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St. Louis · Occupational wage benchmark

Sales Managers Salary in St. Louis

What Sales Managers actually earn in the St. Louis metro area — the published BLS median, what it is worth after local costs, and how it ranks against other major metros.

Direct answer
Sales Managers in the St. Louis metro area earn a median of $123,870 per year (-16.5% vs national, #41 of 47 major metros). Because the area price level is 95.1 against a U.S. average of 100, that salary carries roughly the purchasing power of $130,269 nationally. These are BLS occupational wage benchmarks across all workers — not MBA-graduate-specific outcomes.

Sources: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) (May 2024 estimates (published April 2025)), St. Louis, MO-IL metro estimates for SOC 11-2022; cost-of-living adjustment from U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis — Regional Price Parities by Metropolitan Statistical Area (MARPP) (2024). Occupational wage benchmarks across all workers, not MBA-specific outcomes.

Median annual wage
$123,870
Sales Managers in St. Louis
Adjusted for cost of living
$130,269
St. Louis price level 95.1 (U.S. = 100)
Rank among metros
#41 of 47
#39 after cost of living
Workers employed
4,060
in metro St. Louis

What Sales Managers earn in St. Louis, adjusted for what it costs to live there

A headline wage only means something next to local prices. Once local prices are accounted for, St. Louis moves up 2 places — the paycheck stretches further than the nominal figure suggests.

MetroMedian (nominal)Adjusted for cost of living
New York$215,150$191,137
Boston$206,610$190,836
San Jose$201,780$182,734
Seattle$184,320$165,855
Denver$181,580$171,655
Washington DC$175,820$161,475
San Francisco$170,810$147,743
Richmond$168,590$172,280
Atlanta$166,920$166,823
Raleigh$163,520$166,590
Buffalo$163,090$170,162
Portland$162,640$154,277
Charlotte$162,000$166,413
Hartford$161,410$157,096
Virginia Beach$158,750$162,087
Chicago$158,690$153,183
Minneapolis$158,100$150,827
Philadelphia$156,500$152,603
Detroit$155,560$155,098
Austin$151,760$154,753

Nominal medians: BLS OEWS, May 2024 estimates (published April 2025) — occupational wage benchmarks across all workers, not MBA-specific outcomes. Adjusted column: SalaryMBA estimate, computed as nominal ÷ (metro RPP ÷ 100) using BEA MARPP 2024 regional price parities.

The national pay range for Sales Managers

BLS publishes the full percentile distribution nationally. The spread within the occupation is usually far wider than the gap between metros.

Percentile (national)Annual wageReading
10th percentile$73,170Entry / early-career end
25th percentile$100,360
Median (50th)$148,270
75th percentile$207,340
90th percentile$290,540Senior / top-market end

Other MBA-relevant roles in St. Louis

How to read the St. Louis number

The $123,870 median means half of Sales Managers in the St. Louis area earn less and half earn more. It is measured across everyone in the occupation — every experience level, industry, and level of education. It is not the salary of a recent MBA graduate, and it is not a starting salary.

BLS counts roughly 4,060 people in this role in the St. Louis area. To compare against the state and national picture, see Sales Managers nationally or model your own economics with the MBA ROI calculator.

Frequently asked questions

How much do Sales Managers make in St. Louis?

Sales Managers in the St. Louis metro area earn a median of $123,870 per year, according to BLS OEWS May 2024 estimates (published April 2025). That is -16.5% vs national, ranking St. Louis #41 of 47 major metros we track for this role. This is an occupational wage benchmark across all workers in the metro, not an MBA-graduate-specific salary.

Is $123,870 a good salary in St. Louis?

It depends on local prices. The St. Louis area price level is 95.1 against a U.S. average of 100, so $123,870 there carries roughly the purchasing power of $130,269 nationally — about $6,399 more than the headline number implies. Once local prices are accounted for, St. Louis moves up 2 places — the paycheck stretches further than the nominal figure suggests.

Do Sales Managers in St. Louis need an MBA?

These BLS figures cover everyone in the occupation regardless of degree, so they cannot isolate what an MBA adds. Sales Managers is a role MBA graduates commonly target, and an MBA can affect where you land within the range through network, function, and seniority — but any precise MBA premium for this role in St. Louis would not be supported by this data.

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Every figure on SalaryMBA is source-labeled. See our methodology for how we source and gate data.