Product Specialist Salary Guide: What to Expect in 2025

Product specialists monitor a product’s sales life cycle by assisting in its development, marketing, and sales. Their goal is the product's long-term and short-term success. 

To achieve this goal, a product specialist may collaborate with the design team, marketing team, and sales professionals. They’ll recommend product modifications and create solutions to issues that may impede target customers' successful product reception. 

The average annual salary for a product specialist varies. Factors like location, years of experience, level of education, employer, specific job title, and industry may affect your product specialist earnings. 

Below, discover what a product specialist does, the role’s projected growth rate, and what you can expect to earn in the career, including how factors like your level of education, location, and the company you work for affect how much you earn.

What is a product specialist?

A product specialist provides guidance and assistance in developing and selling a specific product for an organization. The role of a product specialist requires involvement in many phases of product development, emphasizing the product's marketability and profitability. Technical product specialists can be found in multiple industries, from pharmaceuticals and health care to information technology and manufacturing.

Product specialists become experts on a product and spend much time researching and collecting data on market trends and consumer research to understand the target customer's needs better. Part of a product specialist's duties involves collaborating with the marketing team to develop successful advertising strategies and training sales professionals on how to sell the product to the customer. Product specialists also report findings and data to design teams and suggest redesigns or product modifications. 

How much does a product specialist make?

According to various job listing sites, the average pay for a product specialist in the United States ranges from roughly $67,000 to $86,000. The base salary ranges given by four different organizations for product specialists are as follows [1, 2, 3, 4]: 

It’s helpful to note some product specialists may earn commissions or other bonuses, depending on the employer and industry. In some instances, the product specialist role falls under sales and marketing, so, like many other sales professionals, a product specialist may earn a commission for successful product sales. 

According to Glassdoor, for example, the estimated total pay for a product specialist in the US is $116,725 per year [1]. This figure includes an average base salary of $85,160 and $31,566 in additional pay, which may represent profit-sharing, commissions, or bonuses. 

Factors that affect product specialist salary

Understanding the varying factors that affect your potential earnings if you pursue a career as a product specialist can help you calculate your average annual salary more accurately. Understanding the impact of these factors can also help you find ways to take advantage of opportunities to earn more as a product specialist. 

Factors that affect your salary as a product specialist can include your level of education and training, your years of professional experience, the industry in which you work, the company you work for, and the city and state in which you work. Let's take a closer look at the average product specialist salary based on each of these factors.

Education

Product specialists typically hold at least a bachelor’s degree, with 64 percent of professionals earning one. Another 15 percent have an associate degree, 8 percent have only a high school diploma, and 7 percent have a master’s degree [2]. Earning an advanced degree can positively impact your earning potential. 

Zippia reports the average annual income for product specialists by level of education as [2]: 

• High school diploma: $70,138

• Associate degree: $72,535

• Bachelor’s degree: $88,019

• Master’s degree: $102,199

Earning additional degrees and certifications may qualify you for promotions into higher-paying positions. Furthering your product specialist education is an excellent tool for advancing your career in this field. 

When it comes to the most common majors for product specialists who hold college degrees, the top degrees include: 

• Business 

• Marketing 

• Communication

• Psychology

You might also earn a degree related to the industry in which you'd like to work, such as biology, chemistry, electrical engineering, or computer science.

Experience

The average amount of professional experience for entry-level product specialists falls between two and four years of experience. Product specialists with additional accrued years of professional experience may earn more and be eligible for higher-paying positions. For example, you might be eligible to apply for mid-level positions like product specialist manager or lead product specialist, which are typically better-paying. 

According to Zippia, the breakdown of annual average salaries for product specialists by years of experience are as follows [2]:

Industry

Your employer and the industry you work in will impact how much you can expect to earn as a product specialist. Product specialists can work in a variety of industries. Because a product specialist specializes in different types of products, the options for where you might work in this role are vast. 

Among the highest-paying industries for product specialists are the following, along with their median total pay (base pay plus extra pay), according to Glassdoor [1]: 

• Pharmaceutical and biotechnology: $121,043

• Aerospace and defense: $115,447

• Government and administration: $105,620

• Management and consulting: $101,910

• Information technology: $99,404

Company

Your pay may also be affected by the pay structure implemented by your employer. Some employers provide a commission-based salary structure, while others may be fixed. For example, it’s common for the automotive industry to use a commission-based salary schedule.

Some of the highest-paying employers, according to median total pay, in the US for product specialists include [1]: 

• Meta: $245,000

• Informatica: $212,000

• VMware: $268,000

• Google: $195,000 

• Microsoft: $247,000

Location

Due to variations in the cost of living and degrees of demand for product specialists, your geographical location within the US affects how much you may earn. You can note fluctuations in product specialists’ salaries by city and state. 

According to Zippia, these are the top five cities for product specialists [2]:

1. San Bruno, CA: $118,648 

2. Seattle, WA: $104,478

3. New York, NY: $94,572

4. Jersey City, NJ: $92,281

5. Austin, TX: $85,219 

According to data gathered by Zippia, these US states are among the highest-paying locations for product specialists to work [2]:

• California: $112,498

• Washington: $103,105

• Delaware: $96,804

• New York: $93,952

• New Jersey: $92,185

Job outlook

According to BLS, sales engineers, a role related to product specialists, can expect a 6 percent growth in employment between 2023 and 2033. The BLS projects an average of 5,800 job openings annually during that timeframe [5].

Due to technological advances, certain industries, like information technology, will likely have a greater demand for product specialists. The rise of computer systems design services may also affect the need for product specialists specializing in IT and computer systems. 

Getting started with Coursera

Product specialist earnings vary according to factors such as location, industry, and the company you work for, as well as the education and experience you build. Get your start as a product specialist and explore this expanding product development and management field. 

Take advantage of opportunities to further your training and education by enrolling in an online course ideal for beginning and experienced product specialists. Consider enrolling in the University of Maryland’s Product Ideation, Design, and Management Specialization on Coursera to explore key product specialist skills, such as understanding your target market and turning ideas into prototypes.