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Pharmaceutical sales representative salary
Average pharmaceutical sales representative salary
$68,571
Understanding Pharmaceutical Sales Representative Salaries
The average salary for a Pharmaceutical Sales Representative is approximately $68,571 per year, translating to about $33 per hour. This compensation can vary based on factors like geographical location, years of experience, and specific industry sectors.
For instance, representatives with more experience often see higher salaries. States such as California and New York typically offer higher wages due to the increased cost of living and robust healthcare markets.
Salary by Experience Level
Entry-level representatives may earn around $55,000, while seasoned professionals can make upwards of $80,000 or more, depending on their sales performance and client relationships.
Opportunities for Advancement
Those in this field can enhance their earning potential through additional certifications or by transitioning into management roles, such as district manager or product manager, where salaries can exceed $100,000.
Understanding these dynamics is crucial for job seekers aiming to maximize their career in pharmaceutical sales.
Let Zippia find your next pharmaceutical sales representative job
Let Zippia find your next pharmaceutical sales representative job
Where can a Pharmaceutical Sales Representative earn more?
Pharmaceutical sales representative salaries by experience level
| Experience level | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|
| Entry-level pharmaceutical sales representative | $54,600 | $26.25 |
| Mid-level pharmaceutical sales representative | $91,700 | $44.08 |
| Senior-level pharmaceutical sales representative | $141,000 | $67.55 |
Pharmaceutical sales representative salary estimates from across the web
Average pharmaceutical sales representative salary by state
The highest-paying states for pharmaceutical sales representatives are Massachusetts, New York, and Connecticut. The lowest average pharmaceutical sales representative salary states are Arkansas, Nebraska, and Hawaii.
- State view
- County view
Highest paying states for pharmaceutical sales representatives
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rhode Island | $77,975 | $37.49 |
| 2 | Massachusetts | $93,352 | $44.88 |
| 3 | Nevada | $79,439 | $38.19 |
| 4 | New York | $85,964 | $41.33 |
| 5 | Connecticut | $82,395 | $39.61 |
| 6 | New Jersey | $77,365 | $37.19 |
| 7 | Vermont | $78,118 | $37.56 |
| 8 | Pennsylvania | $66,965 | $32.19 |
| 9 | New Hampshire | $76,511 | $36.78 |
| 10 | Maine | $74,558 | $35.85 |
| 11 | Arizona | $68,668 | $33.01 |
| 12 | Delaware | $72,949 | $35.07 |
| 13 | West Virginia | $70,484 | $33.89 |
| 14 | Virginia | $71,081 | $34.17 |
| 15 | California | $68,755 | $33.06 |
| 16 | Utah | $61,667 | $29.65 |
| 17 | Oregon | $64,056 | $30.80 |
| 18 | Illinois | $64,353 | $30.94 |
| 19 | Kentucky | $63,237 | $30.40 |
| 20 | New Mexico | $67,867 | $32.63 |
| 21 | Wisconsin | $62,033 | $29.82 |
| 22 | Ohio | $58,578 | $28.16 |
| 23 | Texas | $62,709 | $30.15 |
| 24 | Iowa | $62,161 | $29.89 |
| 25 | North Dakota | $64,831 | $31.17 |
| 26 | Louisiana | $66,303 | $31.88 |
| 27 | Tennessee | $59,259 | $28.49 |
| 28 | Maryland | $64,442 | $30.98 |
| 29 | District of Columbia | $70,204 | $33.75 |
| 30 | North Carolina | $56,414 | $27.12 |
| 31 | Idaho | $56,331 | $27.08 |
| 32 | Colorado | $61,032 | $29.34 |
| 33 | Minnesota | $57,397 | $27.59 |
| 34 | Florida | $51,945 | $24.97 |
| 35 | South Carolina | $55,382 | $26.63 |
| 36 | Indiana | $55,116 | $26.50 |
| 37 | Kansas | $54,806 | $26.35 |
| 38 | Washington | $58,879 | $28.31 |
| 39 | Michigan | $54,290 | $26.10 |
| 40 | Wyoming | $53,174 | $25.56 |
| 41 | Montana | $33,990 | $16.34 |
| 42 | Georgia | $49,327 | $23.71 |
| 43 | Nebraska | $45,535 | $21.89 |
| 44 | Oklahoma | $52,965 | $25.46 |
| 45 | Arkansas | $45,670 | $21.96 |
| 46 | Missouri | $46,665 | $22.44 |
| 47 | Alaska | $50,902 | $24.47 |
| 48 | Alabama | $34,902 | $16.78 |
| 49 | Mississippi | $46,277 | $22.25 |
| 50 | South Dakota | $34,059 | $16.37 |
| 51 | Hawaii | $39,914 | $19.19 |
Highest paying cities for pharmaceutical sales representatives
The highest-paying cities for pharmaceutical sales representatives are Boston, MA, New York, NY, and Camden, NJ.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Boston, MA | $93,512 | $44.96 |
| 2 | New York, NY | $86,258 | $41.47 |
| 3 | Camden, NJ | $76,133 | $36.60 |
| 4 | Alexandria, VA | $73,660 | $35.41 |
| 5 | San Jose, CA | $72,502 | $34.86 |
| 6 | Philadelphia, PA | $67,907 | $32.65 |
| 7 | Florence, KY | $65,794 | $31.63 |
| 8 | Chicago, IL | $64,955 | $31.23 |
| 9 | Baltimore, MD | $64,811 | $31.16 |
| 10 | Austin, TX | $63,980 | $30.76 |
| 11 | Green Bay, WI | $63,016 | $30.30 |
| 12 | Denver, CO | $60,872 | $29.27 |
| 13 | Salt Lake City, UT | $60,842 | $29.25 |
| 14 | Durham, NC | $57,942 | $27.86 |
| 15 | Minneapolis, MN | $57,355 | $27.57 |
| 16 | Springfield, OH | $57,179 | $27.49 |
| 17 | Indianapolis, IN | $54,687 | $26.29 |
| 18 | Detroit, MI | $54,641 | $26.27 |
| 19 | Fort Myers, FL | $53,432 | $25.69 |
| 20 | Atlanta, GA | $49,239 | $23.67 |
Pharmaceutical sales representative salary details
A pharmaceutical sales representative's salary ranges from $42,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $110,000 at the 90th percentile.
What is a pharmaceutical sales representative's salary?
| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $110,000 | $9,167 | $53 |
| 75th Percentile | $88,000 | $7,333 | $42 |
| Average | $68,571 | $5,714 | $33 |
| 25th Percentile | $53,000 | $4,417 | $25 |
| 10th Percentile | $42,000 | $3,500 | $20 |
Highest paying pharmaceutical sales representative jobs
The highest paying types of pharmaceutical sales representatives are senior sales representative, executive sales representative, and medical sales representative.
| Job title | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Representative | $36,023 | $3,002 | $17.32 | 252,761 |
| Territory Representative | $39,761 | $3,313 | $19.12 | 155,926 |
| Sales Development Representative | $51,504 | $4,292 | $24.76 | 199,588 |
| Field Technical Representative | $52,665 | $4,389 | $25.32 | 200,868 |
| Specialty Representative | $49,201 | $4,100 | $23.65 | 50,435 |
| Professional Healthcare Representative | $37,042 | $3,087 | $17.81 | 127,891 |
Top companies hiring pharmaceutical sales representatives now:
Which companies pay pharmaceutical sales representatives the most?
Pharmaceutical sales representative salaries at Eli Lilly and Company and AstraZeneca are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average pharmaceutical sales representative salary at companies like QuintilesIMS and Community Pharmacy Services LLC are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Eli Lilly and Company | $111,775 | $53.74 |
| 2 | AstraZeneca | $93,701 | $45.05 |
| 3 | QuintilesIMS | $65,431 | $31.46 |
| 4 | Community Pharmacy Services LLC | $61,994 | $29.80 |
| 5 | Fresenius Medical Care Windsor, LLC | $61,916 | $29.77 |
| 6 | Ashfield Healthcare | $61,724 | $29.68 |
| 7 | TrialCard | $61,341 | $29.49 |
| 8 | Lilly & Company | $61,111 | $29.38 |
| 9 | Indivior | $60,833 | $29.25 |
| 10 | Fresenius Medical Care North America Holdings Limited Partnership | $58,594 | $28.17 |
| 11 | Patterson Companies | $57,295 | $27.55 |
Wage gap by gender, race and education
Pharmaceutical Sales Representative salary by industry
The average pharmaceutical sales representative salary varies across industries:
- The average pharmaceutical sales representative salary in the pharmaceutical industry is $82,541, the highest of any industry.
- The average pharmaceutical sales representative salary in the finance industry is $75,421.
- Pharmaceutical sales representatives in the finance industry earn an average salary of $62,710, the lowest of any industry.
Highest paying industries for pharmaceutical sales representatives
| Rank | Industry | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pharmaceutical | $82,541 | $39.68 |
| 2 | Manufacturing | $75,421 | $36.26 |
| 3 | Health Care | $70,945 | $34.11 |
| 4 | Finance | $62,710 | $30.15 |
High paying pharmaceutical sales representative jobs
Pharmaceutical sales representative salary trends
The average pharmaceutical sales representative salary has risen by $9,417 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average pharmaceutical sales representative earned $59,154 annually, but today, they earn $68,571 a year. That works out to a 10% change in pay for pharmaceutical sales representatives over the last decade.
Compare pharmaceutical sales representative salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Average pharmaceutical sales representative salary over time
Compare pharmaceutical sales representative salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
Pharmaceutical sales representative salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $68,600 | $32.97 | +6.5% |
| 2024 | $64,100 | $30.82 | +1.7% |
| 2023 | $63,100 | $30.31 | +1.1% |
| 2022 | $62,400 | $29.99 | -0.2% |
| 2021 | $62,500 | $30.05 | +3.5% |
Recently added pharmaceutical sales representative salaries
| Company | Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Indivior | Specialty Pharmaceutical Sales Rep/Clinical Specialist | New York, NY | 06/28/2025 | $100,000 |
| David Bagga Company | Account Manager-Pharmaceutical Sales REP | El Paso, TX | 06/27/2025 | $65,000 |
| Syneos Health, Inc. | Pharmaceutical Sales Representative (PSR) | New York, NY | 06/27/2025 | $55,000 |
| ECA Recruiters | Pharmaceutical Sales Representative | San Jose, CA | 06/26/2025 | $125,000 |
| Lilly | Pharmaceutical Sales Representative-GI Specialty | Portland, OR | 06/26/2025 | $81,750 |
| Eli Lilly and Company | Pharmaceutical Sales Representative-GI Specialty | Portland, OR | 06/25/2025 | $81,750 |
| Promoveo Health | Pharmaceutical Sales Representative-Flex Time | Red Bank, NJ | 06/23/2025 | $30,000 |
| Iqvia | Pharmaceutical Sales Representative-GI | Phoenix, AZ | 06/17/2025 | $80,000 |
| Xeris Pharmaceuticals | Pharmaceuticals Sales Representative, Diabetes | Enon, OH | 06/17/2025 | $85,000 |
| Eversana | Pharmaceutical Sales Representative | New York, NY | 06/15/2025 | $110,000 |
Pharmaceutical sales representative salary FAQs
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