Sales Engineers Salary
The median pay for a sales engineers in Columbus, OH is $117,110/year ($56.3/hour), per BLS data. The range runs from $68K at the entry level to $160K for experienced workers. Adjusted for local prices (RPP 95.47), that's roughly $122,667 in purchasing power. Rent on a 2-bedroom averages $1,430/month, or 19.3% of estimated take-home pay.
So what does $117K get you in Columbus?
Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by Columbus’s Regional Price Parity (95.47). Rent from HUD Fair Market Rents. Taxes estimated for single filer, standard deduction. * Healthcare is the employee-paid share only (premiums + out-of-pocket). Actual costs vary by coverage type: employer-sponsored, ACA marketplace, or uninsured.
About sales engineers
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What this looks like in Columbus
Sales engineers pay in Columbus tracks closely to the national median, $117K locally vs. $125K nationwide, a 6% difference. Housing is manageable: a 2-bedroom at the HUD median costs $1,430/month, 19.5% of take-home, well inside the 30% guideline. Cost of living (RPP 95.47) is near the national average, so spending patterns here track the typical American budget fairly closely. Use the affordability calculator above to model your specific situation.
Compared to nearby metros
Median pay for sales engineers in metros near Columbus, adjusted for local cost of living.
| Metro | Median pay | COL-adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| Cincinnati | $93K | $97K |
| Cleveland | $98K | $105K |
| Dayton-Kettering-Beavercreek | $100K | $108K |
| Akron | $101K | $108K |
COL-adjusted = median salary ÷ (BEA Regional Price Parity ÷ 100). Expresses purchasing power in national-average dollars.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Columbus, OH
Entry-level sales engineers (10th percentile) start around $68K. Mid-career wages sit at $117K. Top earners bring in $160K or more, a $92K spread from bottom to top.
Sales Engineers pay across states
Median income ranked highest to lowest, compared to the national figure
View Sales Engineers salary in all states
| State | Median salary | vs. national | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Delaware | $167K | +34% | 80 |
| Maryland | $153K | +23% | 850 |
| Rhode Island | $150K | +20% | 30 |
| Washington | $148K | +18% | 760 |
| Colorado | $140K | +12% | 2,800 |
| California | $139K | +11% | 6,310 |
| New Jersey | $139K | +11% | 1,760 |
| New York | $137K | +10% | 3,150 |
| Massachusetts | $136K | +9% | 3,150 |
| West Virginia | $135K | +8% | 40 |
| Arizona | $132K | +6% | 1,000 |
| Arkansas | $131K | +5% | 30 |
| Texas | $131K | +5% | 6,800 |
| Oregon | $128K | +3% | 540 |
| Idaho | $128K | +3% | 360 |
| Florida | $126K | +1% | 2,410 |
| Connecticut | $124K | -1% | 760 |
| Louisiana | $122K | -3% | N/A |
| North Carolina | $122K | -3% | 2,530 |
| New Mexico | $119K | -4% | 80 |
| South Dakota | $119K | -5% | 100 |
| Wisconsin | $118K | -6% | 1,300 |
| Utah | $118K | -6% | 480 |
| Vermont | $117K | -6% | N/A |
| Oklahoma | $115K | -8% | 290 |
| South Carolina | $114K | -9% | 770 |
| Michigan | $114K | -9% | 2,290 |
| Tennessee | $112K | -11% | 530 |
| New Hampshire | $108K | -14% | 300 |
| Alabama | $104K | -16% | 220 |
| Minnesota | $101K | -19% | 990 |
| Illinois | $100K | -20% | 1,150 |
| Nevada | $99K | -21% | 320 |
| Georgia | $99K | -21% | 1,630 |
| Pennsylvania | $99K | -21% | 1,980 |
| Kansas | $98K | -22% | 220 |
| Ohio | $97K | -22% | 1,210 |
| Maine | $95K | -24% | 140 |
| Missouri | $91K | -27% | 710 |
| Kentucky | $90K | -28% | 380 |
| Nebraska | $90K | -28% | 130 |
| Iowa | $83K | -33% | 310 |
| Indiana | $75K | -40% | 980 |
| Alaska | $71K | -43% | N/A |
Showing 1–10 of 44 states with published data
BLS does not publish data for every state when sample sizes are too small
Track sales engineers salary changes
BLS updates this data quarterly. We'll email you when Columbus numbers change.
Related careers in Sales
Frequently asked questions
Can a sales engineer afford a 2BR apartment alone in Columbus?
Yes — at the median salary of $117K, rent takes 19.5% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,430/month. That stays under the 30% guideline most financial planners use.
What’s the entry-level salary for sales engineers in Columbus?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new sales engineers typically earn — is $68K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $4,069/month. At HUD’s $1,430/month FMR, rent would take 35% of that take-home — above the 30% guideline, so a 1-bedroom or shared housing is likely necessary starting out.
Is sales engineer a high-paying job in Columbus?
Pay here is roughly in line with the national average — $117K locally vs. $125K nationally, a 6% difference.
How does Columbus compare to the national average for sales engineers?
Columbus pays $117K median vs. the U.S. average of $125K — that’s -6%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 95.47), the purchasing-power equivalent is $123K — below the national median.
How much do sales engineers make in Columbus, OH?
The median is $117,110 a year, that works out to about $56 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $67,820, and experienced sales engineers can clear $159,910. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $117K enough to live in Columbus?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $7,342/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,430/month, which eats 19.5% of your paycheck. That's under the 30% guideline most financial planners use, so the numbers work.
How far does a sales engineers salary go in Columbus?
Columbus has a Regional Price Parity of 95.47 (100 is the national average). That's below average, your money stretches further here than the raw salary number suggests. After cost-of-living adjustment, the median sales engineers salary is worth about $122,667 in national-average purchasing power.
Where do sales engineers get paid the most?
The table above ranks every state by median pay for this role. Keep in mind that the highest-paying states tend to have the highest costs of living, so the top salary doesn't always mean the most money in your pocket.