Sales engineers salary
| Measure | Annual | Hourly |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $73,870 | $35.52 |
| Median (50th percentile) | $124,900 | $60.05 |
| Mean (average) | $130,140 | $62.57 |
| 90th percentile | $195,270 | $93.88 |
These wages describe everyone employed in the occupation, from new entrants to experienced workers. They are not starting salaries and not earnings of graduates from any particular program. Verified data
Sales engineers pay by state and metro area
Table: median wage and employment for all 47 states and territories
| State | Median | 10th pct | 90th pct | Employment | Location quotient |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $104,410 | $64,190 | $222,800 | 220 | 0.32 |
| Alaska | $71,080 | $60,040 | $131,530 | ||
| Arizona | $131,870 | $70,760 | $226,940 | 1,000 | 0.93 |
| Arkansas | $130,760 | $62,720 | $151,610 | 30 | 0.07 |
| California | $139,160 | $78,850 | $213,370 | 6,310 | 1.04 |
| Colorado | $139,990 | $83,420 | $203,230 | 2,800 | 2.93 |
| Connecticut | $123,660 | $70,000 | $211,890 | 760 | 1.34 |
| Delaware | $167,200 | $132,000 | $203,690 | 80 | 0.47 |
| Florida | $125,530 | $73,210 | $206,760 | 2,410 | 0.73 |
| Georgia | $98,840 | $72,580 | $159,760 | 1,630 | 1 |
| Idaho | $128,030 | $85,620 | $260,510 | 360 | 1.26 |
| Illinois | $99,710 | $74,570 | $162,590 | 1,150 | 0.57 |
| Indiana | $74,960 | $38,530 | $136,530 | 980 | 0.92 |
| Iowa | $83,450 | $74,290 | $150,640 | 310 | 0.61 |
| Kansas | $98,000 | $69,990 | $159,210 | 220 | 0.45 |
| Kentucky | $90,190 | $63,250 | $150,020 | 380 | 0.57 |
| Louisiana | $121,680 | $80,410 | $166,720 | ||
| Maine | $95,180 | $46,850 | $141,330 | 140 | 0.65 |
| Maryland | $153,410 | $102,490 | $153,410 | 850 | 0.93 |
| Massachusetts | $136,200 | $77,490 | $177,100 | 3,150 | 2.6 |
| Michigan | $114,180 | $75,330 | $194,980 | 2,290 | 1.56 |
| Minnesota | $100,570 | $68,630 | $147,230 | 990 | 1 |
| Mississippi | Data unavailable | 90 | 0.24 | ||
| Missouri | $90,960 | $60,380 | $135,320 | 710 | 0.73 |
| Nebraska | $90,140 | $59,250 | $131,030 | 130 | 0.39 |
| Nevada | $99,020 | $52,960 | $200,380 | 320 | 0.62 |
| New Hampshire | $107,850 | $72,150 | $171,820 | 300 | 1.31 |
| New Jersey | $139,010 | $91,370 | $191,050 | 1,760 | 1.24 |
| New Mexico | $119,420 | $88,070 | $165,990 | 80 | 0.27 |
| New York | $137,480 | $78,690 | $218,680 | 3,150 | 0.98 |
| North Carolina | $121,530 | $73,070 | $216,580 | 2,530 | 1.54 |
| Ohio | $97,420 | $67,720 | $148,790 | 1,210 | 0.65 |
| Oklahoma | $114,520 | $50,720 | $167,060 | 290 | 0.51 |
| Oregon | $128,170 | $80,270 | $218,670 | 540 | 0.83 |
| Pennsylvania | $98,500 | $62,960 | $140,820 | 1,980 | 0.98 |
| Puerto Rico | $62,970 | $48,470 | $84,540 | 70 | 0.21 |
| Rhode Island | $149,750 | $45,060 | $185,570 | 30 | 0.21 |
| South Carolina | $114,250 | $78,540 | $172,850 | 770 | 1.01 |
| South Dakota | $119,110 | $81,270 | $162,470 | 100 | 0.65 |
| Tennessee | $111,580 | $63,890 | $174,770 | 530 | 0.49 |
| Texas | $130,610 | $78,730 | $201,850 | 6,800 | 1.45 |
| Utah | $117,650 | $58,570 | $163,550 | 480 | 0.84 |
| Vermont | $116,790 | $92,560 | $140,480 | ||
| Virginia | Data unavailable | 1,260 | 0.92 | ||
| Washington | $147,620 | $95,490 | $175,990 | 760 | 0.64 |
| West Virginia | $135,260 | $130,450 | $145,060 | 40 | 0.15 |
| Wisconsin | $117,970 | $79,240 | $167,980 | 1,300 | 1.33 |
A location quotient above 1 means the occupation is more concentrated in that state than in the nation overall.
Metro areas with the most jobs
Highest paying metro areas
Job outlook for sales engineers
- Average annual openings, 2025 to 2035: 3,800. Openings include new jobs plus replacement needs when workers retire or leave the occupation. Official projection
- Read the official BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook profile.
These are official BLS projections. ConnectPrep does not alter them or present its own forecasts as official statistics.
Education and training for sales engineers
- Typical entry education
- Bachelor's degree
- Related work experience
- None
- On-the-job training
- Moderate-term on-the-job training
- O*NET Job Zone
- Job Zone Four: Considerable Preparation Needed
Highest education of people working in this occupation
O*NET describes this preparation level as: Most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.
Degrees and programs that lead to this career
Programs officially mapped to this occupation in the NCES and BLS CIP to SOC crosswalk. A mapping means the program commonly prepares students for the occupation, not that every graduate works in it. Official crosswalk
- NO MATCH CIP 99.9999
Skills, knowledge, and daily work
Most important skills
Most important knowledge areas
Typical tasks
- Develop, present, or respond to proposals for specific customer requirements, including request for proposal responses and industry-specific solutions.
- Collaborate with sales teams to understand customer requirements, to promote the sale of company products, and to provide sales support.
- Create sales or service contracts for products or services.
- Visit prospective buyers at commercial, industrial, or other establishments to show samples or catalogs, and to inform them about product pricing, availability, and advantages.
- Keep informed on industry news and trends, products, services, competitors, relevant information about legacy, existing, and emerging technologies, and the latest product-line developments.
- Identify resale opportunities and support them to achieve sales plans.
- Confer with customers and engineers to assess equipment needs and to determine system requirements.
- Plan and modify product configurations to meet customer needs.
Technology skills
- Amazon Web Services AWS software (in demand)
- Microsoft Azure software (in demand)
- Microsoft Excel (in demand)
- Microsoft Office software (in demand)
- Microsoft PowerPoint (in demand)
- Python (in demand)
- Salesforce software (in demand)
- Ansible software (hot technology)
- Apache Cassandra (hot technology)
- Apache Hadoop (hot technology)
- Apple iOS (hot technology)
- Atlassian JIRA (hot technology)
- Autodesk AutoCAD (hot technology)
- Border Gateway Protocol BGP (hot technology)
- C (hot technology)
- C++ (hot technology)
Transferable skills for career changers: Persuasion, Social Perceptiveness, Judgment and Decision Making, Negotiation, Complex Problem Solving, Service Orientation.
Common job titles: Business Development Engineer, Inside Sales Engineer, Product Sales Engineer, Sales Applications Engineer, Sales Engineer, Technical Marketing Engineer, Technical Sales Engineer.
Is it worth it? Model the cost of getting there
Use the ROI calculator to compare the cost of the education this career usually requires against staying on your current path. It starts from the official wage distribution above, and you can change every assumption.
Frequently asked questions
How much do sales engineers make?
The national median annual wage for sales engineers was $124,900 in May 2025, according to the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program. The lowest paid 10 percent earned less than $73,870 and the highest paid 10 percent earned more than $195,270. These figures cover all workers in the occupation, not only new entrants.
What education do sales engineers need?
BLS lists bachelor's degree as the typical education needed to enter this occupation, with none of related work experience and moderate-term on-the-job training on-the-job training typically needed to become competent.
Is sales engineers a growing career?
BLS projects employment of sales engineers to change +2.8% from 2025 to 2035, compared with +3.5% for all occupations. About 3,800 openings are projected each year on average, including openings from workers who retire or change occupations.
Which states pay sales engineers the most?
By median annual wage in May 2025, the highest paying states were Delaware ($167,200), Maryland ($153,410), Rhode Island ($149,750). Pay differences partly reflect differences in living costs.