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The national median salary for Sales Engineers is $124,904 per year ($60.05/hr) according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2025. The middle 50% of earners make between $92,893 and $161,242 annually. Top earners at the 90th percentile reach $195,270 per year. There are approximately 51,790 sales engineers employed in the United States.
About This Role
BLS Standard Occupational Classification 2018
Sell business goods or services, the selling of which requires a technical background equivalent to a baccalaureate degree in engineering.
Career Outlook
BLS Employment Projections · 2024-2034
10-year growth
+5.5%
Faster than average
Annual openings
5K
per year, on avg
Workforce today
57K
as of 2024
Why those openings exist
6% from new growth94% from people leaving the role
Most openings come from replacement, not growth. Retention matters more than recruiting here.
Typical entry requirements
Education
Bachelor's degree
Experience
None
On-the-job training
Moderate-term on-the-job training
Industry Wage Breakdown
Top 5 industries by employment · median annual wage, sector-specific
Machinery, Equipment, and Supplies Merchant Wholesalers
NAICS 423800
3K
$99,830
Professional and Commercial Equipment and Supplies Merchant Wholesalers
NAICS 423400
3K
$134,210
Wage range across top 5 industries: $99,830 to $153,410 (54% spread)
Wage Percentiles
Hourly & annualized (2,080 hours)
Percentile
Hourly Rate
Annual Salary
P10
$35.52
$73,882
P25
$44.66
$92,893
P50MEDIAN
$60.05
$124,904
P75
$77.52
$161,242
P90
$93.88
$195,270
Market Context Signal
JOLTS · retail sector
Active
Openings Rate
4.6%
Quits Rate
3.1%
Retail openings rose to 737K (+52K) in March, rate up to 4.6%. Hires increased to 684K (+73K). Frontline turnover persists with quit rate at 3.1%.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the average sales engineers salary?
The national median salary for Sales Engineers is $124,904 per year ($60.05/hr) according to BLS OEWS May 2025 data. The middle 50% earn between $92,893 and $161,242 annually.
How much do top-earning sales engineers make?
The 90th percentile salary for Sales Engineers is $195,270 per year ($93.88/hr). The 75th percentile is $161,242 per year.
What is the entry-level salary for sales engineers?
Entry-level Sales Engineers (10th percentile) earn approximately $73,882 per year ($35.52/hr). The 25th percentile is $92,893 per year.
Wage figures on this page come from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2025 release. OEWS surveys roughly 1.1 million establishments annually. It is the most comprehensive employer-reported wage dataset in the United States.
P10 through P90 percentiles represent the wage distribution across all surveyed employers (not self-reported by workers). Geographic adjustments use BLS-derived cost multipliers calibrated from regional wage variation.
Wages are estimates. Individual compensation depends on experience, education, employer size, industry, and negotiation. Use this as benchmark context, not absolute ground truth.
CompSignal is a free labor market intelligence tool built for HR, compensation, and talent acquisition teams. We make BLS data, the same primary source Mercer and Radford cross-reference in their paid surveys, searchable and actionable without an enterprise subscription.
Built and maintained by Falcon Incentives, a compensation strategy and incentive design consultancy.