Sales Engineers Salaries by State

Mean and median pay, wage percentiles, employment, and top-paying metro areas for sales engineerss across the U.S. Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 (data.bls.gov OEWS tool /OESServices/combo/table, all-occupation crawl by area).

National mean salary $130,140 ≈ $63/hr
National median salary $124,900
Total employment 51,790 nationwide

Job Outlook, 2024–2034

Source: BLS Employment Projections 2024-2034.

Projected growth +5.5% Faster than average
Annual openings 5,000 per year (avg)
Employment 2024→2034 56,800 → 59,900 (+3,100)
Typical entry education Bachelor's degree

Salary Map

Brighter tiles = higher average pay; dashed tiles have no data. Click a state for details.

💰 Top 5 Highest-Paying States

  1. Delaware$174,130
  2. Idaho$154,390
  3. Arizona$148,770
  4. California$146,590
  5. Colorado$145,880

📉 5 Lowest-Paying States

  1. Indiana$78,140
  2. Alaska$90,030
  3. Missouri$93,760
  4. Maine$94,620
  5. Nebraska$97,720
#StateMeanMedian Hourlyvs. U.S.Employment
1 Delaware $174,130 $167,200 $84 +33.8% 80
2 Idaho $154,390 $128,030 $74 +18.6% 360
3 Arizona $148,770 $131,870 $72 +14.3% 1,000
4 California $146,590 $139,160 $70 +12.6% 6,310
5 Colorado $145,880 $139,990 $70 +12.1% 2,800
6 New York $143,260 $137,480 $69 +10.1% 3,150
7 Washington $142,340 $147,620 $68 +9.4% 760
8 Maryland $142,020 $153,410 $68 +9.1% 850
9 New Jersey $141,310 $139,010 $68 +8.6% 1,760
10 Oregon $140,730 $128,170 $68 +8.1% 540
11 Florida $136,800 $125,530 $66 +5.1% 2,410
12 Texas $136,030 $130,610 $65 +4.5% 6,800
13 North Carolina $136,010 $121,530 $65 +4.5% 2,530
14 Massachusetts $135,380 $136,200 $65 +4% 3,150
15 West Virginia $134,050 $135,260 $64 +3% 40

Top-Paying Metro Areas

Highest median pay among 164 metro areas.

#Metro areaMedianMeanEmployment
1 San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA $177,490 $180,170 1,600
2 Durham-Chapel Hill, NC $175,310 $183,510 330
3 San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA $163,810 $172,040 30
4 Ocala, FL $158,190 $176,450 40
5 Eastern Washington nonmetropolitan area $155,990 $136,350 30
6 Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA $153,560 $150,020 520
7 Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV $153,410 $147,880 1,010
8 San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA $151,610 $154,650 930
9 Fort Collins-Loveland, CO $151,450 $144,540 80
10 New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ $147,570 $151,480 3,440

Pay by Industry

Highest-paying industries employing sales engineerss (BLS OEWS, by median).

#IndustryMedianMeanEmployment
1 Web Search Portals, Libraries, Archives, and Other Information Services $178,140 $186,890 600
2 Web Search Portals, Libraries, Archives, and Other Information Services $178,140 $186,890 600
3 Securities, Commodity Contracts, and Other Financial Investments and Related Activities $172,970 $190,910 40
4 Credit Intermediation and Related Activities (5221 and 5223 only) $170,390 $169,380 60
5 Computer and Peripheral Equipment Manufacturing $168,500 $183,310 620
6 Computing Infrastructure Providers, Data Processing, Web Hosting, and Related Services $162,500 $157,170 1,990
7 Computing Infrastructure Providers, Data Processing, Web Hosting, and Related Services $162,500 $157,170 1,990
8 Other Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services $160,400 $151,570 420
9 Business Support Services $157,760 $146,140 220
10 Scientific Research and Development Services $157,700 $155,990 310
11 Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences $157,700 $155,990 310
12 Publishing Industries $153,410 $148,970 3,250

Workforce Deep-Dive

Distribution and demographics from Census ACS (2023, self-reported). Wage figures here are ACS averages and run lower than the authoritative BLS wages above; use them for shape, not exact pay.

Annual wage distribution

< $10K
4,645
$10-20k
487
$20-30k
692
$30-40k
1,198
$40-50k
834
$50-60k
1,173
$60-70k
2,368
$70-80k
2,605
$80-90k
4,373
$90-100k
2,958
$100-110k
4,378
$110-120k
2,649
$120-130k
3,065
$130-140k
2,096
$140-150k
2,527
$150-160k
3,024
$160-170k
1,914
$170-180k
1,923
$180-190k
2,409
$190-200k
678
$200k+
11,164

Pay by age band

16-24
$60,548
25-34
$124,902
35-44
$166,968
45-54
$163,551
55-64
$133,140
65+
$76,469

Education level

Bachelors Degree
$139,004
Masters Degree
$154,942
1 or more years of college credit, no degree
$112,516
Associates Degree
$133,926
Some college, but less than 1 year
$98,624
Regular high school diploma
$98,699
Professional degree
$169,058
Doctorate degree
$114,388
12th grade - no diploma
$158,986
GED or alternative credential
$83,653
No schooling completed
$244,684
Grade 9

Full-time vs part-time

Full-time
48,903 · $150,056
Part-time
1,874 · $132,334

Race / ethnicity

White
$130,621
Two or More Races
$160,389
Asian
$153,038
Black
$177,684
Other
$115,994
American Indian and Alaska Native tribes specified; or American Indian or Alaska Native, not specified and no other races
American Indian

Top fields of study

Mechanical Engineering
$130,553
Electrical Engineering
$150,504
General Engineering
$120,193
Business Management And Administration
$144,782
Computer Science
$188,257
Civil Engineering
$195,903
General Business
$101,743
Chemical Engineering
$126,898

Top Skills

Most important skills for this role (O*NET importance, 1–5 scale).

Speaking
4.1
Persuasion
4.1
Reading Comprehension
4.0
Active Listening
4.0
Critical Thinking
4.0
Judgment and Decision Making
4.0
Social Perceptiveness
4.0
Negotiation
3.9
Complex Problem Solving
3.9
Active Learning
3.8
Writing
3.8
Service Orientation
3.8

Frequently Asked Questions

How much do sales engineers make in the U.S.?

The median sales engineers salary in the United States is $124,900 per year (mean $130,140), and about 80% earn between $73,870 and $195,270.

How much do sales engineers make per hour?

Roughly $63 per hour, based on a mean annual wage of $130,140 and 2,080 work hours per year.

Which state pays sales engineers the most?

Delaware has the highest average pay for sales engineers at $174,130 per year (median $167,200).

What is the job outlook for sales engineers?

Employment is projected to change +5.5% from 2024 to 2034 (Faster than average), with about 5,000 openings per year.