How to hire salespeople in the US in 2026

2 October 2026 · Andrew Kaplan

In 2026, a US enterprise hiring account executives should budget on-target earnings near $200,000 each. Plan for about six months of ramp per seller, based on The Bridge Group's 2026 survey. Put every commission plan in writing, which California requires. Check the pay transparency law in each state you post in. Then run the same live selling exercises for every candidate.

This guide is for sales leaders and talent acquisition teams at US enterprises hiring sellers at volume, across several territories and states. It covers account executives, sales managers and customer success managers. Every figure links to the page it comes from.

Which official US pay data fits an enterprise salesperson?

No US government series is called "account executive", so use the closest two. The US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) groups most business-to-business sellers as wholesale and manufacturing sales representatives. It splits them into sellers of technical and scientific products and everyone else. For sellers of software or technical products, we use the technical group. For a sales manager or regional head of sales, we use sales managers.

BLS describes how these sellers are paid: "Most employers use a combination of salary and commissions or salary plus bonuses."

How much does a salesperson cost in the US in 2026?

The median US sales representative for technical and scientific products earned $104,920 a year in May 2025, according to BLS. Sales managers had a median of $148,270. The figures below are the latest BLS publishes.

BLS occupation	Median annual wage, May 2025	Jobs, 2025	Projected change, 2025 to 2035
Sales representatives, technical and scientific products	$104,920	1,571,400 (both groups together)	0%, little or no change (both groups together)
Sales representatives, except technical and scientific products	$72,080	1,571,400 (both groups together)	0%, little or no change (both groups together)
Sales managers	$148,270	650,100	4%, about as fast as average

A BLS median covers all employers, from distributors to software companies. Pay also varies by industry. In May 2025, BLS reports, the median for technical sellers ran from $99,920 at equipment and supplies wholesalers to $133,690 at nondurable goods wholesalers. Build each pay band from the figures closest to your industry and territory. The Bridge Group's 2026 report surveyed 158 B2B companies and found a median account executive OTE of $200,000, up from $190,000 in 2024. Its respondents were sales leaders, revenue operations leaders and finance chiefs, surveyed online in the first half of 2026.

How do quota and on-target earnings work for US sales hires?

On-target earnings (OTE) are base salary plus the variable pay a seller earns at exactly 100 per cent of quota. Quota is the sales target for a period, usually counted in revenue. The Bridge Group found a median account executive quota of $960,000 in 2026, which is 4.6 times the median OTE. That ratio was 4.2 times in 2024.

Hitting quota is hard, and fewer sellers are doing it. The Bridge Group reports that 48% of reps were at quota in 2026, down from 51% in 2024. BLS names the pressure directly. It says sellers can be under considerable stress because their "income and job security often depend directly on the amount of merchandise they sell." Their companies "usually set goals or quotas that they are expected to meet."

Neither source publishes a typical split between base and variable pay, so we give no number here. Set the split by what the seller controls. A seller opening a new territory controls less than one taking over an established book of accounts, which argues for more base. For a customer success manager, decide whether variable pay follows renewals, expansion or neither.

How long does a new salesperson take to ramp in the US?

Plan for about half a year. The Bridge Group puts average ramp time to full productivity at 6.2 months in 2026, which it calls the "Highest in study history". It links the rise to more complex deals and bigger buying committees.

The same report found employers now ask for 3.7 years of experience at hire, up from 2.7 years in 2022. It says companies are demanding more experience as ramp costs rise.

Treat ramp as a capacity planning input. A seller hired this quarter adds little to this quarter's bookings, so hire about two quarters ahead of the revenue you need. Count each new hire at a lower quota during the ramp, written into the plan, with monthly goals for meetings and pipeline. With 48% of reps at quota in 2026, a territory plan that assumes every seller hits quota will fall short.

Do US commission plans have to be in writing?

In California, yes. Since 1 January 2013, California Labor Code section 2751 requires that a contract "involving commissions as a method of payment" be in writing. It must set out how commissions are computed and paid. Other states have their own wage rules, so check each state where your sellers work. A plan used across several states has to meet each of them.

The US Department of Labor's outside sales exemption from overtime covers sellers whose main job is making sales. They must also usually work away from the employer's place of business. Its fact sheet says outside sales "does not include sales made by mail, telephone or the Internet" unless that contact only supports personal calls. An inside seller who sells by phone and online does not qualify for that exemption. Check whether another exemption applies before you treat the role as exempt from overtime.

What do US pay transparency laws say about commission in job ads?

Several states require a pay range in job ads, and some treat commission explicitly. When pay is based on commission, California's Labor Commissioner says the ad must include "a good faith estimate of the piece rate or commission range".

State	Who must comply	What the ad must show	Commission
California	Employers with 15 or more employees	A pay scale: the salary or hourly wage range expected on hire	A commission range, if pay is based on commission. Bonuses and benefits are optional.
New York	See the state's guidance	Minimum and maximum annual salary or hourly pay, since 17 September 2023	The ad must clearly state if the position is commission-based
Washington	Employers with 15 or more employees	A wage scale or salary range, and a general description of benefits	Commissions count as other compensation to describe
Colorado	See the state's guidance	Compensation in all job postings, with information about benefits	Read the state's posting rules for detail

A remote role can still fall under a state's law. New York's Department of Labor says the pay range is required if the applicant reports to a New York supervisor, office or work site. That applies "regardless of whether the employee is working from home outside New York State." Its FAQ adds that commissions, bonuses and stock do not belong in the base range but may be listed separately. For a posting open to several states, the simplest course is to meet the strictest rule in every ad.

California also says an employer generally cannot seek an applicant's salary history, including compensation. So in California, ask a seller about quota attainment and deal sizes. Leave out what they were paid.

What should a US offer letter for a salesperson cover?

The offer letter should state base salary, OTE, quota and the commission plan, or attach the plan. The US Department of Labor's guidance on termination explains the default. Outside discrimination, whistleblower and other protected cases, a termination is governed by any contract between employer and employee. This is often called at-will employment. Avoid offer letter wording that promises a fixed term by accident. Keep one approved template per role level, so every recruiter states the same terms.

Say what happens to commission on deals that close after a seller leaves. Good sellers will ask.

Can you sponsor a work visa for a salesperson in the US?

Rarely, for most sales roles. The H-1B visa covers specialty occupations, which require a bachelor's or higher degree in a directly related specific specialty, or its equivalent. BLS lists a high school diploma as the typical entry education for non-technical sales representatives. It lists a bachelor's degree for technical sellers. Whether a sales role passes the specialty test depends on the role.

The rules are also in flux. A presidential proclamation required an additional $100,000 payment for certain H-1B petitions filed from 21 September 2025. USCIS says a federal court vacated its guidance on that payment on 8 June 2026, and that it will comply while it considers next steps. USCIS also says it still plans to collect the payment if the order is lifted. Check the USCIS page before you file, or hire sellers who have the right to work in the US.

How do you assess selling ability in a US interview?

Make candidates do the work. Live exercises show more than a résumé full of percentages.

Mock first call. A sales manager plays a sceptical buyer at a target account, from the same written brief for every candidate. Score how well the candidate finds the problem before showing the product.
Pipeline review. Give the candidate a short list of made-up deals with notes. Ask which ones close this quarter and why.
Account plan. Ask how they would open one named target account in their first month.
Attainment, in context. Ask for quota attainment over several periods, how quota was set and how the team did.
Reference from a former manager. Ask how the candidate forecast, and whether their forecasts held.

With many interviewers across teams and territories, consistency decides whether scores mean anything. Give every interviewer the same exercises and a written scorecard. Have each one score before the panel discusses the candidate. For a customer success hire, swap the first call for a renewal call with an unhappy customer. Keep the loop short; strong sellers have other offers.

How The Qualidex works for employers

The Qualidex is a hiring platform headquartered in Stockholm. Each candidate has one application that grows with every interview, whichever company it was for. When you post a job, we show it to candidates matched on what they proved in interviews, and their CV. Next to every requirement in your ad, you see what the candidate proved and in which interview.

Your teams book and run interviews on the platform. Every interviewer's evidence lands in one place, against the same requirements. Candidates, notes and stages sync to the ATS you already use, so your current systems stay in place. Posting a job is free; the fee is 5% of first-year salary when you hire, and there is no fee without a hire. You can also ask us about a custom monthly Enterprise plan instead. Teams that hire often can search the profiles themselves on a monthly subscription priced on hiring needs.

See pricing and how it works for employers. For why evidence from interviews matters, read why The Qualidex works.

If you also hire in Sweden, read how to hire salespeople in Stockholm in 2026. For other US roles, see our guides to software engineers, AI engineers and product designers.

Frequently asked questions

How much does a salesperson earn in the US in 2026?

The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports a median annual wage of $104,920 in May 2025 for sales representatives of technical and scientific products. Sales managers had a median of $148,270.

What is a typical OTE for an account executive in the US?

The Bridge Group's 2026 survey of 158 B2B companies found a median on-target earnings of $200,000 for account executives. The median quota was $960,000.

How long does a new account executive take to ramp?

The Bridge Group reports an average ramp time of 6.2 months in 2026, the highest in its study's history.

Does a commission plan have to be in writing in the US?

In California, yes. Since 1 January 2013, Labor Code section 2751 requires commission contracts to be in writing and to set out how commissions are computed and paid.

Do US job ads for sales roles have to show commission?

In some states. California requires a good faith estimate of the commission range when pay is based on commission. New York requires ads to state if a position is commission-based. Washington counts commissions among the other compensation an ad must describe.

Does a remote sales job need a pay range in New York?

It can. New York's Department of Labor says the pay range is required if the applicant reports to a New York supervisor, office or work site. That holds even when they work from home outside the state.

Sources

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