Sales Jobs: Pay and Commission

SALES HIRING — Sales is one of the few fields where a high school diploma can lead to a paycheck above the national median. Many sales jobs outside of retail don't require a degree. What they do take is a tolerance for pay that moves with your results, and in insurance and real estate, a state license.

Wholesale sales reps, insurance agents and real estate agents earned national medians of $57,400 to $76,460 a year in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, and all three have roles open to people with a high school diploma.

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💼 The Sales Jobs Worth Knowing

This guide covers sales jobs where you sell to businesses or sell a product that takes more than one conversation. Retail sales floors and cashier work are covered in our retail jobs guide.

Wholesale and manufacturing sales representative. You sell a distributor's or manufacturer's products to businesses: restaurants, contractors, hospitals, stores, other factories. Some reps work a territory in person, and others sell by phone and video from an office, which job posts often call inside sales. BLS counted 1,571,400 of these jobs in 2025, the most of any job in this guide.

Insurance sales agent. You sell auto, home, life, health or business coverage, then keep those clients when they renew. Some agents work for one insurance company, and others work for an agency that sells for several. BLS counted 572,600 jobs in 2025.

Real estate sales agent. You help people buy, sell and rent homes or commercial property, working under a licensed broker. BLS counted 530,600 real estate broker and agent jobs in 2025, and it reports that 54 percent of sales agents are self-employed.

Advertising sales agent. You sell ad space and airtime for media companies. A smaller field: 99,300 jobs in 2025.

💵 What Sales Jobs Pay

These are national medians from the BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, for May 2025. A median is the midpoint: half the people in the job earned less. In sales the spread around that midpoint is wide, because so much of the pay depends on results.

Job	National median pay, May 2025
Real estate brokers and sales agents	$57,400 a year ($27.59 an hour)
Insurance sales agents	$62,280 a year ($29.94 an hour)
Advertising sales agents	$64,820 a year ($31.16 an hour)
Wholesale and manufacturing sales reps	$76,460 a year ($36.76 an hour)
Sales managers	$148,270 a year
All occupations	$50,980 a year

The spread is the real story. For insurance agents, the lowest-paid 10 percent earned under $37,330 and the top 10 percent earned over $138,140. Real estate sales agents ran from under $32,970 to over $123,590. Wholesale reps selling technical and scientific products had a median of $104,920, while reps selling everything else had a median of $72,080.

💰 How Commission Actually Works

Sales pay comes in three basic forms. The job post should tell you which one you are signing up for.

Salary plus commission or bonus. BLS says most wholesale and manufacturing employers pay this way: a base salary, plus a commission figured as a percentage of what you sell, or a bonus tied to your own, your team's or the company's results. BLS says most advertising sales employers do the same. This is the safest place to start.

Mostly commission. BLS reports that commissions are the most common form of pay for insurance agents, especially experienced ones, and that independent agents may be paid on commission only. Real estate agents earn most of their income from commissions on sales, which means no paycheck until a deal closes.

The legal floor. Under federal rules, outside sales employees, whose main job is making sales in person away from the employer's office, are exempt from federal minimum wage and overtime requirements (29 CFR 541.500). Selling by phone, mail or internet from an office is not outside sales under those rules (29 CFR 541.502), so inside sales reps generally keep federal minimum wage and overtime protection. State law can add protections on top. Before you accept, ask about base pay, how commission is figured and what happens in a slow month.

🎓 Training and Licenses

Wholesale and manufacturing reps. BLS says a high school diploma is typically enough for many reps who sell nontechnical products, while technical and scientific products usually call for at least a bachelor's degree. Many companies run formal training programs for new reps, which BLS says can last up to a year. Professional certification exists but isn't required.

Insurance agents. You need a license in each state where you sell, and separate licenses for life and health insurance and for property and casualty. Your state's insurance department sets the requirements, and you can find them on its licensing page.

Real estate agents. Requirements are set state by state. BLS says they typically include being at least 18, a high school diploma or equivalent, prelicensing courses and a passing score on a state exam.

The step up. Sales managers typically need a bachelor's degree plus experience as a sales rep, according to BLS. That is the usual path: prove you can sell, then lead people who do.

🔥 Who's Hiring

Food, industrial, medical and building-supply distributors all hire wholesale reps. Manufacturers hire their own reps for their products. Insurance carriers and independent agencies hire agents and agency staff, and it is worth asking whether an agency will help you through licensing. Real estate brokerages regularly bring on newly licensed agents, but usually as independent contractors. Software, payroll and telecom companies hire inside sales and sales development reps to book meetings for account executives.

BLS projects 3 percent growth for insurance agents and 2 percent for real estate agents from 2025 to 2035, little or no change for wholesale reps, and a 7 percent decline for advertising sales agents. Projections are a model, not a promise. Openings are a different story: BLS projects about 123,400 a year for wholesale reps, 43,100 for insurance agents and 40,400 for real estate agents, mostly to replace people who leave.

⚠️ Who Sales Is Not For

If you need the same paycheck every two weeks, start with a salaried role, not a commission-only one. Expect quotas and a manager who tracks your numbers. Territory jobs can mean a lot of driving, and BLS notes that reps covering several states may be away from home for days or weeks at a time. Real estate agents often work evenings and weekends, and they pay their own licensing and business costs before they earn their first commission.

One more check: a real employer doesn't charge you to apply or to start. If a sales job asks you to pay for a starter kit or for training up front, read our job scam guide before you send any money. Licensing courses are different. You pay those to a school your state approves.

🔎 Where to Aim Right Now

Search the title and its common variants: inside sales, sales development representative and account executive are rungs on the same ladder.

Start here:

🗺️ Where to Look in Your City

Sales jobs follow business activity, so the largest metro economies on the network have the deepest pools of distributors, insurance agencies and brokerages.

Not on the list? Find your city.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can you get a sales job without a degree?

Yes. BLS lists a high school diploma as the typical entry point for insurance agents, real estate agents and advertising sales agents, and says a diploma is typically enough for many wholesale reps who sell nontechnical products. Technical sales and sales management usually call for a bachelor's degree.

How much do sales reps make?

Wholesale and manufacturing sales reps had a national median of $76,460 a year in May 2025, according to BLS. Insurance agents had a median of $62,280 and real estate agents and brokers $57,400. Commission makes the range wide in all three.

Do commission-only sales jobs pay minimum wage?

It depends on the job. Outside sales employees, who sell in person away from the office, are exempt from federal minimum wage and overtime. Inside sales reps who sell by phone or online from an office generally are not. State law may add more. Ask the employer exactly how pay works before you accept.

Do I need a license to sell insurance?

Yes. Insurance agents need a license in every state where they sell, with separate licenses for life and health and for property and casualty. Your state insurance department lists the steps.

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Sales Jobs: What They Pay and How Commission Really Works