# First-Line Supervisors of Non-Retail Sales Workers

US SOC code 41-1012. Markdown version of https://futurehistory.earth/timeline/41-1012

Also called: Sales manager, Sales supervisor, B2B sales manager, Inside sales manager, Inside sales supervisor.

## In brief

In May 2025, [BLS](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm25nat.zip) counted **214,390** US first-line supervisors of non-retail sales workers, with median pay of **$87,520** a year. Of the BLS counts since 2012, the highest was **252,670**, in May 2016. The earliest figure here is [an estimate](https://www.hup.harvard.edu/books/9780674018334) of **85,000** from 1920, not measured the same way as today's count. The last full technology era in this work: Salesforce CRM + web-based pipeline management, 1999 to 2020.

## What the sources say

### Official outlook

BLS projects employment to change +0.5% from 2025 to 2035. Source: [BLS Employment Projections 2025-35](https://data.bls.gov/projections/nationalMatrix?queryParams=41-1012&ioType=o).

### AI exposure studies

- **44.4%** of this job's tasks are exposed to large language models. Not a forecast of job losses. [Eloundou and others, 2023](https://github.com/openai/GPTs-are-GPTs/blob/main/data/occ_level.csv)

Data as of BLS OEWS May 2025; BLS Employment Projections 2025-35. BLS publishes these counts as yearly survey snapshots and cautions against reading them as a precise trend. In May 2021 BLS changed how it estimates these counts (a model-based method using three years of survey data) and moved fully to the 2018 occupation codes, so part of a change across 2021 can come from the method rather than the work.

## First-Line Supervisors of Non-Retail Sales Workers employment and pay by year

- On record since: 1884
- Latest US employment: 214,390 (May 2025). Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 [4]
- Latest US median pay: $87,520 (May 2025). Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 [7]
- Outlook: +0.5% by 2035. Source: BLS Employment Projections 2025-35 [16]

### All 28 years of cited US data

| Year | US employment | Annual pay (median unless marked) | Source |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1920 | 85,000 (estimate) | n/a | Est., Walter A. Friedman, Birth of a Salesman [1] |
| 1950 | 200,000 (estimate) | n/a | Est., US Census Bureau [2] |
| 1956 | n/a | $8,500 (estimate) | Est., University of Missouri Libraries [5] |
| 1990 | 395,000 (estimate) | n/a | Est., IPUMS USA / BLS [2] |
| 2000 | 370,000 (estimate) | $48,960 | Est., Bureau of Labor Statistics (employment) [3]; BLS OEWS 2000 (pay) [6] |
| 2003 | 327,180 | $55,690 | BLS OEWS May 2003 [4] |
| 2004 | 307,610 | $59,300 | BLS OEWS May 2004 [4] |
| 2005 | 294,010 | $61,970 | BLS OEWS May 2005 [4] |
| 2006 | 285,690 | $65,510 | BLS OEWS May 2006 [4] |
| 2007 | 280,770 | $67,020 | BLS OEWS May 2007 [4] |
| 2008 | 275,390 | $68,100 | BLS OEWS May 2008 [4] |
| 2009 | 261,200 | $67,470 | BLS OEWS May 2009 [4] |
| 2010 | 244,320 | $68,880 | BLS OEWS May 2010 [4] |
| 2011 | 235,630 | $70,520 | BLS OEWS May 2011 [4] |
| 2012 | 243,420 | $70,060 | BLS OEWS May 2012 [4] |
| 2013 | 245,780 | $70,560 | BLS OEWS May 2013 [4] |
| 2014 | 248,770 | $71,600 | BLS OEWS May 2014 [4] |
| 2015 | 247,850 | $72,300 | BLS OEWS May 2015 [4] |
| 2016 | 252,670 | $73,150 | BLS OEWS May 2016 [4] |
| 2017 | 251,830 | $71,650 | BLS OEWS May 2017 [4] |
| 2018 | 247,570 | $73,390 | BLS OEWS May 2018 [4] |
| 2019 | 249,090 | $74,760 | BLS OEWS May 2019 [4] |
| 2020 | 240,290 | $78,560 | BLS OEWS May 2020 [4] |
| 2021 | 243,920 | $79,680 | BLS OEWS May 2021 [4] |
| 2022 | 237,520 | $82,850 | BLS OEWS May 2022 [4] |
| 2023 | 227,150 | $84,570 | BLS OEWS May 2023 [4] |
| 2024 | 219,010 | $84,130 | BLS OEWS May 2024 [4] |
| 2025 | 214,390 | $87,520 | BLS OEWS May 2025 [4] |

## Sources (78)

### Employment series

1. [Walter A. Friedman, Birth of a Salesman: The Transformation of Selling in America (Harvard University Press, 2004) — sales workforce as 5% of employment in 1920; NCR district-manager ratio and industrial sales hierarchy formation 1884-1920](https://www.hup.harvard.edu/books/9780674018334), Harvard University Press
2. [US Census Bureau, 1950 Census of Population: Occupational Characteristics (Table 23, "Managers, Officials, and Proprietors" category); US Census of Distribution 1954, wholesale trade employment totals](https://usa.ipums.org/usa/volii/occ_ind.shtml), IPUMS USA / US Census Bureau
3. [BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook 2000-01 Edition — Supervisors, Sales Workers (non-retail category, estimated ~370,000 at 2000 SOC introduction)](https://www.bls.gov/ooh/), Bureau of Labor Statistics
4. BLS OEWS, national cross-industry estimates (flat file), Bureau of Labor Statistics. Editions: [2003](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm03nat.zip), [2004](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm04nat.zip), [2005](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm05nat.zip), [2006](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm06nat.zip), [2007](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm07nat.zip), [2008](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm08nat.zip), [2009](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm09nat.zip), [2010](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm10nat.zip), [2011](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm11nat.zip), [2012](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm12nat.zip), [2013](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm13nat.zip), [2014](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm14nat.zip), [2015](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm15nat.zip), [2016](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm16nat.zip), [2017](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm17nat.zip), [2018](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm18nat.zip), [2019](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm19nat.zip), [2020](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm20nat.zip), [2021](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm21nat.zip), [2022](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm22nat.zip), [2023](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm23nat.zip), [2024](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm24nat.zip), [2025](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm25nat.zip)

### Wage series

5. [University of Missouri Libraries, "Prices and Wages by Decade: 1950-1959" (BLS historical industrial wage survey context; US median household income 1956 ~$4,400)](https://libraryguides.missouri.edu/pricesandwages/1950-1959), University of Missouri Libraries / BLS historical sources
6. [BLS OES 2000 national estimates (flat file)](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oes00nat.zip), Bureau of Labor Statistics
7. BLS OEWS, national cross-industry estimates (flat file), Bureau of Labor Statistics. Editions: [2003](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm03nat.zip), [2004](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm04nat.zip), [2005](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm05nat.zip), [2006](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm06nat.zip), [2007](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm07nat.zip), [2008](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm08nat.zip), [2009](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm09nat.zip), [2010](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm10nat.zip), [2011](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm11nat.zip), [2012](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm12nat.zip), [2013](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm13nat.zip), [2014](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm14nat.zip), [2015](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm15nat.zip), [2016](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm16nat.zip), [2017](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm17nat.zip), [2018](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm18nat.zip), [2019](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm19nat.zip), [2020](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm20nat.zip), [2021](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm21nat.zip), [2022](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm22nat.zip), [2023](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm23nat.zip), [2024](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm24nat.zip), [2025](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm25nat.zip)

### Tool eras

8. [Walter A. Friedman, Birth of a Salesman (Harvard University Press, 2004) — Patterson's territory maps, scripts, and daily reports; NCR district manager role formation](https://www.hup.harvard.edu/books/9780674018334), Harvard University Press
9. [HBS Working Knowledge — "Birth of the American Salesman" (NCR, Patterson, and the professionalization of sales management)](https://www.library.hbs.edu/working-knowledge/birth-of-the-american-salesman), Harvard Business School
10. [BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook historical editions (1960s-1980s) — sales supervisor role description, tools, and administrative duties in non-retail sectors](https://www.bls.gov/ooh/), Bureau of Labor Statistics
11. [Rapitek CRM Blog — "History of CRM: 40-Year Timeline + 7 Key Milestones (1980-2026)" — ACT! 1987 as first contact management software; Siebel Systems 1993 SFA launch; Siebel 45% market share by 2002](https://rapitek.com/en/blog/history-of-crm/), Rapitek
12. [Salesforce — "The Complete History of CRM" — ACT! 1987, Siebel 1993, Salesforce 1999-2000 milestones](https://www.salesforce.com/crm/what-is-crm/), Salesforce
13. [Gong Revenue AI OS — product site and 2025 study (sales teams using Gong generate 77% more revenue per rep)](https://www.gong.io/solutions/sales), Gong
14. [CX Today — "Salesforce State of Sales 2026: AI Agents Are Reshaping Sales Teams" — 87% of sales organizations use AI across core cycle tasks; sellers expect AI to cut prospect research time by 34% and email drafting time by 36% (citing Salesforce State of Sales Report 2026)](https://www.cxtoday.com/marketing-sales-technology/salesforce-state-of-sales-2026-ai-agents-sales-teams/), CX Today
15. [Clari AI Sales Forecasting — 95%+ claimed forecast accuracy via AI pipeline analysis; automated deal risk scoring and pipeline roll-up](https://www.clari.com/solutions/ai-sales-forecasting-revenue-insights/), Clari

### Forecasts and exposure studies

16. [BLS Employment Projections 2025-35, National Employment Matrix: 41-1012 First-line supervisors of non-retail sales workers (2025: 311.9 thousand; 2035: 313.6 thousand; +0.5%)](https://data.bls.gov/projections/nationalMatrix?queryParams=41-1012&ioType=o), Bureau of Labor Statistics
17. [Eloundou, Manning, Mishkin & Rock (2023), "GPTs are GPTs", occupation-level exposure data occ\_level.csv (O\*NET-SOC 41-1012.00, human-rated β 0.444)](https://github.com/openai/GPTs-are-GPTs/blob/main/data/occ_level.csv), OpenAI

### Historical notes

18. [HBS Working Knowledge — "Birth of the American Salesman" (NCR, Patterson, territory system, and district manager role)](https://www.library.hbs.edu/working-knowledge/birth-of-the-american-salesman), Harvard Business School
19. [CHARM 2015 Proceedings — "A Brief History of Selling and Sales Management" (Searles 1904 summary of sales management systematization)](https://ojs.library.carleton.ca/index.php/pcharm/article/view/1491), Conference on Historical Analysis and Research in Marketing
20. [EH.net review of Friedman, Birth of a Salesman (2004) — Walter Dill Scott, Bureau of Salesmanship Research at Carnegie Institute of Technology, 1916](https://eh.net/book_reviews/birth-of-a-salesman-the-transformation-of-selling-in-america/), Economic History Association
21. [Rapitek CRM Blog — "History of CRM: 40-Year Timeline + 7 Key Milestones" — ACT! 1987 as first contact management software for sales organizations](https://rapitek.com/en/blog/history-of-crm/), Rapitek
22. [Salesforce — "The Complete History of CRM" — Siebel Systems 1993, 45% SFA market share by 2002](https://www.salesforce.com/crm/what-is-crm/), Salesforce
23. [BLS 2000 Standard Occupational Classification — introduction of 41-1012 as a distinct code; Salesforce "The Complete History of CRM" — 2000 Salesforce launch](https://www.bls.gov/soc/), Bureau of Labor Statistics
24. [Salesforce investor press release — "Welcome to the Agentic Enterprise: Agentforce 360" (October 13, 2025) — Agentforce 360 general availability confirmed with 12,000 enterprise customers; AI agents integrated across sales, service, marketing, and IT workflows](https://investor.salesforce.com/news/news-details/2025/Welcome-to-the-Agentic-Enterprise-With-Agentforce-360-Salesforce-Elevates-Human-Potential-in-the-Age-of-AI/default.aspx), Salesforce Investor Relations

### Predecessors & successors

25. [Friedman, Birth of a Salesman (Harvard, 2004) — transition from independent commercial traveler to managed sales agent under the Patterson district-manager hierarchy 1884-1910](https://www.hup.harvard.edu/books/9780674018334), Harvard University Press

### Present-day analysis

- [Eloundou et al. 2024, GPTs are GPTs (Science)](https://arxiv.org/abs/2303.10130), accessed 2026-06-05
- [O\*NET 30.3, First-Line Supervisors of Non-Retail Sales Workers (41-1012.00)](https://www.onetonline.org/link/summary/41-1012.00), accessed 2026-06-05
- [BLS OEWS May 2023, First-Line Supervisors of Non-Retail Sales Workers: ~320,000 employed, $84,130 median annual wage](https://www.bls.gov/oes/2023/may/oes411012.htm), accessed 2026-06-05
- [Salesforce "State of Sales 2026", AI adoption: 87% of sales orgs use AI for at least one core workflow; agents cut prospect research 34%, email drafting 36%](https://www.salesforce.com/news/stories/state-of-sales-report-announcement-2026/), accessed 2026-06-05
- [Gong study via VentureBeat 2025, Sales teams using AI generate 77% more revenue per rep](https://venturebeat.com/ai/gong-study-sales-teams-using-ai-generate-77-more-revenue-per-rep), accessed 2026-06-05
- [Gartner Magic Quadrant for Revenue Action Orchestration 2025, Gong named Leader; frontline sales managers spend just 9% of time coaching despite it being highest-leverage activity](https://www.demandgenreport.com/industry-news/news-brief/gong-launches-mission-andromeda-extending-its-revenue-ai-os/51818/), accessed 2026-06-05
- [Clari AI Sales Forecasting and Revenue Insights -95%+ forecast accuracy; automated pipeline roll-up; deal inspection agents surface at-risk opportunities](https://www.clari.com/solutions/ai-sales-forecasting-revenue-insights/), accessed 2026-06-05
- [Outreach AI Revenue Platform, deal inspection agents flag at-risk opportunities; AI auto-captures call and email activity into CRM without rep manual logging (2025)](https://www.outreach.ai/platform), accessed 2026-06-05
- [Gong Revenue AI OS, pipeline visibility with deal alerts tied to buyer engagement, competition, and pricing signals (2026)](https://www.gong.io/solutions/sales), accessed 2026-06-05

How to read these figures: https://futurehistory.earth/methodology. Every figure links to its own source; gaps stay gaps.