Sales Engineers Salary
The median pay for a sales engineers in Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA is $105,040/year ($50.5/hour), per BLS data. The range runs from $73K at the entry level to $178K for experienced workers. Prices run high here (RPP 106.44), so that salary is closer to $98,685 in real purchasing power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $2,201/month, about 34% of take-home, which is tight.
So what does $105K get you in Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario?
Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario’s Regional Price Parity (106.44). 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
Sponsored links, AffordMap may earn a commission at no cost to you. Learn more
What this looks like in Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario
Pay for sales engineers in Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario runs about 16% below the U.S. median of $125K. Rent runs $2,201/month for a 2-bedroom (HUD FMR), taking 34.6% of the median take-home. That's within the 30% rule, though not by much. Cost-of-living overall is 6% above the national average (BEA RPP 106.44), so groceries and services cost more too. Use the affordability calculator above to model your specific situation.
Compared to nearby metros
Median pay for sales engineers in metros near Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, adjusted for local cost of living.
| Metro | Median pay | COL-adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim | $133K | $117K |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara | $177K | $161K |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont | $152K | $131K |
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad | $123K | $110K |
COL-adjusted = median salary ÷ (BEA Regional Price Parity ÷ 100). Expresses purchasing power in national-average dollars.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA
Entry-level sales engineers (10th percentile) start around $73K. Mid-career wages sit at $105K. Top earners bring in $178K or more, a $105K 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 Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario numbers change.
Related careers in Sales
Frequently asked questions
Can a sales engineer afford a 2BR apartment alone in Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $105K, rent takes 34.6% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $2,201/month. The 30% guideline puts the comfortable ceiling at roughly $1,900/month in rent — so roommates or a 1-bedroom would ease the math significantly.
What’s the entry-level salary for sales engineers in Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new sales engineers typically earn — is $73K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $4,409/month. At HUD’s $2,201/month FMR, rent would take 50% 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 Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario?
Local pay runs 16% below the national median — $105K here vs. $125K nationally.
How does Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario compare to the national average for sales engineers?
Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario pays $105K median vs. the U.S. average of $125K — that’s -16%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 106.44), the purchasing-power equivalent is $99K — below the national median.
How much do sales engineers make in Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA?
The median is $105,040 a year, that works out to about $51 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $73,490, and experienced sales engineers can clear $178,080. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $105K enough to live in Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $6,365/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $2,201/month, which eats 34.6% of your paycheck. That's above the 30% rule of thumb, housing will be a stretch at the median salary, though you can manage with roommates or a smaller place.
How far does a sales engineers salary go in Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario?
Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario has a Regional Price Parity of 106.44 (100 is the national average). Prices are above average here, so your dollar buys less than the same salary would in a cheaper metro. After cost-of-living adjustment, the median sales engineers salary is worth about $98,685 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.