Sales Engineers earn an average annual salary of $146,137, making it one of the higher-paying occupations. While facing some shifts, the field is adapting to changes in the job market. Professionals in this field are primarily employed in industries such as Cross-industry and Cross-industry, Private Ownership only.

Key Statistics

6,980
2023 Workforce
None
Average Age
$146,137
Average Salary

Employment

Employment and salary information for the Sales Engineers workforce.

Employment Over Time

6,980 Workforce in 2023

The Sales Engineers workforce has been growing over time.

Historical employment trends for Sales Engineers.

Yearly Wage Ranking

$146,137 Average Wage

In 2023, Sales Engineers earned an average of $146,137.

Wage ranking compared to other occupations.

Wage Distribution

This chart shows the distribution of average salaries by income buckets for Sales Engineers.

Salary distribution for Sales Engineers.

Employment Growth Projections

-7.1% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR)

17,967 Projected Employment (5 years)

Projected growth: -30.9%

12,417 Projected Employment (10 years)

Projected growth: -52.2%

This occupation is experiencing a decline. Consider related fields with better growth prospects.

Historical employment trends and future projections for Sales Engineers.

Industry

Information on the industries that employ Sales Engineers and on wages for those in the field.

Occupations by Industries

This graphic shows the share of Sales Engineers employed by various industries.

Industry distribution for Sales Engineers.

Wage Trends by Industry

-1.5% Average Annual Wage Growth Rate

Historical wage growth trends by industry for Sales Engineers.

Geographic Distribution

Employment and wage information by geographic location for Sales Engineers.

Metropolitan employment on this page is from the California OEWS extract. Area names omit state codes; all listed metros are in California, so the state chart shows California totals (not a multi-state ranking).

Top States by Employment

Top States by Employment:

  • CA: 6,020 employees, $146,863 avg wage

Top 10 states by employment for Sales Engineers.

Top Metropolitan Areas

Top Metropolitan Areas:

  • San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara MSA: 1,640 employees, $173,060 avg wage
  • Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale MD: 1,010 employees, $119,659 avg wage
  • San Francisco-San Mateo-Redwood City MD: 950 employees, $164,613 avg wage
  • Anaheim-Santa Ana-Irvine MD: 680 employees, $126,364 avg wage
  • San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad MSA: 450 employees, $133,877 avg wage
  • Oakland-Fremont-Berkeley MD: 450 employees, $148,342 avg wage
  • Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom MSA: 330 employees, $141,771 avg wage
  • Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario MSA: 170 employees, $122,006 avg wage
  • Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura MSA: 90 employees, $122,384 avg wage
  • Santa Rosa-Petaluma MSA: 50 employees, $129,460 avg wage

Top 10 metropolitan statistical areas by employment for Sales Engineers.

Diversity

Demographic information on Sales Engineers in the US.

Gender and Age

The workforce of Sales Engineers in 2023 was 6,980 people, with 62.0% women and 38.0% men.

Gender and age distribution for Sales Engineers.

Races

Racial and ethnic shares when present in the career dataset. If the chart area shows a notice instead, occupational race/ethnicity fields are not yet populated for this extract.

Race and ethnicity distribution for Sales Engineers.

Education & Skills

Data on higher education choices and required skills for Sales Engineers.

Majors

The most common majors achieved by Sales Engineers in 2023 were Business Administration, Engineering, Mathematics.

Common majors for Sales Engineers.

Education Levels

The main educational levels achieved by Sales Engineers workers.

Education level distribution for Sales Engineers.

Skills

Sales Engineers need many skills, but most especially Speaking, Persuasion, Critical Thinking, Social Perceptiveness, Reading Comprehension.

Required skills for Sales Engineers.

Knowledge & Abilities

Knowledge areas and abilities required for Sales Engineers.

Knowledge Areas

The most important knowledge areas for Sales Engineers include Customer and Personal Service, Sales and Marketing, Engineering and Technology, English Language, Mathematics.

Knowledge areas required for Sales Engineers.

Abilities

Key abilities needed for Sales Engineers include Speech Clarity, Oral Expression, Inductive Reasoning, Written Comprehension, Deductive Reasoning.

Required abilities for Sales Engineers.

Work Activities

Common work activities performed by Sales Engineers.

Daily Activities

Sales Engineers spend their time on activities such as Communicating with People Outside the Organization, Getting Information, Selling or Influencing Others, Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events, Working with Computers.

Most important work activities for Sales Engineers.

About

Sales Engineers

The average yearly wage for Sales Engineers was $146,137 in 2023.

SOC Code

41-9031 - Sales Engineers

Insights and Analysis

High earnings profile: Sales Engineers reports an average salary of $146,137, placing it among stronger-paying occupations.

Labor market presence: The current workforce is approximately 6,980 workers, indicating sustained demand.

Forward outlook: Projected annual decline is -7.1%, which should inform long-term career planning.

Data Sources

This page uses data from the following sources:

  • College Scorecard - U.S. Department of Education
    • Institutional characteristics, costs, completion rates, and earnings data
    • Data years: 2015-2024
    • Source: collegescorecard.ed.gov
  • Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)
    • Employment and wage data by occupation
    • Latest data: May 2024
    • Source: bls.gov/oes
  • O*NET Online - U.S. Department of Labor
    • Occupational skills, knowledge, abilities, and work activities
    • Database version: 28.0 (August 2023)
    • Source: onetcenter.org
  • IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) - National Center for Education Statistics
    • Institutional data, completions, enrollment, and financial aid
    • Data years: 2015-2024
    • Source: nces.ed.gov/ipeds
  • Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS)
    • Demographic and workforce data
    • Latest data: 2023 ACS 5-Year Estimates
    • Source: census.gov/acs

Data Processing: All data has been processed, cleaned, and aggregated for presentation. Where specific data points are unavailable, estimates are based on available data and clearly marked.

Last Updated: Data reflects the most recent available information as of January 2025.

Methodology

Data for this profile is sourced from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS), and O*NET Online.

All wage figures represent annual averages and may vary by location, industry, and experience level.