Best degree programs for Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, ranked by enrollment
6 college programs and 242 schools train Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing. Compare graduates per year, cost and pay, $72,080 median wage, 1,238,190 U.S. jobs. Federal data.
6 college programs at 242 schools train sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, graduating 6,900 people a year (IPEDS completions). The largest is Sales, Distribution, and Marketing Operations, General. The job pays a median of $72,080 (BLS OEWS May 2025).
About sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing
Sell goods for wholesalers or manufacturers to businesses or groups of individuals. Work requires substantial knowledge of items sold.
Fields of study that lead to this job
Grouped at the 4-digit CIP level, the tier our program pages are built on. Numbers are graduates per year.
6 degree programs that lead to this job
Ranked by graduates per year (IPEDS completions). Graduate earnings and debt are College Scorecard figures for people who finished the program, reported at the 4-digit CIP level, so specializations within one field share a figure. That is a different measurement from the occupation-wide wages further down this page.
| # | Program | Graduates / yr | Share of pipeline | Schools | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CIP 52.1801 | 3,572 | 51.8% | 138 | $50,281 | $24,250 |
| 2 | CIP 52.1902 | 2,552 | 37.0% | 84 | $35,157 | $26,750 |
| 3 | CIP 01.0105 | 269 | 3.9% | 12 | $47,242 | $19,964 |
| 4 | CIP 52.1899 | 229 | 3.3% | 12 | $50,281 | $24,250 |
| 5 | CIP 52.1909 | 204 | 3.0% | 8 | $35,157 | $26,750 |
| 6 | CIP 52.1904 | 74 | 1.1% | 8 | $35,157 | $26,750 |
Top 50 schools by graduates into this job
Counting every feeder program a school offers, not just its largest one.
What sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing earn
What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.
Top-paying states
Top-paying metro areas
Job outlook
Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections, 2024 to 2034.
Where the jobs are, state by state
Pick a state for in-state pay, the schools there, and the programs they run.
| State | Median pay | Jobs | Concentration | Schools | Graduates / yr |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York | $79,590 | 61,500 | 0.80× | 19 | 2,500 |
| California | $76,490 | 134,800 | 0.93× | 57 | 955 |
| Texas | $65,970 | 95,670 | 0.85× | 12 | 691 |
| Pennsylvania | $66,130 | 51,270 | 1.06× | 11 | 389 |
| Iowa | $66,760 | 16,990 | 1.37× | 13 | 334 |
| Ohio | $73,960 | 58,740 | 1.33× | 8 | 321 |
| Missouri | $61,940 | 21,960 | 0.94× | 7 | 227 |
| Wisconsin | $65,930 | 37,700 | 1.61× | 16 | 209 |
| South Carolina | $64,250 | 22,010 | 1.20× | 7 | 188 |
| Minnesota | $76,750 | 31,230 | 1.33× | 11 | 172 |
| Georgiamoderate | $63,860 | 43,630 | 1.12× | 4 | 171 |
| Michigan | $72,980 | 40,960 | 1.17× | 9 | 77 |
| Florida | $62,490 | 92,920 | 1.18× | 5 | 73 |
| New Hampshirelimited | $72,790 | 4,940 | 0.91× | 1 | 62 |
| New Jerseymoderate | $79,410 | 34,360 | 1.01× | 3 | 55 |
| Kentuckylimited | $64,280 | 15,550 | 0.98× | 2 | 52 |
| Rhode Islandmoderate | $82,420 | 4,870 | 1.22× | 3 | 46 |
| Illinois | $73,510 | 51,310 | 1.06× | 7 | 43 |
| North Carolinamoderate | $70,990 | 49,110 | 1.25× | 4 | 39 |
| Kansasmoderate | $68,960 | 12,630 | 1.10× | 3 | 34 |
| Massachusettsmoderate | $79,810 | 22,700 | 0.78× | 4 | 31 |
| Virginiamoderate | $63,400 | 22,570 | 0.69× | 3 | 24 |
| Connecticutlimited | $75,570 | 9,870 | 0.73× | 1 | 23 |
| New Mexicolimited | $61,320 | 3,660 | 0.53× | 1 | 20 |
| Oregonlimited | $74,180 | 15,020 | 0.96× | 2 | 20 |
| Indianalimited | $71,330 | 32,350 | 1.27× | 2 | 19 |
| Tennesseemoderate | $61,630 | 23,850 | 0.91× | 3 | 17 |
| Arkansaslimited | $55,120 | 12,740 | 1.23× | 2 | 16 |
| Utahmoderate | $61,980 | 13,900 | 1.01× | 4 | 15 |
| Idaholimited | $64,840 | 7,210 | 1.06× | 1 | 12 |
| Washingtonlimited | $79,830 | 27,340 | 0.97× | 2 | 12 |
| Arizonalimited | $72,390 | 19,400 | 0.75× | 2 | 8 |
| Marylandlimited | $73,080 | 9,070 | 0.41× | 1 | 8 |
| North Dakotalimited | $74,250 | 4,180 | 1.22× | 1 | 8 |
| Alabamalimited | $64,140 | 20,470 | 1.22× | 1 | 5 |
| Coloradolimited | $79,250 | 27,530 | 1.20× | 1 | 5 |
| Oklahomalimited | $62,160 | 14,220 | 1.05× | 1 | 5 |
| Mississippimoderate | $59,320 | 7,000 | 0.76× | 3 | 4 |
| District of Columbialimited | $80,010 | 560 | 0.10× | 1 | 3 |
| Mainelimited | $63,960 | 3,320 | 0.65× | 1 | 2 |
| Louisianalimited | $63,290 | 19,120 | 1.24× | 1 | 1 |
Skills and tools
From O*NET, the U.S. Department of Labor's occupational database. Importance is a 1 to 5 scale.
What they do day to day
- Answer customers' questions about products, prices, availability, product uses, and credit terms.
- Recommend products to customers, based on customers' needs and interests.
- Estimate or quote prices, credit or contract terms, warranties, and delivery dates.
- Consult with clients after sales or contract signings to resolve problems and to provide ongoing support.
- Prepare sales contracts and order forms.
- Provide customers with product samples and catalogs.
- Monitor market conditions, product innovations, and competitors' products, prices, and sales.
- Perform administrative duties, such as preparing sales budgets and reports, keeping sales records, and filing expense account reports.
Skills
- Active Listening4.0
- Speaking4.0
- Critical Thinking3.5
- Reading Comprehension3.4
- Writing3.3
- Monitoring3.1
- Active Learning3.1
- Mathematics2.3
Knowledge areas
- Sales and Marketing4.9
- Customer and Personal Service4.8
- English Language4.4
- Mathematics3.9
- Transportation3.7
- Computers and Electronics3.2
Abilities
- Oral Expression4.0
- Speech Clarity3.9
- Oral Comprehension3.9
- Written Comprehension3.8
- Speech Recognition3.8
- Written Expression3.6
Core activities
- Selling or Influencing Others4.9
- Getting Information4.5
- Making Decisions and Solving Problems4.4
- Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge4.4
- Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships4.3
- Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates4.2
Tools and technology
hotmarks an O*NET hot technologyHow to get in
How to become a Sales Representative
Job zone 4 of 5 · SVP 7.0 to < 8.0- Typical entry education
- High school diploma or equivalent
- On-the-job training
- Moderate-term on-the-job training
Most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.
A considerable amount of work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is needed for these occupations. For example, an accountant must complete four years of college and work for several years in accounting to be considered qualified.
Employees in these occupations usually need several years of work-related experience, on-the-job training, and/or vocational training.
Every major mapped to this job
The official federal mapping behind the rankings above.
All 6 majors mapped to Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing6 of them graduated someone in the latest IPEDS year. NCES CIP 2020 → SOC 2018 crosswalk.+
- 01.0105Agricultural/Farm Supplies Retailing and Wholesaling
- 52.1801Sales, Distribution, and Marketing Operations, General
- 52.1899General Merchandising, Sales, and Related Marketing Operations, Other
- 52.1902Fashion Merchandising
- 52.1904Apparel and Accessories Marketing Operations
- 52.1909Special Products Marketing Operations
Related careers
Jobs O*NET identifies as close to this one, with their own pay and outlook.
Common questions
What degree do you need to become a Sales Representative?+
High school diploma or equivalent is the typical entry-level education BLS reports for this occupation. The most common program people actually graduate from is Sales, Distribution, and Marketing Operations, General, which awarded 3,572 degrees in 2024-25, 51.8% of everyone graduating from a program that feeds this career.
Which college majors lead to becoming a Sales Representative?+
The NCES CIP-to-SOC crosswalk maps 6 programs to this occupation. The largest are General Sales, Specialized Sales, Agricultural Business and Management. Together they graduate about 6,900 people a year.
How much do sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing earn?+
The median is $72,080 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). The middle range runs from $39,090 at the 10th percentile to $137,550 at the 90th. This is pay for people already working in the occupation, not the same thing as graduate earnings one year after finishing a degree.
Is demand for sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing growing?+
BLS projects a +0.3% change in employment between 2024 and 2034, little or no change, with roughly 114,800 openings a year nationally once retirements and job changes are counted.
How many schools offer programs for this career?+
242 institutions reported graduates from at least one of the 6 programs that feed this occupation in IPEDS 2024-25. Rankings on this page use graduates per year, because the federal data publishes no enrollment count by program.
What other job titles do sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing work under?+
Employers advertise this work under many names. O*NET records Salesman, Sales Consultant, Outside Sales Representative, Sales Representative (Sales Rep) among the most commonly reported, all mapping to SOC 41-4012.
About the data on this page
Rankings use IPEDS completions 2024-25, degrees awarded per year. That is the closest federal measure of how many people a program puts into a career, because no federal dataset publishes enrollment by program. Wages and employment come from BLS OEWS May 2025, growth and openings from BLS Employment Projections 2024-34, and which majors lead to which jobs from the NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk. Occupation descriptions, tasks, skills and tools are O*NET 30.3 (CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor/ETA).
BLS Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics
May 2025Wages, employment counts, location quotients and metro breakdowns.
BLS Employment Projections
2024–34Projected growth, annual openings and typical entry-level education.
IPEDS Completions
2024-25 (provisional)Graduates per year by program and institution — the ranking metric.
College Scorecard, Field of Study
2020-21 cohortsMedian graduate earnings one year after completion, and median debt.
Census Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes
latest availableGraduate earnings 1/5/10 years out, where the state participates.
NCES CIP 2020 and the CIP-to-SOC 2018 crosswalk
CIP 2020 / SOC 2018Which college programs officially lead to this occupation.
O*NET Database 30.3
30.3Tasks, skills, knowledge, tools, job zone and alternate job titles.
Official source →CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor / ETA
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