US Go-to-Market Salary & Hiring Trends 2026

US Go-to-Market Salary & Hiring Trends 2026

As we move through 2026, the US Go-to-Market hiring market remains active but increasingly selective. Employers have become more disciplined around headcount and are placing greater emphasis on measurable commercial outcomes, while proven top performers remain in strong demand.

The latest Certus Recruitment US Go-to-Market Salary & Hiring Report 2026 provides an overview of salary benchmarks, compensation structures and hiring trends across Sales, Marketing and Customer Success within US technology and technology-enabled businesses.

Here are some of the key insights.

Salary Trends Across GTM

Sales

Sales compensation continues to vary significantly by seniority and location.

• Sales Development Representatives: $60,000–$80,000 in Tier 1 markets, with typical variable compensation of 20–40%.
• Mid-Market Account Executives: $110,000–$150,000 base in Tier 1 markets, with 70–100% variable.
• Enterprise Account Executives: $150,000–$210,000 base, with 80–100% variable.
• Strategic Account Executives: $180,000–$250,000+ base, with 80–100% variable.
• Head / VP Sales: $190,000–$275,000 in Tier 1 markets, with 50–100% variable.

But headline OTE isn't the whole story. Experienced candidates are increasingly looking at quota attainment, territory quality, ramp periods, pipeline, accelerators and commission-plan stability when assessing an opportunity.

Marketing

Marketing salaries are increasingly linked to measurable commercial impact.

• Demand Generation Managers: $125,000–$170,000 in Tier 1 markets.
• Growth Marketing Managers: $125,000–$175,000.
• Product Marketing Managers: $130,000–$180,000.
• Senior Product Marketing Managers: $160,000–$210,000.
• Head / VP Marketing: $180,000–$275,000.

The strongest salary pressure is around Product Marketing, Demand Generation, Marketing Operations, attribution, Performance Marketing and Account-Based Marketing.

Customer Success

Customer Success is becoming increasingly commercial, with compensation rising alongside ownership of retention, renewal and expansion.

• Mid-Market CSM: $100,000–$135,000 in Tier 1 markets.
• Enterprise CSM: $125,000–$165,000.
• Strategic CSM: $150,000–$200,000.
• Technical CSM: $130,000–$175,000.
• Head / VP Customer Success: $180,000–$260,000.

The report highlights the growing importance of commercial ownership, customer complexity, technical depth and portfolio value.

Geography Still Matters

Location continues to influence compensation across the US.

San Francisco Bay Area and New York City remain among the highest-paying markets, particularly across AI, SaaS, FinTech, Enterprise Software and Data.

Boston, Seattle, Austin, Chicago and Denver remain highly competitive technology markets, while markets such as Miami and other parts of Florida have moved closer to major-market compensation for specialist and senior talent.

Remote working has reduced some geographic differences, but it has also increased national competition for talent.

What Is Driving Premium Salaries?

The market is increasingly rewarding specialist expertise combined with measurable results.

Skills commanding a premium include:

• Enterprise and strategic selling
• Complex, multi-threaded deals
• Technical discovery and value selling
• Product Marketing and positioning
• Demand Generation
• Revenue Operations
• Commercial expansion and renewal
• Enterprise stakeholder management
• International expansion
• AI-enabled marketing and GTM capabilities

The common theme is evidence.

Strong candidates can quantify their contribution through metrics such as quota attainment, ARR, pipeline, win rate, CAC, conversion, NRR, GRR, churn and expansion.

AI Is Changing GTM

AI is increasingly being used for account research, prospect identification, outbound personalisation, CRM administration, content creation, campaign optimisation and customer health analysis.

At the same time, human capabilities such as commercial judgement, negotiation, stakeholder influence, problem diagnosis and creativity are becoming more valuable.

For employers, the question is increasingly not simply whether someone uses AI, but how effectively they use it to improve quality, productivity and decision-making.

Remote, Hybrid or Office?

The US technology market continues to operate across all three models, although many employers have increased expectations around office attendance.

Candidates are increasingly assessing the reality behind the policy — including commute, flexibility, management quality, travel and time-zone expectations.

Fully remote roles can attract a much larger candidate pool, but they also mean employers are competing nationally rather than locally.

What Does This Mean for Employers?

The US market may offer employers more choice than it did during the tightest hiring periods, but the strongest GTM talent remains competitive.

Employers should:

• Benchmark total compensation, not just base salary.
• Define the commercial outcome before defining the job title.
• Be transparent about quotas, attainment and expectations.
• Keep interview processes proportionate and well coordinated.
• Assess measurable evidence rather than interview performance alone.
• Align salary, remit and decision criteria before going to market.

The US GTM market has become more selective — but that doesn't mean the best talent has become easier to hire.

For businesses hiring in 2026, understanding what the market is paying, what candidates are looking for and which skills genuinely command a premium is becoming increasingly important.

Click here for a full copy of our 2026 US Salary Survey.