First-Line Supervisors of Non-Retail Sales Workers vs Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products: $88K vs $72K Median Pay

First-Line Supervisors of Non-Retail Sales Workers vs Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products: what changes?

Consider First-Line Supervisors of Non-Retail Sales Workers if you want to directly supervise and coordinate activities of sales workers other than retail sales workers. Consider Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products if you would rather sell goods for wholesalers or manufacturers to businesses or groups of individuals. Both list high school diploma or equivalent; compare training and prior experience separately. Prior experience in a related occupation is typically needed for First-Line Supervisors of Non-Retail Sales Workers (less than 5 years).

Try this next: Compare three local entry-level postings for First-Line Supervisors of Non-Retail Sales Workers and Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products. List the duties, credentials, prior experience, and paid training each employer actually asks for. Try a supervised class or sample project from each field before choosing a program.

BLS 2025 wages and 2025–2035 projections. National medians are not starting offers. Occupation size is not a count of vacancies. View the BLS data.

Compare the practical differences

First-Line Supervisors of Non-Retail Sales Workers

National median pay (2025): $87,520
Route into the job: High school diploma or equivalent; Prior related experience: less than 5 years
Prior related experience: Prior related experience: less than 5 years.
Training and licensing: BLS does not list a separate on-the-job training requirement. Employers may still provide orientation and role-specific training.
Work to investigate: Monitor sales staff performance to ensure that goals are met.
Annual openings (2025–2035): 21,700

Know before you choose

BLS lists less than 5 years of related experience. This is normally reached through feeder roles, not directly from school.

See the full First-Line Supervisors of Non-Retail Sales Workers brief

Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products

National median pay (2025): $72,080
Route into the job: High school diploma or equivalent; More than one month and up to 12 months of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing
Prior related experience: No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.
Training and licensing: More than one month and up to 12 months of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing.
Work to investigate: Answer customers' questions about products, prices, availability, product uses, and credit terms.
Annual openings (2025–2035): 99,800

Know before you choose

BLS projects employment to shrink 0.9% from 2025 to 2035. Openings can still occur when existing workers leave.

See the full Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products brief

How the national numbers differ

Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products has the edge on annual openings

Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products is at 99,800 annual openings, compared with 21,700 annual openings for First-Line Supervisors of Non-Retail Sales Workers.

First-Line Supervisors of Non-Retail Sales Workers has the edge on median pay

First-Line Supervisors of Non-Retail Sales Workers is at $87,520, compared with $72,080 for Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products.

First-Line Supervisors of Non-Retail Sales Workers has the edge on projected growth

First-Line Supervisors of Non-Retail Sales Workers is at 0.5% projected growth, compared with -0.9% projected growth for Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products.

58.2/ 100

First-Line Supervisors of Non-Retail Sales Workers

56.9/ 100

Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products

Each available metric is ranked from 0 to 100 against the careers on ChooseField. The weighted average uses this profile: pay 30%, growth 25%, openings 30%, preparation level 15%. Missing values are not scored as zero; their weights are redistributed across available metrics. Occupation size has zero weight: employment is not accessible vacancies. Preparation categories do not measure admission difficulty or years without earnings. The score summarizes national measures; local opportunities and personal fit still need separate consideration.

Detailed evidence

First-Line Supervisors of Non-Retail Sales Workers vs Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products

Dimension	First-Line Supervisors of Non-Retail Sales Workers	Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products
Median pay (2025)	$87,520	$72,080
Pay percentile	76.3 percentile	62 percentile
Projected growth (2025–2035)	0.5%	-0.9%
Annual openings (2025–2035)	21,700	99,800
2025 employment	311,900	1,279,400
How you qualify	High school diploma or equivalent; Prior related experience: less than 5 years	High school diploma or equivalent; More than one month and up to 12 months of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing
O*NET preparation group	Job Zone 4	Job Zone 4
Related work experience	Prior related experience: less than 5 years.	No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.
On-the-job training	BLS does not list a separate on-the-job training requirement. Employers may still provide orientation and role-specific training.	More than one month and up to 12 months of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing.

The table reports national benchmarks and reviewed work descriptions. It does not rate personal suitability, job security, or physical safety.

Read First-Line Supervisors of Non-Retail Sales Workers brief Read Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products brief

First-Line Supervisors of Non-Retail Sales Workers vs Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products: what changes?

The facts most likely to affect your decision

First-Line Supervisors of Non-Retail Sales Workers

Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products

How the national numbers differ

Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products has the edge on annual openings

First-Line Supervisors of Non-Retail Sales Workers has the edge on median pay

First-Line Supervisors of Non-Retail Sales Workers has the edge on projected growth

First-Line Supervisors of Non-Retail Sales Workers vs Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products

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