Sales Representatives of Services, Except Advertising, Insurance, Financial Services, and Travel Salary

It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $68K, rent takes 48.1% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $2,130/month. The 30% guideline puts the comfortable ceiling at roughly $1,300/month in rent — so roommates or a 1-bedroom would ease the math significantly.

The 10th-percentile wage — what new sales representatives of services, except advertising, insurance, financial services, and travels typically earn — is $41K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $2,440/month. At HUD’s $2,130/month FMR, rent would take 87% of that take-home — above the 30% guideline, so a 1-bedroom or shared housing is likely necessary starting out.

Pay here is roughly in line with the national average — $68K locally vs. $70K nationally, a 2% difference.

Portland-South Portland pays $68K median vs. the U.S. average of $70K — that’s -2%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 101.86), the purchasing-power equivalent is $67K — below the national median.

The median is $68,370 a year, that works out to about $33 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $40,670, and experienced sales representatives of services, except advertising, insurance, financial services, and travels can clear $122,450. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.

On that salary, you'd take home roughly $4,424/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $2,130/month, which eats 48.1% of your paycheck. That's above the 30% rule of thumb, housing will be a stretch at the median salary, though you can manage with roommates or a smaller place.

Portland-South Portland has a Regional Price Parity of 101.86 (100 is the national average). Prices are above average here, so your dollar buys less than the same salary would in a cheaper metro. After cost-of-living adjustment, the median sales representatives of services, except advertising, insurance, financial services, and travel salary is worth about $67,122 in national-average purchasing power.

The table above ranks every state by median pay for this role. Keep in mind that the highest-paying states tend to have the highest costs of living, so the top salary doesn't always mean the most money in your pocket.