Sales Engineers Salary
The median pay for a sales engineers in Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA is $97,800/year ($47.02/hour), per BLS data. The range runs from $85K at the entry level to $189K for experienced workers. Prices run high here (RPP 107.78), so that salary is closer to $90,740 in real purchasing power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $2,827/month, about 46% of take-home, which is tight.
So what does $98K get you in Santa Rosa-Petaluma?
Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by Santa Rosa-Petaluma’s Regional Price Parity (107.78). 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 Santa Rosa-Petaluma
Pay for sales engineers in Santa Rosa-Petaluma runs about 22% below the U.S. median of $125K. The catch: housing math doesn't keep up. A 2-bedroom at the HUD median rents for $2,827/month, which is 47.1% of the median worker's take-home, past the 30% guideline most planners use. Cost-of-living overall is 8% above the national average (BEA RPP 107.78), so groceries and services cost more too. That combination, below-market pay with high housing costs, makes this a financially demanding market for sales engineerss.
Compared to nearby metros
Median pay for sales engineers in metros near Santa Rosa-Petaluma, 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, Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA
Entry-level sales engineers (10th percentile) start around $85K. Mid-career wages sit at $98K. Top earners bring in $189K or more, a $104K 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 Santa Rosa-Petaluma numbers change.
Related careers in Sales
Frequently asked questions
Can a sales engineer afford a 2BR apartment alone in Santa Rosa-Petaluma?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $98K, rent takes 47.1% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $2,827/month. The 30% guideline puts the comfortable ceiling at roughly $1,800/month in rent — so roommates or a 1-bedroom would ease the math significantly.
What’s the entry-level salary for sales engineers in Santa Rosa-Petaluma?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new sales engineers typically earn — is $85K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $5,100/month. At HUD’s $2,827/month FMR, rent would take 55% 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 Santa Rosa-Petaluma?
Local pay runs 22% below the national median — $98K here vs. $125K nationally.
How does Santa Rosa-Petaluma compare to the national average for sales engineers?
Santa Rosa-Petaluma pays $98K median vs. the U.S. average of $125K — that’s -22%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 107.78), the purchasing-power equivalent is $91K — below the national median.
How much do sales engineers make in Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA?
The median is $97,800 a year, that works out to about $47 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $85,000, and experienced sales engineers can clear $189,060. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $98K enough to live in Santa Rosa-Petaluma?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $5,996/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $2,827/month, which eats 47.1% 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 Santa Rosa-Petaluma?
Santa Rosa-Petaluma has a Regional Price Parity of 107.78 (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 $90,740 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.