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Best states for a general sales manager
Quoted expert
Heath Weber
- Rank 1 - 10
- 11 - 20
- 21 - 30
- 31 - 40
- 41 - 51
General sales manager opportunities vary in different parts of the country. In order to help you determine the best states for general sales managers, we ranked all fifty states from best to worst for general sales managers.We wanted to look at the best states for general sales managers -- where there are plenty of general sales manager jobs to go around and general sales managers get paid what they deserve during every phase of their career.
The median salary for general sales managers in Connecticut is $152,424. Compare that to the median salary in Hawaii of $68,068, which ranked worst for general sales managers, and you can see how your location is important for your career.If you are currently seeking employment as a general sales manager, you can find open job positions using Zippia's search tools.
10 best states for general sales managers in 2026
1. Connecticut
Total general sales manager jobs: 948 Average annual salary: $152,424 Lowest 10 percent earn: $99,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $234,000 Location Quotient: 1.05
2. Michigan
Total general sales manager jobs: 2,154 Average annual salary: $142,655 Lowest 10 percent earn: $90,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $225,000 Location Quotient: 1.02
3. Kentucky
Total general sales manager jobs: 1,130 Average annual salary: $133,556 Lowest 10 percent earn: $83,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $214,000 Location Quotient: 1.12
4. Wyoming
Total general sales manager jobs: 175 Average annual salary: $133,985 Lowest 10 percent earn: $85,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $209,000 Location Quotient: 1.07
5. West Virginia
Total general sales manager jobs: 484 Average annual salary: $128,799 Lowest 10 percent earn: $79,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $208,000 Location Quotient: 1.16
6. Maine
Total general sales manager jobs: 271 Average annual salary: $157,254 Lowest 10 percent earn: $102,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $241,000 Location Quotient: 0.75
7. Washington
Total general sales manager jobs: 1,824 Average annual salary: $149,276 Lowest 10 percent earn: $98,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $225,000 Location Quotient: 0.91
8. New York
Total general sales manager jobs: 3,296 Average annual salary: $149,294 Lowest 10 percent earn: $96,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $231,000 Location Quotient: 0.94
9. District of Columbia
Total general sales manager jobs: 531 Average annual salary: $142,841 Lowest 10 percent earn: $90,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $224,000 Location Quotient: 1.16
10. Virginia
Total general sales manager jobs: 2,531 Average annual salary: $140,954 Lowest 10 percent earn: $89,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $222,000 Location Quotient: 0.98
General sales manager jobsNear Columbus, OH
How Zippia determines the best states to be a general sales manager
You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.
Detailed list of the best states for a general sales manager
| Rank | State | Average salary | Lowest 10% earn | Population | Job count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Connecticut | $152,424 | $99,000 | 3,588,184 | 948 |
| 2 | Michigan | $142,655 | $90,000 | 9,962,311 | 2,154 |
| 3 | Kentucky | $133,556 | $83,000 | 4,454,189 | 1,130 |
| 4 | Wyoming | $133,985 | $85,000 | 579,315 | 175 |
| 5 | West Virginia | $128,799 | $79,000 | 1,815,857 | 484 |
| 6 | Maine | $157,254 | $102,000 | 1,335,907 | 271 |
| 7 | Washington | $149,276 | $98,000 | 7,405,743 | 1,824 |
| 8 | New York | $149,294 | $96,000 | 19,849,399 | 3,296 |
| 9 | District of Columbia | $142,841 | $90,000 | 693,972 | 531 |
| 10 | Virginia | $140,954 | $89,000 | 8,470,020 | 2,531 |
| 11 | Vermont | $149,330 | $95,000 | 623,657 | 152 |
| 12 | Minnesota | $139,722 | $89,000 | 5,576,606 | 1,476 |
| 13 | Wisconsin | $127,124 | $78,000 | 5,795,483 | 1,605 |
| 14 | Pennsylvania | $131,603 | $82,000 | 12,805,537 | 2,976 |
| 15 | Maryland | $143,294 | $91,000 | 6,052,177 | 1,567 |
| 16 | Arizona | $130,973 | $81,000 | 7,016,270 | 1,557 |
| 17 | South Carolina | $124,934 | $74,000 | 5,024,369 | 1,265 |
| 18 | New Hampshire | $135,076 | $85,000 | 1,342,795 | 352 |
| 19 | California | $126,995 | $79,000 | 39,536,653 | 9,585 |
| 20 | Massachusetts | $135,232 | $85,000 | 6,859,819 | 1,980 |
| 21 | Delaware | $124,199 | $76,000 | 961,939 | 376 |
| 22 | Missouri | $127,499 | $78,000 | 6,113,532 | 1,510 |
| 23 | Utah | $124,586 | $79,000 | 3,101,833 | 843 |
| 24 | Ohio | $116,867 | $70,000 | 11,658,609 | 2,969 |
| 25 | Nevada | $128,353 | $81,000 | 2,998,039 | 447 |
| 26 | Oregon | $122,576 | $78,000 | 4,142,776 | 1,175 |
| 27 | Arkansas | $113,736 | $68,000 | 3,004,279 | 764 |
| 28 | Idaho | $124,346 | $79,000 | 1,716,943 | 364 |
| 29 | Texas | $110,151 | $63,000 | 28,304,596 | 6,209 |
| 30 | Colorado | $121,990 | $76,000 | 5,607,154 | 1,634 |
| 31 | Alabama | $104,211 | $59,000 | 4,874,747 | 1,528 |
| 32 | Rhode Island | $120,171 | $74,000 | 1,059,639 | 274 |
| 33 | North Dakota | $116,675 | $73,000 | 755,393 | 210 |
| 34 | Alaska | $122,931 | $83,000 | 739,795 | 155 |
| 35 | North Carolina | $105,362 | $62,000 | 10,273,419 | 2,685 |
| 36 | Tennessee | $97,099 | $56,000 | 6,715,984 | 1,831 |
| 37 | Indiana | $102,472 | $60,000 | 6,666,818 | 1,815 |
| 38 | Montana | $113,673 | $71,000 | 1,050,493 | 242 |
| 39 | Mississippi | $101,548 | $57,000 | 2,984,100 | 585 |
| 40 | New Jersey | $113,282 | $69,000 | 9,005,644 | 1,761 |
| 41 | South Dakota | $109,997 | $67,000 | 869,666 | 169 |
| 42 | Illinois | $103,190 | $61,000 | 12,802,023 | 3,176 |
| 43 | Louisiana | $88,668 | $49,000 | 4,684,333 | 971 |
| 44 | Oklahoma | $102,488 | $60,000 | 3,930,864 | 759 |
| 45 | Iowa | $106,508 | $64,000 | 3,145,711 | 656 |
| 46 | New Mexico | $105,965 | $63,000 | 2,088,070 | 422 |
| 47 | Georgia | $92,803 | $52,000 | 10,429,379 | 2,857 |
| 48 | Florida | $86,795 | $46,000 | 20,984,400 | 4,336 |
| 49 | Kansas | $94,802 | $56,000 | 2,913,123 | 761 |
| 50 | Nebraska | $99,183 | $59,000 | 1,920,076 | 467 |
| 51 | Hawaii | $68,068 | $47,000 | 1,427,538 | 193 |
Highest paying states for general sales managers
| Rank | State | Avg. General Sales Manager Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Connecticut | $152,424 |
| 2 | Michigan | $142,655 |
| 3 | Kentucky | $133,556 |
| 4 | Wyoming | $133,985 |
| 5 | West Virginia | $128,799 |
| 6 | Maine | $157,254 |
| 7 | Washington | $149,276 |
| 8 | New York | $149,294 |
| 9 | District of Columbia | $142,841 |
| 10 | Virginia | $140,954 |
| 11 | Vermont | $149,330 |
| 12 | Minnesota | $139,722 |
| 13 | Wisconsin | $127,124 |
| 14 | Pennsylvania | $131,603 |
| 15 | Maryland | $143,294 |
| 16 | Arizona | $130,973 |
| 17 | South Carolina | $124,934 |
| 18 | New Hampshire | $135,076 |
| 19 | California | $126,995 |
| 20 | Massachusetts | $135,232 |
| 21 | Delaware | $124,199 |
| 22 | Missouri | $127,499 |
| 23 | Utah | $124,586 |
| 24 | Ohio | $116,867 |
| 25 | Nevada | $128,353 |
| 26 | Oregon | $122,576 |
| 27 | Arkansas | $113,736 |
| 28 | Idaho | $124,346 |
| 29 | Texas | $110,151 |
| 30 | Colorado | $121,990 |
| 31 | Alabama | $104,211 |
| 32 | Rhode Island | $120,171 |
| 33 | North Dakota | $116,675 |
| 34 | Alaska | $122,931 |
| 35 | North Carolina | $105,362 |
| 36 | Tennessee | $97,099 |
| 37 | Indiana | $102,472 |
| 38 | Montana | $113,673 |
| 39 | Mississippi | $101,548 |
| 40 | New Jersey | $113,282 |
| 41 | South Dakota | $109,997 |
| 42 | Illinois | $103,190 |
| 43 | Louisiana | $88,668 |
| 44 | Oklahoma | $102,488 |
| 45 | Iowa | $106,508 |
| 46 | New Mexico | $105,965 |
| 47 | Georgia | $92,803 |
| 48 | Florida | $86,795 |
| 49 | Kansas | $94,802 |
| 50 | Nebraska | $99,183 |
| 51 | Hawaii | $68,068 |
Expert opinions on the best states for general sales managers
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for general sales managers to find work opportunities?
Heath Weber
Assoc Dean for Performing Arts, Morningside College
Music teachers are in demand in every state. All of the grads in the past two years have found employment in the country, but that is not to say that we don't have students who leave Iowa to pursue teaching in another state. One of our recent grads just took a position at Mitchell HS in Mitchell, SD, directing one of the country's best show choir programs. A 2020 grad is teaching vocal music at Sioux City East and one of the most consistently successful programs in the state of Iowa. Morningside grads are highly sought after in the field of education and Music Education.
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Updated January 8, 2025