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Job outlook for car sales consultants in the United States
Car sales consultant job growth summary. After extensive research, interviews, and analysis, Zippia's data science team found that:
The projected car sales consultant job growth rate is 0% from 2018-2028.
About 1,900 new jobs for car sales consultants are projected over the next decade.
Car sales consultant salaries have increased 19% for car sales consultants in the last 5 years.
There are over 169,408 car sales consultants currently employed in the United States.
There are 120,274 active car sales consultant job openings in the US.
The average car sales consultant salary is $68,853.
Are car sales consultant jobs in demand?
Car sales consultant job and salary trends over time
Car sales consultant jobs over time
Car sales consultant job growth rate over time
| Year | # of jobs | % of population |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 169,408 | 0.05% |
| 2020 | 172,676 | 0.05% |
| 2019 | 181,993 | 0.05% |
| 2018 | 182,616 | 0.05% |
| 2017 | 186,407 | 0.06% |
Average car sales consultant salary over time
Car sales consultant salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $68,853 | $33.10 | +7.2% |
| 2024 | $64,200 | $30.87 | +4.3% |
| 2023 | $61,531 | $29.58 | +4.3% |
| 2022 | $59,013 | $28.37 | +2.3% |
| 2021 | $57,666 | $27.72 | +4.1% |
Car sales consultant jobs by state
Most common states for car sales consultants
| Rank | State | Population | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | South Dakota | 869,666 | 180 | 21% |
| 2 | Alabama | 4,874,747 | 915 | 19% |
| 3 | Mississippi | 2,984,100 | 440 | 15% |
| 4 | Massachusetts | 6,859,819 | 906 | 13% |
| 5 | Connecticut | 3,588,184 | 455 | 13% |
| 6 | Oklahoma | 3,930,864 | 463 | 12% |
| 7 | New Hampshire | 1,342,795 | 159 | 12% |
| 8 | Florida | 20,984,400 | 2,270 | 11% |
| 9 | Georgia | 10,429,379 | 1,168 | 11% |
| 10 | District of Columbia | 693,972 | 77 | 11% |
| 11 | North Carolina | 10,273,419 | 1,025 | 10% |
| 12 | New Jersey | 9,005,644 | 875 | 10% |
| 13 | Maryland | 6,052,177 | 580 | 10% |
| 14 | Utah | 3,101,833 | 298 | 10% |
| 15 | Virginia | 8,470,020 | 796 | 9% |
| 16 | Wisconsin | 5,795,483 | 518 | 9% |
| 17 | Kentucky | 4,454,189 | 390 | 9% |
| 18 | Hawaii | 1,427,538 | 129 | 9% |
| 19 | Rhode Island | 1,059,639 | 96 | 9% |
| 20 | Vermont | 623,657 | 58 | 9% |
Most common cities for car sales consultants
| Rank | City | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl | Avg. salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dubuque | 2 | 3% | $55,114 |
| 2 | College Park | 1 | 3% | $69,138 |
| 3 | Duluth | 1 | 3% | $67,669 |
| 4 | Hopkinsville | 1 | 3% | $55,208 |
| 5 | Cedar Rapids | 2 | 2% | $53,974 |
| 6 | Hattiesburg | 1 | 2% | $60,727 |
| 7 | Frederick | 1 | 1% | $68,872 |
| 8 | Inglewood | 1 | 1% | $78,360 |
| 9 | Macon | 1 | 1% | $68,478 |
| 10 | McKinney | 1 | 1% | $51,140 |
| 11 | Peoria | 1 | 1% | $55,428 |
| 12 | Chesapeake | 1 | 0% | $75,525 |
| 13 | Colorado Springs | 1 | 0% | $53,325 |
| 14 | Laredo | 1 | 0% | $54,014 |
| 15 | Richmond | 1 | 0% | $74,693 |
Car Sales Consultant job outlook: Expert opinions
Our panel of car sales consultant experts
Weber State University
University of Southern Mississippi
University of Alabama at Birmingham
University of Mount Union
Franklin and Marshall College
California State University Channel Islands
Ryan McKeehan
Weber State University
General Sales, Merchandising And Related Marketing Operations
What general advice would you give to a Car Sales Consultant?
Ryan McKeehan: I advise seeking experiences over money when you are beginning your career. Often, new graduates will take the job that offers the most compensation. Choosing employment that provides the best opportunities to develop different skill sets will pay dividends in the long run. Leadership and problem-solving depend heavily on the experiences one can draw upon.
What Car Sales Consultant skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Ryan McKeehan: At the start of one’s career, there are numerous ways to maximize one’s salary potential. One way is to change jobs every few years. The traditional stigma around job hopping has diminished, and each job change can bring new opportunities for salary upgrades and skill acquisition. By demonstrating a willingness to work hard and continuously upgrade skills, one can develop rare and valuable expertise that will be in high demand, opening doors to better opportunities and higher earnings.
What will help Car Sales Consultants increase their earning potential?
Ryan McKeehan: With the rapid advancement of AI and other technologies, the role of salespeople is evolving. In this changing landscape, superior soft skills will be in high demand. The ability to communicate effectively, provide exceptional customer service, and sell ethically will be more crucial than ever. By honing these skills, one can stay ahead in the job market.
What general advice would you give to a Car Sales Consultant?
Kevin Buckley: The biggest factor in earning potential is performance - salespeople get paid based on their ability to hit and exceed quotas through revenue generation. With a sales career, you have a lot of control over earnings. My advice is to be metrics-driven and have a plan to intentionally grow your sales skills through training, mentors, and personal development. Build a reputation for consistent over-achievement. It's also important to do research and understand typical compensation benchmarks. Some may offer higher base pay, while others offer more earnings leverage through aggressive commission/bonus structures.
What Car Sales Consultant skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Kevin Buckley: Adaptability - The sales environment is evolving rapidly with changes in buyer expectations, technologies, and go-to-market strategies. Successful salespeople will need to be highly adaptable, comfortable with change, and able to quickly adjust their approach as needed. Those stuck in outdated methods will struggle. Digital Selling - The ability to effectively sell through digital channels and virtual interactions is now table stakes. Mastering skills like virtual presentations, video marketing, social selling, and leveraging sales technology tools will separate the top performers. Buyers expect a seamless, digitally-enabled experience. Business Acumen - More than ever, salespeople need the ability to position their products/services as strategic solutions that tangibly impact the client's key objectives, financial metrics, and business outcomes. Knowing how to speak the language of business strategy is crucial for consultative selling.
What will help Car Sales Consultants increase their earning potential?
Kevin Buckley: My top advice is to be a continuous learner, both about your company/products and about the sales profession itself. Sales is a skill that requires ongoing development through practice, coaching, and studying new techniques. Don't rest on what you learned in school - seek out mentors, training opportunities, and ways to keep enhancing your sales capabilities. I would also advise resilience and to view every 'no' as a step closer to 'yes.' Sales has its share of rejection. Have a positive attitude, persist through obstacles, and be a student of why buyers say no so that you can improve.
What general advice would you give to a Car Sales Consultant?
Dr. John Hansen: Regarding the third question, the only real way to maximize your salary in sales is to perform well against the success metrics in place in your role. Sales is, for the most part, an outcome-based profession, meaning that pay increases (or decreases) based on outcomes attained. Whatever the success metrics are in the position one is currently in, they will maximize their income to the extent that they perform well in relation to these success metrics.
What Car Sales Consultant skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Dr. John Hansen: As to the first question, I would suggest any new graduate beginning in sales understand themselves to better understand what type of role they will best fit to. There has been a growing increase in assessment tests in sales to ensure that sales people are being placed in roles they will flourish in. For example, some sales people are more oriented towards finding new customers, while others are more oriented towards managing existing relationships. To the extent that new salespeople can better understand what role they will fit best to, and then secure that role, they are more likely to be successful. Beyond that, there is no substitute for hard work - particularly as one begins their career.
What will help Car Sales Consultants increase their earning potential?
Dr. John Hansen: In terms of the second question, consultative selling has become critically important and will become even more important moving forward in the future. Gone are the days of salespeople simply being able to show up and pitch products while negotiating price. Today, instead, salespeople must be able to craft solutions in response to their customer’s problems. They must truly be consultative in their approach, guiding their customers through the purchasing process. To the extent that they can do this, they will be more successful in their careers.
What general advice would you give to a Car Sales Consultant?
Derrek Schartz: Be agile and able to adapt. Sales has changed more of the last 20 years than over the previous 100. It's not your father's sales career. Over the last several decades the role of sales in most organizations has changed dramatically.
What Car Sales Consultant skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Derrek Schartz: To maximize your total income in sales one must always be learning and growing. Improving their knowledge, skills, and abilities particularly in light of the disruptions beginng to occur, such as AI, digitization, and others.
What will help Car Sales Consultants increase their earning potential?
Derrek Schartz: The future of sales will require a change to the knowledge, skills, and abilities of salespeople (KSAs). Knowledge is a very important part of what a salesperson needs to be effective.
Michael Grossman Ph.D.
Professor, Political Studies and International StudiesUniversity of Mount Union
Department of Political Science and International Studies
What certifications/licenses/courses can have the biggest impact for Car Sales Consultants?
Michael Grossman Ph.D.: It is less about licenses or courses and more about experiences. In this regard, internships are crucial.
What certifications/licenses/courses can have the biggest impact for Car Sales Consultants?
Cynthia Krom: Professional certifications matter. If your profession has a certification, you need to have that certification to be competitive in this new world. So, a public accountant needs to have a CPA, and a corporate accountant needs to have their CMA. A fraud examiner needs their CFE. Find out what is available in your profession and take whatever courses or exams are needed to be at the top of your game, because everyone else will.
We don't really know what will be happening with professional licenses with remote work. A psychotherapist may be licensed in New York, but remotely treating a client in New Mexico. Technically, they probably need a license in New Mexico. But who will control that? Will it just be the professional responsibility of the therapist to only practice where licensed? Will their malpractice insurance only cover them if the client is where they are licensed? What about a physician operating on someone a thousand miles away using robotics?
In terms of courses not related to professional certification or licensure, technology is where it is at. First and foremost, polish your Zoom skills. Zoom is now your face-to-face workplace and you need to be a pro. YouTube has great videos about lighting for Zoom, even with reflective eyeglasses. Perhaps your IT department is able to help with connectivity issues and learning remote technologies. And, as we have all recently seen, you need to learn how to turn off filters that make you look like a kitten! For nearly every field, you have to know Microsoft Office (Word, PowerPoint, and Excel) or similar programs. You need to know how to work collaboratively on projects through things like Google Drive. If you are not fluent in the basics, you are showing up for a horse race with a little pony.
Ekin Pehlivan Ph.D.
Associate Professor of MarketingCalifornia State University Channel Islands
Martin V. Smith School of Business and Economics
What's a good job out of college for Car Sales Consultants?
Ekin Pehlivan Ph.D.: I think a description of a "good" job opportunity is dependent on so many factors, almost all subjective. What I recommend my students usually, is that they try different things before graduation and find something that makes them feel a purpose other than (and in addition to) making ends meet. For this reason we started a program on our campus where students are hired to help non-profits and small businesses in our area of service. In this program, students get to gain and practice skills that can help them succeed in a corporate or freelance capacity. The students get to experiment without fear of losing a job and find what they would like their entry level positions to look like. While doing this they also help organizations and individuals who have the need but not the resources to get the services from professionals.