2021 Earning potential of a medical sales rep
Average Compensation
Medical Device Sales Reps
$177,993
Average Compensation
General Medical Sales Reps
$172,527
Average
Base Salary
General Medical Sales Reps
$104,649
Income by Product and Market
Biotechnology shows the highest total compensation for the third year in a row. Pharmaceuticals, medical supplies, and medical equipment have increased year-over-year.
Physician, Surgery / OR, and Hospital markets are the most common to sell to. Surgery / OR proves to be the most profitable market for sales reps. Although the base salaries are lower, they receive higher commissions than those selling to other markets.
Medical Device
$177,993
Surgical Device
$176,056
Biotechnology
$198,523
Pharmaceutical
$148,475
Capital Equipment / DME
$188,351
Medical Supplies / Disposables
$170,971
Did you know?
46% of Medical Sales College graduates are placed in careers outside of Orthopaedics. Our custom sales methodology promotes a transferable skillset to multiple industries.
Average Compensation Based on Age
Sales reps going into their 30s see a significant income jump, and it is this age group earning the highest commissions. Reps in their 40s report the highest total income, despite making a lower base salary than those in their 50s and 60s.
Once reps have ten years of experience (most do in their 30s), additional experience does not affect income as much as it does in earlier stages of a career in medical sales.
Ages 20-30
Base
$62,679
Commission
$52,698
Total Avg. Compensation
$110,099
Ages 31-40
Base
$93,233
Commission
$88,744
Total Avg. Compensation
$170,459
Ages 41-50
Base
$113,925
Commission
$84,882
Total Avg. Compensation
$189,809
Highest Among Age Groups
income By Employer Size
- Manufacturer
- Distributor
- Service Provider
Large (1,000+ full-time employees)
- $186,202
- $183,691
- $131,556
Medium (51-999 full-time employees)
- $172,854
- $121,817
- $152,508
Small (50 or fewer full-time employees)
- $174,686
- $142,217
- $129,579
50% of reps work for large manufacturers.
No matter the size of the company, those who work for manufacturers report the highest income.
Nearly 2,000 employed medical sales professionals took the salary report survey in March 2021.
income By Job Title
Sales Director/Sales VP
$247,450
Sales Management
$215,609
Account Manager
$170,919
Sales - Field
$166,359
Independent Rep/1099 Rep
$133,185
Nothing affects Medical Sales Rep salaries as much as job title. Income increases with responsibility. Sales Managers earn a base salary that is 40% more than the reps they manage. Medical Sales Directors and VPs earn a base salary that is 24% more than Sales Managers.
Despite the differences in base salaries, the average commissions for the medical sales job titles listed were within a 10% range.
medical sales reps love their jobs
Job Satisfaction – 82% very or somewhat satisfied with their job
- 37% very satisfied
- 45% somewhat satisfied
- 13% somewhat dissatisfied
- 5% very dissatisfied
Income Satisfaction – 78% very or somewhat satisfied with their income
- 28% very satisfied
- 50% somewhat satisfied
- 15% somewhat dissatisfied
- 7% very dissatisfied
All data shown above is based on The 2021 MedReps Medical Sales Salary Report
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©2021 Medical Sales College
Medical Sales College is licensed and operating as Med Sales Institute in CA – DE – FL – GA – TX
©2021 Medical Sales College
Medical Sales College is licensed and operating as Med Sales Institute in CA – DE – FL – GA – TX