Sales Engineers
Also called: Business Development Engineer, Product Sales Engineer, Sales Engineer, Technical Marketing EngineerSell business goods or services, the selling of which requires a technical background equivalent to a baccalaureate degree in engineering.
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What the data says: AI could halve the time on 19 of its 25 tasks, yet jobs are projected to grow 2.8% by 2035. In the most exposed occupations, the squeeze shows up first among early-career workers. How to think about this →
About this projection
BLS builds AI into its projections where the research supports it: “BLS generally applies adjustments based on this research conservatively, where there is convincing evidence for a change.”
It also notes a limit: “BLS projection methods are not designed to capture extremely rapid technological change.”
On its AI exposure groups, BLS says exposure “does not imply job loss.”
Recent conditions
- In 2024, 2.4% of people in this work were unemployed, against 3.8% across all occupations Census ACS 2024
- From Sep 2025 to Aug 2026, 7.9 hires for every 10 job openings in professional and business services, which employs about 30% of people in this work, against 7.3 across all industries BLS JOLTS
One box per opening, filled for each hire; hires beyond the openings are added in a lighter shade. Higher can mean openings get filled, or that people leave often; lower, that jobs go unfilled, or hiring is slow.7.9 this industry7.3 all industries
Median pay by state BLS OEWS May 2025, state estimates
Tap a state for its figures.
Median pay in every state
| State | Median | Middle half earn | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $104,410 | $73,040 to $140,340 | 220 |
| Alaska | $71,080 | $62,450 to $129,640 | not published |
| Arizona | $131,870 | $81,240 to $216,650 | 1,000 |
| Arkansas | $130,760 | $67,280 to $151,590 | 30 |
| California | $139,160 | $102,770 to $174,510 | 6,310 |
| Colorado | $139,990 | $110,120 to $176,780 | 2,800 |
| Connecticut | $123,660 | $85,250 to $142,250 | 760 |
| Delaware | $167,200 | $155,390 to $203,690 | 80 |
| Florida | $125,530 | $91,800 to $155,290 | 2,410 |
| Georgia | $98,840 | $83,180 to $129,640 | 1,630 |
| Idaho | $128,030 | $103,070 to $230,520 | 360 |
| Illinois | $99,710 | $83,710 to $134,700 | 1,150 |
| Indiana | $74,960 | $38,530 to $101,010 | 980 |
| Iowa | $83,450 | $83,450 to $117,080 | 310 |
| Kansas | $98,000 | $81,880 to $124,920 | 220 |
| Kentucky | $90,190 | $76,500 to $111,580 | 380 |
| Louisiana | $121,680 | $109,560 to $166,720 | not published |
| Maine | $95,180 | $74,730 to $114,490 | 140 |
| Maryland | $153,410 | $138,820 to $153,410 | 850 |
| Massachusetts | $136,200 | $97,440 to $171,170 | 3,150 |
| Michigan | $114,180 | $92,770 to $151,050 | 2,290 |
| Minnesota | $100,570 | $93,780 to $119,210 | 990 |
| Mississippi | not published | not published | 90 |
| Missouri | $90,960 | $65,050 to $109,830 | 710 |
| Nebraska | $90,140 | $64,850 to $102,950 | 130 |
| Nevada | $99,020 | $73,230 to $138,700 | 320 |
| New Hampshire | $107,850 | $83,340 to $145,730 | 300 |
| New Jersey | $139,010 | $111,640 to $167,970 | 1,760 |
| New Mexico | $119,420 | $94,990 to $154,700 | 80 |
| New York | $137,480 | $101,550 to $174,820 | 3,150 |
| North Carolina | $121,530 | $87,790 to $164,310 | 2,530 |
| Ohio | $97,420 | $79,080 to $125,990 | 1,210 |
| Oklahoma | $114,520 | $74,990 to $143,150 | 290 |
| Oregon | $128,170 | $94,640 to $166,950 | 540 |
| Pennsylvania | $98,500 | $79,520 to $118,710 | 1,980 |
| Puerto Rico | $62,970 | $49,410 to $73,020 | 70 |
| Rhode Island | $149,750 | $77,960 to $181,480 | 30 |
| South Carolina | $114,250 | $92,830 to $137,380 | 770 |
| South Dakota | $119,110 | $102,620 to $130,870 | 100 |
| Tennessee | $111,580 | $81,620 to $131,290 | 530 |
| Texas | $130,610 | $99,990 to $166,750 | 6,800 |
| Utah | $117,650 | $87,200 to $130,610 | 480 |
| Vermont | $116,790 | $115,130 to $119,990 | not published |
| Virginia | not published | not published | 1,260 |
| Washington | $147,620 | $109,940 to $173,040 | 760 |
| West Virginia | $135,260 | $134,000 to $141,740 | 40 |
| Wisconsin | $117,970 | $97,690 to $138,480 | 1,300 |
Nationally: $124,900. Shades run from the lowest state median to the highest; a territory below that range takes the lightest. How to read this
How AI touches the work
What AI could speed up, task by task, and where people already use it.
AI could halve the time on 19 of its 25 tasks
| AI rating | Its main tasks | Share of Claude conversations May 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| AI alone | Develop, present, or respond to proposals for specific customer requirements, including request for proposal responses and industry-specific solutions. | 0.05% |
| AI + software | Collaborate with sales teams to understand customer requirements, to promote the sale of company products, and to provide sales support. | Not published |
| AI + software | Keep informed on industry news and trends, products, services, competitors, relevant information about legacy, existing, and emerging technologies, and the latest product-line developments. | Not published |
| AI + software | Confer with customers and engineers to assess equipment needs and to determine system requirements. | under 0.01% |
| AI alone | Create sales or service contracts for products or services. | under 0.01% |
| Not much | Visit prospective buyers at commercial, industrial, or other establishments to show samples or catalogs, and to inform them about product pricing, availability, and advantages. | Not published |
See all 25 tasks
| AI alone | Research and identify potential customers for products or services. | 0.01% |
| AI + software | Document account activities, generate reports, and keep records of business transactions with customers and suppliers. | under 0.01% |
| AI + software | Prepare and deliver technical presentations that explain products or services to customers and prospective customers. | 0.03% |
| AI + software | Plan and modify product configurations to meet customer needs. | under 0.01% |
| AI + software | Maintain sales forecasting reports. | under 0.01% |
| AI + software | Secure and renew orders and arrange delivery. | Not published |
| Not much | Attend trade shows and seminars to promote products or to learn about industry developments. | Not published |
| AI alone | Identify resale opportunities and support them to achieve sales plans. | Not published |
| AI alone | Recommend improved materials or machinery to customers, documenting how such changes will lower costs or increase production. | Not published |
| Not much | Attend company training seminars to become familiar with product lines. | Not published |
| AI alone | Develop sales plans to introduce products in new markets. | 0.01% |
| Not much | Sell products requiring extensive technical expertise and support for installation and use, such as material handling equipment, numerical-control machinery, or computer systems. | Not published |
| Not much | Arrange for demonstrations or trial installations of equipment. | Not published |
| Not much | Train team members in the customer applications of technologies. | Not published |
| AI alone | Provide technical and non-technical support and services to clients or other staff members regarding the use, operation, and maintenance of equipment. | 0.12% |
| AI alone | Write technical documentation for products. | 0.09% |
| AI + software | Diagnose problems with installed equipment. | 0.42% |
| AI + software | Provide information needed for the development of custom-made machinery. | Not published |
| AI + software | Report to supervisors about prospective firms' credit ratings. | Not published |
Ordered by how important O*NET's respondents rate each task (1 to 5) times the share who say it is part of their job. The ordering is ours. 12 of the 25 have a published share of Claude conversations; “not published” means too few conversations for Anthropic to publish a figure.
Where people already use AI
The tasks above say what AI could speed up. This shows what people are using it for. Its 25 tasks fall under 22 work activities that many occupations share, and Microsoft counted how often each one came up in 200,000 conversations with its Copilot assistant in 2024.
- #4 Maintain current knowledge in area of expertise
- #7 Explain technical details of products or services
- #17 Implement procedures or processes
- and 6 more, in the table below
| Work activity | This occupation's tasks under it | People asked AI for help in 10,000 conversations |
AI did it for them in 10,000 conversations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Promote products, services, or programs | |||
| Maintain current knowledge in area of expertise | |||
| Communicate with others about specifications or project details | |||
| Advise others on products or services | |||
| Identify business or organizational opportunities | |||
| Sell products or services | |||
| Communicate with others about business strategies | |||
| Explain technical details of products or services |
Show all 22 activities
| Implement procedures or processes | |||
| Present research or technical information | |||
| Monitor external affairs, trends, or events | |||
| Explain financial information | |||
| Diagnose system or equipment problems | |||
| Develop marketing or promotional materials | |||
| Prepare documentation for contracts, applications, or permits | |||
| Collect data about consumer needs or opinions | |||
| Prepare financial documents, reports, or budgets | |||
| Develop business or marketing plans | |||
| Direct organizational operations, activities, or procedures | |||
| Maintain sales or financial records | |||
| Train others on operational or work procedures | |||
| Prepare proposals or grant applications |
How people in this work use Claude
What people in this work made with Claude % of conversations
- An explanation or answer26%
- A document or report17%
- Advice or a recommendation16%
- Code fixes or debugging12%
- Configuration or infrastructure6%
How they worked with Claude
46% of these conversations were about work. Anthropic Economic Index, May 2026.
How to read this
Work activities come from O*NET, which links every task to the broader activities it involves. Microsoft's figures are for the activity across everyone who used Copilot, not for sales engineers specifically. Copilot is a general chat assistant; dedicated coding tools are not included, so programming help is under-counted here. Activities are listed by how many of this occupation's tasks fall under them.
The task ratings say whether AI could halve the time a task takes: on its own (“AI alone”), or with software built on it (“AI + software”). They were made by people in 2023 (Eloundou et al.). Claude's share is the task's share of all Claude.ai conversations in May 2026; Anthropic doesn't publish a task with too few conversations. None of these add up to the BLS exposure group, which combines five research measures.
More in the Guide: task ratings · task order · work activities · Copilot figures · Claude
High exposure doesn't mean fewer jobs
BLS projects most occupations in its two most exposed groups to grow: 141 of 206 rated Very high and 165 of 206 rated High. Each dot is one of the 831 occupations BLS rates.
Career moves into and out of this occupation
From moves between occupations found in online resumes, 2002–2016. Career changes only: a first job after school isn't a move.
Where people moved next
of 24,021 moves out
- 1 Sales Managers High +4.5% 14%
- 2 Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products Very high -0.9% 12%
- 3 Computer Occupations, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 7%
- 4 Managers, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 6%
- 5 Software Developers, Applications (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 4%
Where people moved in from
of 28,468 moves in
- 1 Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products Very high -0.9% 13%
- 2 Sales Managers High +4.5% 9%
- 3 Computer Occupations, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 7%
- 4 Managers, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 5%
- 5 Software Developers, Applications (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 5%
Resumes over-represent younger, white-collar job-seekers and moves into management. Schubert, Stansbury and Taska (resume data).
Education and training for the occupation
O*NET survey of workers in this occupation
- 6% some college
- 12% associate's
- 57% bachelor's
- 25% not published
O*NET marks 25% of the answers as too uncertain to publish, so the parts shown don't add up to 100%.
O*NET 31.0 survey of workers in this occupation · 17 people answered.
Census survey (American Community Survey)
- 1% less than high school
- 5% high school
- 12% some college
- 9% associate's
- 54% bachelor's
- 18% master's
- 1% professional degree
- 1% doctorate
Census ACS 2024, all workers in this occupation · 628 people surveyed.
Why the two can differ
O*NET asks about 20 people in each occupation, which makes its shares uncertain, but it reports the exact occupation and counts certificates. The Census survey reaches thousands, but it groups some occupations together and counts degrees only. More in the Guide
Median pay by highest degree full-time, year-round · Census ACS 2024, all workers in this occupation
Jobs that require a credential BLS Occupational Requirements Survey 2023
BLS publishes no credential figures for this occupation.
Look up certifications, training and licenses U.S. Department of Labor
- Certification Finder ↗ certifications CareerOneStop lists for this occupation
- Training Finder ↗ schools and programs, nationwide; narrow the place there
- License Finder ↗ licenses by state
- Apprenticeships: DOL's list of apprenticeable occupations doesn't include this one.
These open in a new tab and send only the occupation's public code. More in the Guide
BLS AI exposure categories (Aug 2026) · BLS Employment Projections 2025–35 · O*NET 31.0 · Task ratings: Eloundou et al., Science (2024) · Microsoft "Working with AI" v1.1 · Anthropic Economic Index (2026-06-26) · Schubert, Stansbury and Taska · NCES CIP–SOC · Census ACS 2024 · BLS JOLTS · Brynjolfsson, Chandar and Chen, Stanford (Aug 2026)
See it online, and explore any career: https://www.pathmosaic.com/card/41-9031.00