What is the average salary of a customer success manager (CSM)?

Interested in a career in customer success? You should be. Customer success (CS) is quickly becoming one of the top career paths around the world. 

In 2024, before you consider tax and without including bonuses and stock, the global median baseline salary for a customer success manager (CSM) is $75,000.

This is a global figure and doesn’t consider the influence of location, experience, education company maturity and industry into the equation.

Why customer success salaries matter

"Do a job you love, and you’ll never work a day in your life." At some point, we’ve all heard this saying – and there’s a truth to it. But let’s not kid ourselves: salary plays a pivotal role in job satisfaction and career decisions.

For a business function like customer success, every ounce of a customer success manager is responsible for value realization and sustained customer advocacy, generating brand and revenue growth.

In a subscription business, dependent on renewals, customer success is king. With this importance comes competitive compensation for a customer success manager.

In this article, we’re going to flip the bird to that line of thinking and unearth the influencing factors on a CSM salary. We’ll consider how it's affected by:

• Geography
• Gender
• Experience
• Company maturity

Customer success manager salaries across the globe

CSMs work tirelessly to help clients maximize the value of their products and achieve their goals. Given the significant business impact of their work, salaries should reflect this value.

However, earning potential varies greatly depending on where you live and work. For instance, salaries in Atlanta can differ significantly from those in Amsterdam.

It’s worth bearing this in mind when pursuing the following information and could be an influential factor if you’re thinking of relocating for your next job.

• In Asia, a customer success manager earns 6% less than the global median salary.
• In Australasia, a customer success manager earns 23.1% less than the global median salary.
• In Europe, a customer success manager earns 21.4% less than the global median salary.
• In North America, a customer success manager earns 15.3% more than the global median salary.

How much do customer success managers earn by country?

Why include PPP (purchasing power parity) in salary analysis?

When comparing salaries, it's paramount we acknowledge that salaries alone don’t tell the full story, as the cost of living and purchasing power vary greatly across countries. Including purchasing power parity (PPP) in salary analysis adjusts for these differences, offering a clearer view of the real-world value of earnings.

*Source: OECD / World Bank

What is PPP and why does it matter?

PPP adjusts salaries to account for the differences in cost of living across regions, showing how much a salary can buy in local goods and services compared to other areas. This adjustment highlights the actual earning power of a salary by reflecting regional living costs.

As a result, a higher PPP-adjusted salary demonstrates greater financial comfort and purchasing power in that region.

PPP reveals true earning potential by adjusting for the regional cost of living. It highlights competitive salaries in countries like Spain while exposing challenges in high-cost regions like Ireland. For companies, PPP ensures equitable global pay; for professionals, it aids in assessing roles and relocation opportunities.

How much does a customer success manager earn in the United States of America?

In the Customer Success Salary Report 2024, nearly half (45.3%)of our total survey respondents hailed from the United States of America. That’s a pretty big margin.

Since this was such a large proportion of our overall survey respondents it seemed only right to investigate how US salaries varied on a state-by-state basis.

In the United States of America, the median baseline salary for a CSM (before tax) is $88,500.

To provide a comprehensive view of customer success salaries across the U.S., we analyzed regional trends. This approach captures broader compensation patterns, particularly where state-level data may be insufficient, offering a holistic perspective on CSM salaries nationwide.

Regional salary breakdown:

• Midwest: Median salary of $78,000, below both the U.S. median ($88,500) and global median ($75,000).
• Northeast: Median salary of $83,000, exceeding the global median by 10.7% but slightly below the U.S. average by 6.2%.
• South: Leads with $90,000, surpassing the U.S. median by 1.7% and the global median by 20%.
• West: Closely aligns with the U.S. median at $89,500, +19.3% above the global median.

Key insights

1. Southern leadership: The South emerges as the top-paying region, driven by competitive industries and talent strategies.
2. Midwest disparity: Salaries lag behind, reflecting lower demand or cost-of-living adjustments.
3. Broad trends: The West and South offer stability near the U.S. median, while the Northeast and Midwest reveal slight gaps, possibly tied to regional industry dynamics.

This analysis provides valuable insight into U.S. CSM salaries, helping professionals and employers navigate regional compensation trends effectively.

Customer success manager salaries by US state

Wanting to take a more granular look, we examined CSM salaries on a state-by-state basis.

• In California, a CSM earns 6% more than the global average salary and 10% less than the US average.
• In Georgia, a CSM earns 157.3% more than the global average salary and 118.1% more than the US average.
• In Illinois, a CSM earns 3.3% less than the global average salary and 18.1% less than the US average.
• In Massachusetts, a CSM earns 18% more than the global average salary and matches the US median salary exactly.
• In New York, a CSM earns 0% more than the global average salary and 15.3% less than the US average.
• In North Carolina, a CSM earns 0.7% less than the global average salary and 15.8% less than the US average.
• In Texas, a CSM earns 25.3% more than the global average salary and 6.2% more than the US average.
• In Virginia, a CSM earns 9.3% more than the global average salary and 7.3% less than the US average.

Is there a gender pay gap among customer success managers?

In recent years, there has been a growing push for greater transparency in workplace pay structures. This movement has been driven by the exposure of significant wage disparities, particularly between genders.

As a result, organizations worldwide are re-evaluating their compensation practices, with many now implementing regular pay reviews to ensure fairness and address inequities.

Why focus on UK and US salaries?

When analyzing the findings from the Customer Success Salary Report 2024, we discovered that an overwhelming majority of participants hailed from the United States and the United Kingdom.

Together, these countries contributed the largest share of our data, prompting a deep dive into the gender pay gap specifically within these two regions.

The gender pay gap in the United Kingdom

In the UK, the gender pay gap for CSMs is 9.1%, with men earning a median salary of $55,000, compared to women’s median salary of $50,000.

When comparing to broader benchmarks:

• Men’s salaries in the UK are 26.7% above the global median ($75,000) and 3.8% above the UK national median ($52,937).
• Women’s salaries fall 20% below the global median and 5.6% below the UK national median.

This notable disparity could highlight systemic challenges, such as unequal access to raises or promotions and potential differences in salary negotiation.The gender pay gap in the United States

The gender pay gap in the United States

The gender pay gap for CSMs in the US stands at 2.8%, with men earning a median salary of $88,500, while women earn $86,000.

Although the gap is narrower than in the UK, it still points to persistent inequality. While the US shows progress toward pay parity, further action is needed to eliminate disparities altogether.

In the US, the gender pay gap for CSMs stands at 2.8%, with men earning a median salary of $88,500, while women earn $86,000.

When comparing to broader benchmarks:

• Men’s salaries match the US national median ($88,500) and are 18% above the global median ($75,000).
• Women’s salaries are 14.7% above the global median but 2.8% below the US national median.

Although the gap in the US is narrower than in the UK, it still reflects persistent inequality. While the US shows progress toward pay parity, further action is needed to eliminate disparities altogether.

What is the pay progression like in customer success?

Achieving a substantial salary right from the start is a stroke of luck that eludes most people.

For the majority, it takes years of hard work and accumulating experience to earn a higher paycheck. As you gain more experience in your field, you refine your professional skills, opening doors to new opportunities that often align with higher salaries.

By and large, our results in the Customer Success Salary Report 2024 revealed a trajectory we anticipated – the more senior position, the more experience in the CS field, with the exception of Heads of Customer Success, who, on average, appeared to have less experience than their immediate junior positions.

The immediate jump from a customer success manager role to a senior customer success manager position bears a salary increase of $15,000.

Experience and customer success manager salaries

So, how does experience affect a customer success manager’s salary?

A huge part of any job search and salary determination is experience. You might find yourself asking questions like, “Am I going to get X job and Y salary based on my current experience?”

“I’ve been working in customer success roles for the past four years – what kind of compensation should I be receiving for this length of experience?” is another astute query everyone should be asking.

In our Customer Success Salary Report 2024, most CSMs we surveyed have had approximately 3.4 years of experience in customer success are on a median salary of $81,921.

Upon closer examination, these trends reveal fascinating patterns:

• Entry-level (<1 year): CSMs earn a competitive median salary of $73,750, reflecting strong investments in attracting new talent.
• Early career (1–3 years): Salaries rise to $71,900, closely aligning with the global average of $72,744, as professionals build foundational skills.
• Mid-career (4–5 years): Median salaries increase to $81,000, demonstrating the higher value placed on CSMs in more strategic or specialized roles.
• 5–9 years: Salaries peak at $100,000, significantly surpassing the global average of $74,660, driven by demand for experienced professionals leading high-impact initiatives.
• 10+ years: Salaries dip slightly to $74,950, which may be influenced by a limited percentage of professionals remaining in this role. Many seasoned CSMs likely progress to senior roles such as directors, heads of customer success, or VPs, where compensation structures differ significantly.

Key takeaways

• Mid-career surge: The highest earnings are seen in the 5–9-year range, often associated with leadership or specialized positions.
• Senior-level plateau: Salaries decline slightly for 10+ years, likely reflecting career progression into higher-level roles where compensation is categorized differently.

Carry on your financial investigation!

If you’d like to learn more about the different factors influencing a Customer Success Manager's salary, plus take a deeper dive into more senior job titles, you can find all of this and more by downloading the Customer Success Salary Survey 2023.

It’s the most comprehensive study into the behind-the-scenes economic action underpinning the customer success function.

You’ll love this report if you want to:

• Discover how much fellow CS professionals are earning.
• Identify your earning potential as you climb the customer success ladder.
• Verify if you’re being paid what you’re worth.
• Plan out your next career move – and decide on a suitable paycheck.