What is a typical Customer Success Manager salary in 2025?
One of the top questions people ask when considering a career as a customer success manager is, “how much do customer success managers make?”
It’s a complicated question. There are many factors that come into play with regard to customer success manager salary and total compensation.
According to the latest 2025 salary data from multiple sources, Customer Success Manager salaries show significant variation depending on location, experience, and company size. Here’s what the current market looks like:
- Average salary range: $77,000 to $140,000 base salary
- Glassdoor reports: $139,576 average total compensation
- Salary.com data: $114,030 average salary
- PayScale findings: $77,362 average salary for all experience levels
- Global median baseline: $75,000 (before bonuses and stock options)
The wide range reflects differences in methodology, geographic focus, and whether total compensation or base salary is being measured. What’s clear is that Customer Success Manager roles continue to command competitive salaries, though growth has slowed compared to previous years.
Do Customer Success Managers Earn More Than a Base Salary?
Customer Success Manager compensation typically includes a base salary plus variable compensation. According to recent industry reports, approximately 68% of customer success professionals receive some form of bonus or variable compensation as part of their overall package.
However, the 2025 market shows some concerning trends:
- 53.5% of Customer Success Managers have not seen salary increases in the current market
- Only 12.8% of CSMs receive performance-based incremental bonuses
- 44.2% of companies have laid off CSMs, while 42.4% adopted hiring freezes
These components combine to create the OTE (on-target-earnings), which represents total expected compensation when goals are achieved. In the current market, OTE ranges typically fall between $90,000 to $180,000 depending on seniority and company size.
How Does the Stage of Company Growth Affect the Salary of a Customer Success Manager?
The relationship between company maturity and CSM compensation remains consistent with previous years, though absolute numbers have adjusted:
Early-Stage Companies (Pre-Product Market Fit)
- Base salary: ~$65,000-$70,000
- 15-20% below market average
- Higher equity potential but more risk
Post-Product Market Fit
- Base salary: ~$70,000-$75,000
- 10-15% below market average
- More stable but still growth-focused
Mid-Growth Phase
- Base salary: ~$75,000-$85,000
- Approaching market average
- Balanced risk/reward profile
Late Growth/Scale-Up
- Base salary: ~$90,000-$110,000
- 10-15% above market average
- Strong compensation with established processes
Established Enterprise
- Comprehensive benefits and job security
- Base salary: ~$85,000-$105,000
- Stable at market average
Customer Success Job Types and 2025 Salary Ranges
Customer Success Manager
The core CSM role remains one of the most in-demand positions in SaaS. Daily responsibilities include:
- Onboarding new customers
- Proactive customer outreach and relationship management
- Product education and best practice guidance
- Conducting business reviews (QBRs, EBRs, CORs)
- Identifying expansion opportunities
- Providing customer support when needed
2025 Salary Range: $70,000 – $120,000 base, depending on experience and market
Alternative Customer Success Titles
Customer Success Associate/Specialist
- Salary Range: $55,000 – $75,000
- Entry-level positions with similar responsibilities but smaller account loads
Account Manager (Customer Success Focus)
- Salary Range: $80,000 – $130,000
- Combines traditional account management with customer success principles
Client Success Manager
- Salary Range: $75,000 – $125,000
- Identical to CSM role, different terminology
Customer Experience Manager
- Salary Range: $75,000 – $125,000
- Focus on overall customer experience across touchpoints
Implementation/Onboarding Manager
- Salary Range: $70,000 – $110,000
- Specialized role focusing on customer onboarding and implementation
Career Progression and Salary Growth in Customer Success
Experience-Based Progression
- Entry-level (0-1 years): $62,361 average total compensation
- Early career (1-4 years): $70,000 – $85,000
- Mid-career (4-7 years): $85,000 – $110,000
- Senior level (7+ years): $110,000 – $150,000+
Advanced Career Paths
Senior/Strategic/Enterprise CSM
- Salary Range: $120,000 – $180,000+
- Focus on high-value enterprise accounts
- Requires 3-5+ years of CSM experience
Customer Success Management
- Manager: $130,000 – $160,000
- Director: $160,000 – $220,000
- VP of Customer Success: $200,000 – $350,000+
Specialized Roles
- Customer Success Operations Manager: $90,000 – $140,000
- Customer Success Analyst: $75,000 – $110,000
- Customer Education Manager: $85,000 – $125,000
Factors Influencing Customer Success Salaries in 2025
Key Salary Drivers
- Customer Value: Higher ACV (Annual Contract Value) accounts typically mean higher CSM compensation
- Industry: Tech, fintech, and healthcare generally offer premium salaries
- Location: Major tech hubs still command salary premiums despite remote work
- Company Size: Enterprise companies often offer higher base salaries and better benefits
- Skills: Technical skills, industry expertise, and data analysis capabilities increase earning potential
Market Challenges in 2025
The customer success field faces some headwinds in 2025:
- Economic uncertainty leading to hiring freezes and layoffs
- Increased focus on efficiency and ROI measurement
- Greater emphasis on AI and automation in customer success processes
- Need for more technical and analytical skills
Skills That Command Premium Salaries
Customer Success Managers who develop these skills often earn above-market compensation:
- Data analysis and reporting (SQL, Excel, Tableau)
- Technical product knowledge and API understanding
- Industry-specific expertise (healthcare, fintech, etc.)
- Project management and process optimization
- Revenue operations and customer lifecycle management
Geographic Salary Variations
While remote work has reduced some geographic disparities, location still matters:
Top-Paying Markets:
- San Francisco Bay Area: $130,000 – $180,000+
- New York City: $120,000 – $170,000+
- Boston: $110,000 – $150,000+
- Seattle: $110,000 – $155,000+
Emerging Markets:
- Austin: $95,000 – $130,000
- Denver: $90,000 – $125,000
- Atlanta: $85,000 – $120,000
- Remote-first companies: $80,000 – $140,000
Looking Ahead: Customer Success Compensation Trends
The customer success field continues to evolve, with several trends shaping compensation:
- Increased focus on measurable outcomes driving performance-based pay
- Growing importance of technical skills commanding salary premiums
- Consolidation of customer success tools requiring broader skill sets
- Integration with sales and marketing creating hybrid roles
- AI augmentation changing day-to-day responsibilities but not necessarily reducing demand
Getting Started in Customer Success
Despite market challenges, customer success remains a viable and growing career path. The field offers:
- Strong earning potential with clear progression paths
- Cross-functional experience valuable for future roles
- High job satisfaction from helping customers succeed
- Transferable skills applicable across industries
Types of Customer Success Jobs
Customer Success Manager
A Customer Success Manager (CSM) is one of the most in-demand roles in SaaS and beyond. Customer Success Managers are responsible for, you guessed it, the success of their customers! But what exactly does that mean? What do they do all day? Here’s a quick breakdown of the day-to-day responsibilities of a Customer Success Manager.
- Onboarding new customers.
- Proactive outreach to their customers to help guide them along the customer journey.
- Educating customers on product features, best practices and use cases.
- Conducting business reviews, such as a Quarterly Business Review (QBR), Executive Business Reviews (EBR) or Customer Objectives Review (COR).
- Identifying opportunities to expand the customer relationship, such as expanding to other departments or gaining adoption of a new product.
- Providing excellent customer service (yes, even though a Customer Success Manager is not recognized as a customer support role, it is still part of the job).
Alternative titles for Customer Success Manager that carry most of the same responsibilities but are designed for candidates with less experience, include Customer Success Specialist and Customer Success Associate.
The role, scope of responsibilities, success metrics and compensation can vary significantly from company to company, so you need to do your homework.
The #1 factor that impacts your potential salary and OTE is the value of each customer to the company. In other words, if the customers you will be guiding to success are worth significantly more money to Company A than at Company B, chances are the company will place greater emphasis on attracting the very best people to the customer success team and compensates the customer success team accordingly.
Progression Path: Customer Success Management, Leadership and Specialization
One of the most exciting things about becoming a Customer Success Manager is the opportunity for progression. While progressing on a traditional path as a CSM and potentially growing into a senior, mid-market or enterprise CSM, long-term can be rewarding and lucrative in of itself, especially as you increase your seniority and scope of responsibility, CSMs are afforded a wide range of exciting progression opportunities.
Pay Progression 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.
Senior, Strategic or Enterprise Customer Success Manager
One of the most straightforward paths for CSMs is to gain seniority, and begin serving larger customers with much higher LTV (lifetime value). As mentioned above, the more money a customer spends with a company, the more a CSM is typically compensated, making these the most lucrative CSM roles out there. As you might expect, strategic and enterprise roles typically go to candidates with at least a few years of experience as a Customer Success Manager, and are a great promotion path for existing CSMs at a company who become experts in their products and industry.
Management and Leadership
Those who are interested in leadership opportunities will find exciting possibilities ahead. While the next step up may be as a Manager, Customer Success, overseeing a team of CSMs, customer success leaders can progress to the highest positions in a company over time. These include Vice President of Customer Success, Chief Customer Officer and Chief Operating Officer, to mention a few. This path is by no means the most common for CSMs to follow, but has become more and more common due to the fact that Customer Success Managers work so cross-functionally within the organization and develop a deep understanding of what drives success for the customer and the company.
Specialization – Customer Success Operations
Last but not least, new specialized roles are emerging as the importance of customer success grows within technology companies. The most common specialty you’ll see is the Customer Success Operations Manager, a role that focuses on enabling the entire customer success organization with processes, technology and strategy to deliver on the organization’s objectives.
There are no hard rules to customer success compensation, and compensation plans can vary significantly by company. While the overview above is not intended to be a comprehensive view of every customer success role, it does cover the most common situations you are likely to encounter when pursuing your first role as a Customer Success Manager.
Next Steps
Ready to begin your journey in Customer Success? The key is gaining relevant skills and experience. Consider:
- Developing analytical and technical capabilities
- Understanding SaaS business models and metrics
- Building communication and relationship management skills
- Gaining experience with customer success platforms and tools
The customer success field offers exciting opportunities for those willing to develop the right skills and adapt to an evolving landscape. While salary growth has moderated, the role remains well-compensated and essential to business success.
Ready to start your customer success career? Explore our Customer Success training programs and get the skills you need to succeed in this dynamic field.
