Updated April 6, 2023

Pharmaceutical Sales Representative Salary Estimate

$68,571

$32.97 hourly

Entry level Salary
$42,000 yearly

How much does a Pharmaceutical Sales Representative make?

The average salary for a pharmaceutical sales representative in the United States is $68,571. Pharmaceutical sales representative salaries typically range between $42,000 and $110,000 a year. The average hourly rate for pharmaceutical sales representatives is $32.97 per hour.

Location, education, and experience impacts how much a pharmaceutical sales representative can expect to make. Pharmaceutical sales representatives make the most in Massachusetts, New York, Connecticut, Nevada, and Vermont.

Research Summary.
  • The average salary for a pharmaceutical sales representative is $68,571 in the US.
  • The average pharmaceutical sales representative salary ranges between $42,000 and $110,000 in the US.
  • Hourly rates for pharmaceutical sales representatives in the US typically range between $20 and $52 an hour.
  • The average pharmaceutical sales representative salary is $93,352 in Massachusetts, $85,964 in New York, and $82,395 in Connecticut. These are the three highest-paying states for pharmaceutical sales representatives in the US.
  • Eli Lilly and Company has the highest average salary for pharmaceutical sales representatives.
  • Pharmaceutical is the highest-paying industry for pharmaceutical sales representatives in the US.

Highest Paying States For Pharmaceutical Sales Representatives

Throughout the U.S., the average salary for a pharmaceutical sales representative is roughly $68,571 per year, which boils down to $32.97 per hour. Interestingly enough, pharmaceutical sales representatives have the highest salaries in Boston, MA at about $93,512 per year. For those who are just starting out, the average entry-level salary in Boston, MA is $54,000. Additionally, pharmaceutical sales representatives make more than the average salary in New York, NY, Camden, NJ, Alexandria, VA, San Jose, CA, and Philadelphia, PA. On a more broad level, pharmaceutical sales representative salaries are highest in Massachusetts, New York, Connecticut, Nevada, Vermont, Rhode Island, and New Jersey. On the contrary, Arkansas, Nebraska, and Hawaii offer the lowest pharmaceutical sales representative salaries.
  • State View
  • County View
Average Salary:

Pharmaceutical Sales Representative average salary by State

RankStateAvg. SalaryHourly RateJob Count
1Rhode Island$77,975$37.49479
2Massachusetts$93,352$44.882,552
3Nevada$79,439$38.19605
4New York$85,964$41.333,690
5Connecticut$82,395$39.61934
6New Jersey$77,365$37.193,083
7Vermont$78,118$37.56215
8Pennsylvania$66,965$32.194,209
9New Hampshire$76,511$36.78402
10Maine$74,558$35.85304
11Arizona$68,668$33.011,606
12Delaware$72,949$35.07271
13West Virginia$70,484$33.89305
14Virginia$71,081$34.172,194
15California$68,755$33.068,648
16Utah$61,667$29.651,035
17Oregon$64,056$30.801,314
18Illinois$64,353$30.943,249
19Kentucky$63,237$30.40871
20New Mexico$67,867$32.63375
21Wisconsin$62,033$29.821,410
22Ohio$58,578$28.163,262
23Texas$62,709$30.155,359
24Iowa$62,161$29.89841
25North Dakota$64,831$31.17167
26Louisiana$66,303$31.88651
27Tennessee$59,259$28.491,495
28Maryland$64,442$30.981,478
29District of Columbia$70,204$33.75322
30North Carolina$56,414$27.122,571
31Idaho$56,331$27.08437
32Colorado$61,032$29.341,257
33Minnesota$57,397$27.591,672
34Florida$51,945$24.974,950
35South Carolina$55,382$26.631,130
36Indiana$55,116$26.501,457
37Kansas$54,806$26.35703
38Washington$58,879$28.311,526
39Michigan$54,290$26.101,524
40Wyoming$53,174$25.56119
41Montana$33,990$16.34359
42Georgia$49,327$23.712,267
43Nebraska$45,535$21.89552
44Oklahoma$52,965$25.46556
45Arkansas$45,670$21.96556
46Missouri$46,665$22.441,238
47Alaska$50,902$24.47106
48Alabama$34,902$16.78962
49Mississippi$46,277$22.25352
50South Dakota$34,059$16.37185
51Hawaii$39,914$19.19136

Highest Paying Cities For Pharmaceutical Sales Representatives

RankCityAvg. SalaryHourly RateJob Count
1Boston, MA$93,512$44.964
2New York, NY$86,258$41.474
3Camden, NJ$76,133$36.60
4Alexandria, VA$73,660$35.41
5San Jose, CA$72,502$34.86
6Philadelphia, PA$67,907$32.655
7Florence, KY$65,794$31.63
8Chicago, IL$64,955$31.232
9Baltimore, MD$64,811$31.162
10Austin, TX$63,980$30.76
11Green Bay, WI$63,016$30.30
12Denver, CO$60,872$29.273
13Salt Lake City, UT$60,842$29.25
14Durham, NC$57,942$27.86
15Minneapolis, MN$57,355$27.57

Pharmaceutical Sales Representative Salary by Years of Experience

The salary for a pharmaceutical sales representative can vary depending on the years of experience that a person has, from entry level to senior level. An accountant with 0-2 years of experience earns an average salary of $54,593, a mid-career professional with 3-6 years of experience makes $68,571 a year on average, and a senior level accountant with 7-12 years of experience enjoys an average annual salary of $140,505. Data on how experience level affects total compensation is provided by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) as part of their National Compensation Survey, which is based on factors such as knowledge, complexity, contacts, and environment.

Pharmaceutical Sales Representative Salary By Experience Level

Experience LevelAvg. SalaryHourly Rate
Entry Level$54,600$26.25
Mid Level$91,700$44.08
Senior Level$141,000$67.55

Pharmaceutical Sales Representatives Salary Details

Average Pharmaceutical Sales Representative Salary Graph
Average Pharmaceutical Sales Representative Salary Graph, Trends, and Summary

What is a Pharmaceutical Sales Representative's Salary?

PercentileAnnual SalaryMonthly SalaryHourly 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 Types of Pharmaceutical Sales Representatives

Job TitleAnnual SalaryMonthly SalaryHourly RateJob Openings
Representative$36,023$3,002$17.32252,761
Territory Representative$39,761$3,313$19.12155,926
Sales Development Representative$51,504$4,292$24.76199,588
Field Technical Representative$52,665$4,389$25.32200,868
Specialty Representative$49,201$4,100$23.6550,435
Professional Healthcare Representative$37,042$3,087$17.81127,891

Here are the five companies hiring the most now:

  1. Bristol-Myers Squibb Jobs (117)
  2. Eli Lilly and Company Jobs (438)
  3. Novartis Jobs (205)
  4. Bayer Jobs (70)
  5. Boehringer Ingelheim Jobs (206)

Which Companies Pay Pharmaceutical Sales Representatives The Most?

According to our most recent salary estimates, Eli Lilly and Company and AstraZeneca are the highest paying companies for pharmaceutical sales representatives.
RankCompanyAverage SalaryHourly RateJob Openings
1Eli Lilly and Company$111,775$53.749
2AstraZeneca$93,701$45.05121
3QuintilesIMS$65,431$31.4652
4Community Pharmacy Services LLC$61,994$29.80
5Fresenius Medical Care Windsor, LLC$61,916$29.772
6Ashfield Healthcare$61,724$29.68
7TrialCard$61,341$29.49
8Lilly & Company$61,111$29.384
9Indivior$60,833$29.2524
10Fresenius Medical Care North America Holdings Limited Partnership$58,594$28.173
11Patterson Companies$57,295$27.5548

How Much Do Pharmaceutical Sales Representatives Make In Different Industries?

Here are some examples of how much a pharmaceutical sales representative salaries can based on different industries:

  1. The pharmaceutical industry pays pharmaceutical sales representatives an average salary of $82,541

  2. The manufacturing industry pay $75,421

  3. The lowest paying industry for pharmaceutical sales representatives is the finance industry. Pharmaceutical sales representatives in this industry earn an average salary of $62,710

Highest Paying Industries For Pharmaceutical Sales Representatives

RankIndustryAverage SalaryHourly Rate
1Pharmaceutical$82,541$39.68
2Manufacturing$75,421$36.26
3Health Care$70,945$34.11
4Finance$62,710$30.15

High Paying Pharmaceutical Sales Representative Jobs

Pharmaceutical Sales Representative Pay Trends

Average Pharmaceutical Sales Representative Salary Over Time

Compare salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.

    Pharmaceutical Sales Representative Salary By Year

    YearAvg. SalaryHourly Rate% Change
    2023$68,600$32.97+6.5%
    2022$64,100$30.82+1.7%
    2021$63,100$30.31+1.1%
    2020$62,400$29.99-0.2%
    2019$62,500$30.05+3.5%

    Recently Added Pharmaceutical Sales Representative Salaries

    CompanyJobLocationDate AddedSalary
    J&J Family of CompaniesInstitutional Sales Representative, Cardiovascular-Bronx, NY-Janssen Pharmaceuticals, LLC.Albany, NY04/21/2023$80,000
    Gotham Enterprises Ltd.Pharmaceutical Sales REPGreenbelt, MD04/17/2023$60,000
    LillyPharmaceutical Sales Representative-Associate Territory Manager, Primary CareAmes, IA04/14/2023$57,000
    Johnson & JohnsonInstitutional Sales Representative, Cardiovascular-SAN Jose, CA-Janssen Pharmaceuticals, LLC.San Jose, CA04/06/2023$80,000
    Gotham Enterprises Ltd.Pharmaceutical Sales RepresentativeWashington, DC04/06/2023$60,000
    Gotham Enterprises Ltd.Pharmaceutical Sales RepresentativeAlexandria, VA04/06/2023$60,000
    Gotham Enterprises Ltd.Pharmaceutical Sales RepresentativeBaltimore, MD04/06/2023$60,000
    LillyPharmaceutical Sales Representative-Associate Territory Manager-Primary CareNew York, NY04/05/2023$57,000
    Eli Lilly and CompanyPharmaceutical Sales Representative-Associate Territory Manager Primary CareSan Clemente, CA04/01/2023$57,000
    LillyPharmaceutical Sales Representative-Associate Territory Manager Primary CareSan Clemente, CA03/31/2023$57,000

    Pharmaceutical Sales Representative Salaries FAQs

    What State Pays Pharmaceutical Sales Representatives The Most?

    Massachusetts pays Pharmaceutical Sales Representatives the most in the United States, with an average salary of $93,352 per year, or $44.88 per hour.

    How Do I Know If I'm Being Paid Fairly As A Pharmaceutical Sales Representative?

    You know if you are being paid fairly as a Pharmaceutical Sales Representative if your pay is close to the average pay for the state you live in. For example, if you live in New York you should be paid close to $85,964 per year.

    How Much Commission Do Pharmaceutical Sales Reps Make?

    Pharmaceutical sales representatives get paid through a combination of base salary, commission, and bonuses; about half of this amount is commission. Many pharmaceutical sales representatives have an even split between base salary and their commission and bonuses.

    Search For Pharmaceutical Sales Representative Jobs