: $219K median
  • Block: $205K median
  • Rippling: $185K median
  • Justworkslabs: $168K median

Based on companies with 3+ active postings. Median of publicly advertised salary range.

What's typically included

  • Health insurance: 76% of postings
  • Equity (RSU/options): 64% of postings
  • Flexible PTO: 52% of postings
  • Parental leave: 28% of postings
  • Learning/education budget: 18% of postings
  • Visa sponsorship: 4% of postings

Typical experience required: 5–6 years.

Sales salaries by seniority

What does a Sales Manager do?

Sales Managers are revenue leaders who build pipeline and close business. This benchmark reflects Manager-level base compensation at high-growth and AI-native companies.

Government wage data

For corroboration, U.S. Department of Labor certified wage filings (FY2026) show a median of $170K for Sales Manager roles, ranging $145K–$205K, across 223 filings. This is reported separately from — never blended with — the job-posting median above.

Common questions

What is the average Sales Manager salary at an AI startup?
The median pay is $132K, with a typical range of $105K–$167K, based on 2,222 public job postings collected in 2025–2026.

What is the Sales Manager salary in New York?
New York Sales Managers at AI-native startups earn a median of $154K, with a typical range of $120K–$197K (25th–75th percentile). That's 17% above the $132K US national median. 11% below San Francisco's $173K. Based on 242 qualifying postings, 2025–2026.

What is the Sales Manager salary in San Francisco?
San Francisco Sales Managers at AI-native startups earn a median of $173K, with a typical range of $150K–$229K (25th–75th percentile). That's 31% above the $132K US national median. Based on 168 qualifying postings, 2025–2026.

What is the Sales Manager salary in Chicago?
Chicago Sales Managers at AI-native startups earn a median of $133K, with a typical range of $115K–$163K (25th–75th percentile). That's 1% above the $132K US national median. 23% below San Francisco's $173K. Based on 71 qualifying postings, 2025–2026.

What is the Sales Manager salary in Los Angeles?
Los Angeles Sales Managers at AI-native startups earn a median of $117K, with a typical range of $95K–$163K (25th–75th percentile). That's 12% below the $132K US national median. 32% below San Francisco's $173K. Based on 61 qualifying postings, 2025–2026.

Where does this salary data come from?
It is aggregated from public job postings on company career pages — no private placement or client data. We require a minimum of 15 postings per role.

Methodology

Figures are the midpoint of each posting's advertised USD salary range, aggregated from 2,222 public job postings (2025–2026). The range shown is the 25th–75th percentile; the median is the 50th percentile. Equity is separate and not included; where a posting's range reflects on-target earnings (OTE) for commission roles, that is included in the midpoint. Roles require at least 15 postings to be published. Last refreshed August 30, 2026.

Hiring Sales Managers? RFS recruiters specialize in Sales placements at AI-native and high-growth startups. Talk to an RFS recruiter →

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