Sales associate managers work in retail settings assisting customers in their purchases. They provide information on products, help to select the right item, resolve complaints, arrange returns and refunds, and generally make sure that clients have an excellent shopping experience.

Sales associates have a thorough knowledge about the merchandise offered by the business, and they know where items are placed so they can confidently direct the customer to find what they are looking for. Sales associates manage payments, make sure shelves are always stocked, see to it that sales goals are achieved, and keep the space clean and in order.

Apart from sales tasks, sales associate managers assist the sales manager in his/her or her duties in running the store. They help out with hiring and training staff, overseeing inventory, and staying on top of the sales game by researching competitors and customers' desires.

What Does a Sales Associate/Manager Do

There are certain skills that many sales associate/managers have in order to accomplish their responsibilities. By taking a look through resumes, we were able to narrow down the most common skills for a person in this position. We discovered that a lot of resumes listed analytical skills, communication skills and customer-service skills.

Learn more about what a Sales Associate/Manager does

How To Become a Sales Associate/Manager

If you're interested in becoming a sales associate/manager, one of the first things to consider is how much education you need. We've determined that 43.8% of sales associate/managers have a bachelor's degree. In terms of higher education levels, we found that 2.8% of sales associate/managers have master's degrees. Even though some sales associate/managers have a college degree, it's possible to become one with only a high school degree or GED.

Learn More About How To Become a Sales Associate/Manager

Sales Associate/Manager Career Paths

Average Salary for a Sales Associate/Manager

Sales Associate/Managers in America make an average salary of $41,412 per year or $20 per hour. The top 10 percent makes over $55,000 per year, while the bottom 10 percent under $30,000 per year.
Average Sales Associate/Manager Salary
$41,412 Yearly
$19.91 hourly

What Am I Worth?

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States With The Most Sales Associate/Manager Jobs

Mouse over a state to see the number of active sales associate/manager jobs in each state. The darker areas on the map show where sales associate/managers earn the highest salaries across all 50 states.

Average Salary: Job Openings:

Number Of Sales Associate/Manager Jobs By State

RankStateNumber of JobsAverage Salary
1California13,278$44,990
2Texas7,818$41,302
3Florida6,959$41,231
4Illinois5,641$39,819
5New York5,109$45,423
6Pennsylvania4,823$39,996
7North Carolina4,353$40,796
8Georgia4,353$41,150
9Virginia3,853$46,833
10Ohio3,627$38,851
11Massachusetts3,354$51,230
12New Jersey3,325$47,584
13Michigan3,196$39,181
14Indiana3,012$39,280
15Missouri2,581$40,669
16Arizona2,556$39,565
17Washington2,537$41,080
18Maryland2,481$36,085
19Tennessee2,436$41,704
20Minnesota2,413$44,423
21Wisconsin2,340$40,822
22Colorado2,065$44,410
23South Carolina1,867$42,544
24Alabama1,659$40,680
25Louisiana1,472$38,044
26Connecticut1,393$44,100
27Kentucky1,382$34,869
28Oregon1,279$38,071
29Arkansas1,179$40,007
30Utah1,136$39,117
31Iowa1,065$33,272
32Oklahoma1,051$36,671
33Kansas1,035$40,905
34Mississippi893$40,520
35Nevada699$37,487
36New Hampshire620$41,813
37New Mexico602$38,480
38Nebraska575$41,552
39Idaho559$40,041
40Maine514$41,161
41Delaware508$43,473
42West Virginia497$28,259
43Montana459$40,229
44North Dakota407$41,809
45Rhode Island328$47,908
46Hawaii270$41,561
47South Dakota247$41,415
48Vermont246$42,984
49Alaska230$41,699
50Wyoming217$42,809

Sales Associate/Manager Education

Sales Associate/Manager Majors

27.5 %

Sales Associate/Manager Degrees

Bachelors

43.8 %

High School Diploma

26.0 %

Associate

20.4 %

Top Colleges for Sales Associate/Managers

1. SUNY College of Technology at Delhi

Delhi, NY • Private

In-State Tuition

$8,360

Enrollment

3,142

2. SUNY Farmingdale

Farmingdale, NY • Private

In-State Tuition

$8,306

Enrollment

9,394

3. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-State Tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

4. University of Georgia

Athens, GA • Private

In-State Tuition

$11,830

Enrollment

29,474

5. Purdue University

West Lafayette, IN • Private

In-State Tuition

$9,992

Enrollment

33,495

6. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

In-State Tuition

$51,354

Enrollment

7,083

7. Baylor University

Waco, TX • Private

In-State Tuition

$45,542

Enrollment

14,159

8. SUNY College of Technology at Alfred

Alfred, NY • Private

In-State Tuition

$8,570

Enrollment

3,721

9. Syracuse University

Syracuse, NY • Private

In-State Tuition

$51,853

Enrollment

14,759

10. Ball State University

Muncie, IN • Private

In-State Tuition

$9,896

Enrollment

15,529

Top Skills For a Sales Associate/Manager

The skills section on your resume can be almost as important as the experience section, so you want it to be an accurate portrayal of what you can do. Luckily, we've found all of the skills you'll need so even if you don't have these skills yet, you know what you need to work on. Out of all the resumes we looked through, 34.4% of sales associate/managers listed customer service on their resume, but soft skills such as analytical skills and communication skills are important as well.

Choose From 10+ Customizable Sales Associate/Manager Resume templates

Zippia allows you to choose from different easy-to-use Sales Associate/Manager templates, and provides you with expert advice. Using the templates, you can rest assured that the structure and format of your Sales Associate/Manager resume is top notch. Choose a template with the colors, fonts & text sizes that are appropriate for your industry.

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Sales Associate/Manager diversity

Sales Associate/Manager Gender Distribution

Female
Female
56%
Male
Male
44%

After extensive research and analysis, Zippia's data science team found that:

  • Among sales associate/managers, 55.8% of them are women, while 44.2% are men.

  • The most common race/ethnicity among sales associate/managers is White, which makes up 61.2% of all sales associate/managers.

  • The most common foreign language among sales associate/managers is Spanish at 65.1%.

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Best States For a Sales Associate/Manager

Some places are better than others when it comes to starting a career as a sales associate/manager. The best states for people in this position are Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New Jersey, and Virginia. Sales associate/managers make the most in Massachusetts with an average salary of $51,230. Whereas in Rhode Island and New Jersey, they would average $47,908 and $47,584, respectively. While sales associate/managers would only make an average of $46,833 in Virginia, you would still make more there than in the rest of the country. We determined these as the best states based on job availability and pay. By finding the median salary, cost of living, and using the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Location Quotient, we narrowed down our list of states to these four.

1. Massachusetts

Total Sales Associate/Manager Jobs: 3,354
Highest 10% Earn:
$60,000
Location Quotient:
0.91

2. New Jersey

Total Sales Associate/Manager Jobs: 3,325
Highest 10% Earn:
$61,000
Location Quotient:
1.04

3. Virginia

Total Sales Associate/Manager Jobs: 3,853
Highest 10% Earn:
$60,000
Location Quotient:
1.02
Full List Of Best States For Sales Associate/Managers

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Top Sales Associate/Manager Employers

Most Common Employers For Sales Associate/Manager

RankCompanyAverage SalaryHourly RateJob Openings
1WET$76,400$36.7381
2Gap Inc.$48,464$23.3087
3Dollar General$42,227$20.30294
4T-Mobile$42,214$20.3091
5Victoria's Secret$41,873$20.13117
6Sears Holdings$40,092$19.27112
7GNC$39,869$19.17119
8Furniture Row$39,792$19.13344
9Macy's$39,311$18.90145
10Walmart$39,207$18.85710

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