Side-by-side distribution
BDR
$72,284
median · per year, annualized USD
- Disclosing
- 32.6%
- Live roles
- 1,235
Sales Engineer
$162,500
median · per year, annualized USD
- Disclosing
- 45.4%
- Live roles
- 907
Highest-paying jobs
Founding Enterprise BDR
Business Development Representative (Remote in United States)
BDR Senior Manager
Principal Enablement Partner, BDR
Principal Enablement Partner, BDR
Technical BDR
Business Development Representative
BDR Manager
Senior Manager, BDR Operations & Engagement
Senior Manager, BDR Operations & Strategy
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
Sales Engineer, Enterprise
Senior Solutions Engineer - Pre Sales (SF)
Senior Solutions Engineer - Pre Sales (NYC)
Sales Engineer (Bay Area)
Senior Pre-Sales Systems Engineer, SLED (Iowa / Kansas / Missouri / Nebraska)
Top companies hiring
| Company | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
HubSpot
|
$60,595 | 18 |
talentpluto
|
$80,000 | 16 |
Block
|
$63,700 | 8 |
Compass
|
$84,999 | 7 |
|
Klaviyo
|
$102,654 | 5 |
Lavendo
|
$100,000 | 5 |
Teleperformance Spain
|
$28,620 | 5 |
Notion
|
$78,201 | 4 |
Top companies hiring
| Company | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
CaptiveAire
|
$85,000 | 30 |
Zscaler
|
$188,063 | 29 |
Samsara
|
$128,800 | 23 |
Ambient Enterprises
|
$77,500 | 16 |
| RL Rithum LinkedIn Board | $104,000 | 15 |
Datadog
|
$164,500 | 10 |
|
Veeam Software
|
$288,550 | 9 |
| CO Commvault | $138,175 | 9 |
BDR salary by location
| Location | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
| San Francisco | $97,500 | 29 |
| Denver | $86,417 | 14 |
| Austin | $83,250 | 13 |
| New York | $82,500 | 101 |
| Atlanta | $74,500 | 3 |
| Boston | $73,500 | 13 |
| London | $71,141 | 14 |
| Los Angeles | $67,500 | 6 |
| Paris | $65,253 | 4 |
| Toronto | $65,000 | 13 |
Sales Engineer salary by location
| Location | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
| San Francisco | $197,500 | 51 |
| New York | $180,000 | 53 |
| Atlanta | $171,750 | 8 |
| Seattle | $171,600 | 5 |
| Los Angeles | $169,500 | 9 |
| Denver | $150,348 | 14 |
| Chicago | $150,000 | 8 |
| Austin | $144,350 | 7 |
| London | $134,425 | 6 |
| Toronto | $130,000 | 4 |
BDR vs Sales Engineer: which pays more?
The median for BDR is $72,284 per year (typically $59,186–$91,773), versus $162,500 for Sales Engineer ($120,348–$200,000). That puts Sales Engineer about 125% 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.