Marketing Managers vs Sales Managers: $167K vs $148K Median Pay

Marketing Managers vs Sales Managers: what changes?

Consider Marketing Managers if you want to plan, direct, or coordinate marketing policies and programs, such as determining the demand for products and services offered by a firm and its competitors, and identify potential customers. Consider Sales Managers if you would rather plan, direct, or coordinate the actual distribution or movement of a product or service to the customer. Both list bachelor's degree; compare training and prior experience separately. Prior experience in a related occupation is typically needed for Marketing Managers (5 years or more) and Sales Managers (less than 5 years).

Try this next: Compare three local entry-level postings for Marketing Managers and Sales Managers. 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

Marketing Managers

National median pay (2025): $166,790
Route into the job: Bachelor's degree; Prior related experience: 5 years or more
Prior related experience: Prior related experience: 5 years or more.
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: Identify, develop, or evaluate marketing strategy, based on knowledge of establishment objectives, market characteristics, and cost and markup factors.
Annual openings (2025–2035): 34,000

Know before you choose

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

See the full Marketing Managers brief

Sales Managers

National median pay (2025): $148,270
Route into the job: Bachelor's degree; 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: Oversee regional and local sales managers and their staffs.
Annual openings (2025–2035): 47,300

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 Sales Managers brief

How the national numbers differ

Marketing Managers has the edge on projected growth

Marketing Managers is at 6.9% projected growth, compared with 4.5% projected growth for Sales Managers.

Sales Managers has the edge on annual openings

Sales Managers is at 47,300 annual openings, compared with 34,000 annual openings for Marketing Managers.

Marketing Managers has the edge on median pay

Marketing Managers is at $166,790, compared with $148,270 for Sales Managers.

79.1/ 100

Marketing Managers

75.6/ 100

Sales Managers

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

Marketing Managers vs Sales Managers

Dimension	Marketing Managers	Sales Managers
Median pay (2025)	$166,790	$148,270
Pay percentile	96.3 percentile	95 percentile
Projected growth (2025–2035)	6.9%	4.5%
Annual openings (2025–2035)	34,000	47,300
2025 employment	421,600	650,100
How you qualify	Bachelor's degree; Prior related experience: 5 years or more	Bachelor's degree; Prior related experience: less than 5 years
O*NET preparation group	Job Zone 4	Job Zone 4
Related work experience	Prior related experience: 5 years or more.	Prior related experience: less than 5 years.
On-the-job training	BLS does not list a separate on-the-job training requirement. Employers may still provide orientation and role-specific training.	BLS does not list a separate on-the-job training requirement. Employers may still provide orientation and role-specific training.

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

Read Marketing Managers brief Read Sales Managers brief

Marketing Managers vs Sales Managers: what changes?

The facts most likely to affect your decision

Marketing Managers

Sales Managers

How the national numbers differ

Marketing Managers has the edge on projected growth

Sales Managers has the edge on annual openings

Marketing Managers has the edge on median pay

Marketing Managers vs Sales Managers

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