SalariesWhat the occupation covers
Sell business goods or services, the selling of which requires a technical background equivalent to a baccalaureate degree in engineering. Excludes “Engineers” (17-2011 through 17-2199) whose primary function is not marketing or sales.
Official definition from the Standard Occupational Classification, code 41-9031.
The pay range
Pay differs a lot inside one occupation, with experience, employer and place. The table shows where the lines fall.
| Share of workers | A year | A month* | A week* | An hour |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lowest 10% earn less than | $73,870 | $6,156 | $1,421 | $35.52 |
| Lowest 25% earn less than | $92,890 | $7,741 | $1,786 | $44.66 |
| Median (half earn less, half more) | $124,900 | $10,408 | $2,402 | $60.05 |
| Top 25% earn more than | $161,230 | $13,436 | $3,101 | $77.52 |
| Top 10% earn more than | $195,270 | $16,272 | $3,755 | $93.88 |
* Month and week are the yearly figure divided by 12 and by 52, worked out here for convenience. BLS publishes the yearly and hourly figures.
How it compares
The median for all occupations in the United States was $50,980 a year. The median for Sales Engineers is $124,900, which is 145% higher. Among the 22 occupations of the field Sales and Related, it ranks number 1 by median pay. With 51,790 jobs, it makes up about 3.3 of every 10,000 jobs in the country.
Sales Engineers pay by state
The highest median pay was in Delaware ($167,200), Maryland ($153,410) and Rhode Island ($149,750). The lowest was in Puerto Rico ($62,970), Alaska ($71,080) and Indiana ($74,960). The most jobs were in Texas (6,800), California (6,310) and Massachusetts (3,150). The occupation is most concentrated in Colorado, where its share of all jobs is 2.9 times the national share.
No state matches.
| State | Jobs | Median a year | Average a year | Median an hour |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Delaware | 80 | $167,200 | $174,130 | $80.38 |
| Maryland | 850 | $153,410 | $142,020 | $73.76 |
| Rhode Island | 30 | $149,750 | $129,200 | $71.99 |
| Washington | 760 | $147,620 | $142,340 | $70.97 |
| Colorado | 2,800 | $139,990 | $145,880 | $67.30 |
| California | 6,310 | $139,160 | $146,590 | $66.90 |
| New Jersey | 1,760 | $139,010 | $141,310 | $66.83 |
| New York | 3,150 | $137,480 | $143,260 | $66.10 |
| Massachusetts | 3,150 | $136,200 | $135,380 | $65.48 |
| West Virginia | 40 | $135,260 | $134,050 | $65.03 |
| Arizona | 1,000 | $131,870 | $148,770 | $63.40 |
| Arkansas | 30 | $130,760 | $113,010 | $62.86 |
| Texas | 6,800 | $130,610 | $136,030 | $62.79 |
| Oregon | 540 | $128,170 | $140,730 | $61.62 |
| Idaho | 360 | $128,030 | $154,390 | $61.56 |
| Florida | 2,410 | $125,530 | $136,800 | $60.35 |
| Connecticut | 760 | $123,660 | $124,890 | $59.45 |
| Louisiana | not published | $121,680 | $130,580 | $58.50 |
| North Carolina | 2,530 | $121,530 | $136,010 | $58.43 |
| New Mexico | 80 | $119,420 | $125,470 | $57.41 |
| South Dakota | 100 | $119,110 | $117,580 | $57.26 |
| Wisconsin | 1,300 | $117,970 | $129,680 | $56.71 |
| Utah | 480 | $117,650 | $113,030 | $56.56 |
| Vermont | not published | $116,790 | $118,300 | $56.15 |
| Oklahoma | 290 | $114,520 | $111,980 | $55.06 |
| South Carolina | 770 | $114,250 | $120,430 | $54.93 |
| Michigan | 2,290 | $114,180 | $124,050 | $54.89 |
| Tennessee | 530 | $111,580 | $115,220 | $53.64 |
| New Hampshire | 300 | $107,850 | $117,310 | $51.85 |
| Alabama | 220 | $104,410 | $122,400 | $50.20 |
| Minnesota | 990 | $100,570 | $106,980 | $48.35 |
| Illinois | 1,150 | $99,710 | $108,920 | $47.94 |
| Nevada | 320 | $99,020 | $112,140 | $47.61 |
| Georgia | 1,630 | $98,840 | $108,310 | $47.52 |
| Pennsylvania | 1,980 | $98,500 | $101,350 | $47.35 |
| Kansas | 220 | $98,000 | $106,280 | $47.12 |
| Ohio | 1,210 | $97,420 | $102,610 | $46.84 |
| Maine | 140 | $95,180 | $94,620 | $45.76 |
| Missouri | 710 | $90,960 | $93,760 | $43.73 |
| Kentucky | 380 | $90,190 | $98,510 | $43.36 |
| Nebraska | 130 | $90,140 | $97,720 | $43.34 |
| Iowa | 310 | $83,450 | $102,620 | $40.12 |
| Indiana | 980 | $74,960 | $78,140 | $36.04 |
| Alaska | not published | $71,080 | $90,030 | $34.18 |
| Puerto Rico | 70 | $62,970 | $62,710 | $30.28 |
| Mississippi | 90 | not published | not published | not published |
| Virginia | 1,260 | not published | not published | not published |
Sorted by median pay, highest first. "Not published" means BLS did not release that figure for the state, usually because too few employers were surveyed. "$239,200 or more" is the highest value BLS reports in the state tables.
Similar occupations by pay
- Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Technical and Scientific Products$104,920 a year
- First-Line Supervisors of Non-Retail Sales Workers$87,520 a year
- Securities, Commodities, and Financial Services Sales Agents$78,660 a year
Common questions
How much do Sales Engineers earn in the United States?
The median pay was $124,900 a year in May 2025, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The lowest-paid 10% earned less than $73,870 and the highest-paid 10% more than $195,270.
How many people work as Sales Engineers?
About 51,790 jobs in the United States in May 2025, not counting the self-employed.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. Checked in November 2026. Figures are for employees, before tax, and leave out overtime pay and benefits. They are official statistics, not advice or a pay offer; see bls.gov/oes for the original tables.