Side-by-side distribution
BDR
$72,067
median · per year, annualized USD
- Disclosing
- 32.7%
- Live roles
- 1,274
Sales Engineer
$161,750
median · per year, annualized USD
- Disclosing
- 44.2%
- Live roles
- 918
Highest-paying jobs
Founding Enterprise BDR
Business Development Representative (Remote in United States)
BDR Senior Manager
Principal Enablement Partner, BDR
Principal Enablement Partner, BDR
Business Development Representative
BDR Manager
Senior Manager, BDR Operations & Engagement
Senior Manager, BDR Operations & Strategy
Experienced Business Development Representative
Highest-paying jobs
Senior Sales Engineer - Data & AI Security
Senior Sales Engineer - Data & AI Security
Senior Sales Engineer - Data & AI Security
Senior Sales Systems Engineer, VDC M365
Sr. Sales Systems Engineer - TX
Senior Solutions Engineer - Pre Sales (NYC)
Senior Solutions Engineer - Pre Sales (SF)
Sales Engineer (Bay Area)
Staff Applied AI Engineer - Pre-Sales
Solutions Engineer (AI/ML, Pre-Sales)
Top companies hiring
| Company | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
talentpluto
|
$80,000 | 20 |
HubSpot
|
$60,595 | 19 |
Compass
|
$84,999 | 8 |
Block
|
$63,700 | 8 |
|
Klaviyo
|
$102,654 | 5 |
Teleperformance Spain
|
$28,620 | 5 |
| AL Algolia | $79,281 | 4 |
Notion
|
$78,201 | 4 |
Top companies hiring
| Company | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
CaptiveAire
|
$85,000 | 30 |
Samsara
|
$120,348 | 21 |
Zscaler
|
$188,063 | 20 |
Ambient Enterprises
|
$80,000 | 17 |
| RL Rithum LinkedIn Board | $104,000 | 15 |
Datadog
|
$145,500 | 11 |
|
Veeam Software
|
$259,675 | 10 |
Horizon3 AI
|
$220,056 | 8 |
BDR salary by location
| Location | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
| Seattle | $97,250 | 4 |
| San Francisco | $96,250 | 32 |
| Denver | $89,500 | 13 |
| Atlanta | $83,500 | 4 |
| Austin | $83,250 | 17 |
| New York | $80,000 | 93 |
| Toronto | $80,000 | 13 |
| London | $79,281 | 14 |
| Boston | $76,750 | 16 |
| Los Angeles | $70,000 | 9 |
Sales Engineer salary by location
| Location | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
| San Francisco | $212,500 | 49 |
| Austin | $210,000 | 7 |
| Atlanta | $210,000 | 7 |
| Chicago | $195,300 | 7 |
| Boston | $195,300 | 9 |
| Los Angeles | $187,710 | 8 |
| New York | $183,500 | 49 |
| Seattle | $166,823 | 10 |
| Denver | $156,395 | 15 |
| London | $144,590 | 7 |
BDR vs Sales Engineer: which pays more?
The median for BDR is $72,067 per year (typically $60,000–$92,500), versus $161,750 for Sales Engineer ($120,348–$200,112). That puts Sales Engineer about 124% ahead at the median.
Both figures are computed live from active listings on JobsRadar and normalized to annualized USD, so BDR and Sales Engineer are compared on equal terms regardless of the currency each role was originally posted in. Only roles that publish a salary range feed the medians; numbers refresh every few hours as new roles post and older ones close, so this comparison reflects the market right now rather than a fixed survey. Use it as a directional benchmark when weighing one path against the other.