Sales Engineers Salary
The median pay for a sales engineers in San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA is $151,610/year ($72.89/hour), per BLS data. The range runs from $87K at the entry level to $217K for experienced workers. Prices run high here (RPP 115.61), so that salary is closer to $131,139 in real purchasing power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $3,604/month, about 40.3% of take-home, which is tight.
So what does $152K get you in San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont?
Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont’s Regional Price Parity (115.61). 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 San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont
San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont sits well above the national pay line for sales engineers, local pay runs about 21% higher than the U.S. median of $125K. The catch: housing math doesn't keep up. A 2-bedroom at the HUD median rents for $3,604/month, which is 41.5% of the median worker's take-home, past the 30% guideline most planners use. Cost-of-living overall is 16% above the national average (BEA RPP 115.61), so groceries and services cost more too. The pay premium is real, but so are the offsets.
Compared to nearby metros
Median pay for sales engineers in metros near San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, 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 Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad | $123K | $110K |
| Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom | $139K | $130K |
COL-adjusted = median salary ÷ (BEA Regional Price Parity ÷ 100). Expresses purchasing power in national-average dollars.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA
Entry-level sales engineers (10th percentile) start around $87K. Mid-career wages sit at $152K. Top earners bring in $217K or more, a $130K 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 San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont numbers change.
Related careers in Sales
Frequently asked questions
Can a sales engineer afford a 2BR apartment alone in San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $152K, rent takes 41.5% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $3,604/month. The 30% guideline puts the comfortable ceiling at roughly $2,600/month in rent — so roommates or a 1-bedroom would ease the math significantly.
What’s the entry-level salary for sales engineers in San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new sales engineers typically earn — is $87K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $5,200/month. At HUD’s $3,604/month FMR, rent would take 69% 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 San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont?
Local pay is 21% above the national median — $152K here vs. $125K nationally. Keep in mind cost of living here is 16% above the national average, which offsets some of that premium.
How does San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont compare to the national average for sales engineers?
San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont pays $152K median vs. the U.S. average of $125K — that’s +21%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 115.61), the purchasing-power equivalent is $131K — still ahead of the national median.
How much do sales engineers make in San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA?
The median is $151,610 a year, that works out to about $73 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $86,660, and experienced sales engineers can clear $216,540. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $152K enough to live in San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $8,679/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $3,604/month, which eats 41.5% 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 San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont?
San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont has a Regional Price Parity of 115.61 (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 $131,139 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.