Occupations · Sales
Sales Engineers
Sell business goods or services, the selling of which requires a technical background equivalent to a baccalaureate degree in engineering.
O*NET 30.3 Database (USDOL/ETA) · occupation code 41-9031.00
What it pays
A single “average salary” hides the spread. This is the whole distribution — the gap between the bottom and top bar is usually the number that matters.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2024 · national, cross-industry · annual wage
Pay over time
Median up 79% between 2003 and 2024, before inflation. The band shows the 10th to 90th percentile.
BLS OEWS, one release per year. Before May 2011 only national estimates were published, so geography detail starts there.
Where the jobs are
| Metro area | Median wage | Employed |
|---|---|---|
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | $126,270 | 4,490 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA | $156,170 | 3,390 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | $135,310 | 2,050 |
| Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO | $135,420 | 1,900 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | $117,340 | 1,690 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $173,640 | 1,640 |
| Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX | $124,490 | 1,490 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA | $154,420 | 1,430 |
| Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI | $108,170 | 1,380 |
| Austin-Round Rock, TX | $137,210 | 1,200 |
| Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ | $169,560 | 1,130 |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD | $103,540 | 1,020 |
BLS OEWS May 2024, metropolitan estimates · the 12 areas with the most people in this occupation
Typical education to enter: Bachelor's degree · BLS Employment Projections 2024–34
What people in this job actually do
Ordered by how important the work is rated.
- Sell products requiring extensive technical expertise and support for installation and use, such as material handling equipment, numerical-control machinery, or computer systems.
- Develop, present, or respond to proposals for specific customer requirements, including request for proposal responses and industry-specific solutions.
- Collaborate with sales teams to understand customer requirements, to promote the sale of company products, and to provide sales support.
- Create sales or service contracts for products or services.
- Visit prospective buyers at commercial, industrial, or other establishments to show samples or catalogs, and to inform them about product pricing, availability, and advantages.
- Keep informed on industry news and trends, products, services, competitors, relevant information about legacy, existing, and emerging technologies, and the latest product-line developments.
- Identify resale opportunities and support them to achieve sales plans.
- Confer with customers and engineers to assess equipment needs and to determine system requirements.
- Plan and modify product configurations to meet customer needs.
- Prepare and deliver technical presentations that explain products or services to customers and prospective customers.
- Recommend improved materials or machinery to customers, documenting how such changes will lower costs or increase production.
- Maintain sales forecasting reports.
O*NET 30.3 task ratings, importance scale
Skills that matter most
Importance, rated 1 to 5.
O*NET 30.3 skills, importance scale
Software and tools
A dot marks what O*NET flags as in demand.
O*NET 30.3 software skills · hot-technology flag
What this work is actually like
Conditions rated against the average across all occupations — only what makes this job different is listed.
O*NET 30.3 Job Zones
Working conditions that stand out
O*NET 30.3 work context, frequency scale · observed 2022-08
How people actually get in
Share of workers by the education they hold.
O*NET 30.2 education, training and experience · observed 2022-08
What kind of person the work suits
Occupational interest profile, rated 1 to 7.
O*NET 30.2 occupational interests (RIASEC)
What you take with you
Skills rated for how well they transfer into other occupations.
O*NET 30.3 transferable skills, importance scale
Knowledge the work draws on
Abilities it leans on
O*NET 30.3 abilities and knowledge, importance scale
How this job is advertised
The same work is posted under many titles — this is what to search for.
O*NET 30.3 job titles reported for this occupation
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What changed since 2015
Comparing O*NET release 20.1 (2015-10-01) with 30.3 (2026-05-01). Signs, not colour alone, carry the meaning. 3 entries that were only relabelled between releases are left out.
Now listed 56
No longer listed 7
Diff across the O*NET releases held here in full since October 2015, following occupations through merges and retirements. O*NET re-surveys occupations on a rolling cycle, so “no change” can also mean “not re-surveyed”.
Related jobs
O*NET 30.3 related occupations
Also called
O*NET 30.3 alternative titles
The same work in Europe
| ESCO occupation | ISCO | Match |
|---|---|---|
| sales engineer | 2433.4 | exact |
| technical sales representative | 2433.6 | close |
| technical sales representative in office machinery and equipment | 2433.6.6 | broader |
| technical sales representative in chemical products | 2433.6.2 | broader |
| technical sales representative in hardware, plumbing and heating equipment | 2433.6.3 | broader |
| technical sales representative in the textile machinery industry | 2433.6.7 | broader |
| technical sales representative in agricultural machinery and equipment | 2433.6.1 | broader |
| technical sales representative in machinery and industrial equipment | 2433.6.4 | broader |
| technical sales representative in mining and construction machinery | 2433.6.5 | broader |
| technical sales representative in electronic and telecommunications equipment | 2434.4 | broader |
Official ESCO ↔ O*NET crosswalk (ESCO Secretariat with USDOL/ETA)
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