The average SDR salary in 2026 sits around $55,000 to $60,000 in base pay, with total on-target earnings between $83,000 and $85,000. Those numbers look clean on paper. In practice, they tell only part of the story.
OTE assumes you hit 100 percent of your quota. A large percentage of SDRs do not. So while the average looks straightforward, the actual earning distribution is messier — some reps outperform and cross $100K, while others fall well short due to poor territories, bad data, or unrealistic quotas.
What you actually earn as an SDR in 2026 depends on three things: where you are, what stage company you work at, and whether the quota you’re measured against is realistic. This guide breaks down all three, with salary data by market, experience level, company segment, and pay structure.
The National Average: What SDRs Make in 2026
The average Sales Development Representative (SDR) earns $50,000 to $68,000 in base salary and $65,000 to $95,000 OTE in 2026. Enterprise SDRs in San Francisco, New York, and Austin regularly exceed $110,000 OTE.
The US national average SDR base salary ranges from $45,000 to $57,000 for entry-level SDRs, $57,000 to $68,000 for mid-level SDRs, and $67,000 to $82,000 for senior SDRs. OTE at 100% quota attainment adds 60-80% to the base.
Those ranges reflect B2B tech and SaaS roles specifically. Broader datasets that include non-tech SDR roles in retail, insurance, and staffing pull the averages lower. If you’re hiring or evaluating comp in B2B software, the figures above are more representative than national medians you’ll see on generalist salary sites.
SDR Salary by Experience Level
Experience level is one of the strongest predictors of base salary, both because it reflects demonstrated capability and because it affects how much ramp time a company is absorbing.
| Experience Level | Base Salary | OTE | Typical Pay Mix |
|---|---|---|---|
| Entry level (0 to 1 year) | $45K to $60K | $65K to $85K | 70/30 |
| Mid-level (1 to 3 years) | $57K to $75K | $80K to $105K | 65/35 |
| Senior (3 or more years) | $67K to $90K | $95K to $130K | 65/35 |
| Enterprise SDR | $75K to $95K | $105K to $140K | 65/35 |
Top performers can earn $130,000 or more through consistent overachievement of quotas and accelerators. At the senior level, most SDRs are either specializing in enterprise prospecting or preparing to transition into closing roles.
The pay mix shifts as experience increases. Enterprise organizations run closer to 80/20 to provide more base stability, while high-velocity SMB motions run 60/40 to build in more variable upside. Entry-level SDRs almost universally see a 70/30 split because the role is activity-driven enough that a variable component creates the right incentives without creating income instability for someone still ramping.
SDR Salary by City and Market
Geography is the single biggest variable in SDR compensation, aside from experience. Tech hub premiums are real, though remote work has compressed the gap somewhat over the past few years.
| Market | Base Salary Range | OTE Range | vs. National Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Francisco, CA | $65K to $85K | $90K to $120K | +25 to 30% |
| New York, NY | $60K to $80K | $85K to $115K | +20 to 25% |
| Seattle, WA | $60K to $78K | $82K to $110K | +15 to 20% |
| Boston, MA | $58K to $76K | $80K to $108K | +15% |
| Los Angeles, CA | $57K to $74K | $78K to $105K | +10 to 12% |
| Washington, DC | $56K to $72K | $76K to $100K | +8 to 10% |
| Chicago, IL | $55K to $70K | $74K to $98K | +6 to 8% |
| Austin, TX | $55K to $70K | $72K to $95K | +5% |
| Denver, CO | $53K to $68K | $70K to $92K | +3 to 5% |
| Atlanta, GA | $50K to $65K | $67K to $88K | Near average |
| Dallas, TX | $50K to $64K | $66K to $86K | Near average |
| Miami, FL | $48K to $63K | $65K to $84K | Slightly below |
| Phoenix, AZ | $47K to $62K | $63K to $82K | Slightly below |
| National average | $50K to $68K | $65K to $95K | Baseline |
San Francisco SDRs earn approximately 25 to 30 percent more than SDRs in other markets in base salary. Remote-friendly companies increasingly pay national averages regardless of location, which is compressing city premiums, though the gap in major tech hubs remains meaningful.
One nuance worth noting: remote SDR roles typically pay 10 to 15 percent less in base than equivalent in-office roles in major tech markets. However, a remote SDR earning $65,000 in a mid-tier cost-of-living market often has higher purchasing power than an in-office counterpart earning more in San Francisco or New York.
SDR Salary by Company Stage
Stage affects comp in two ways. First, later-stage companies generally pay more in cash because they have more of it. Second, earlier-stage companies often compensate with equity, which shifts the risk-reward calculation but doesn’t show up in the base salary number.
| Company Stage | Base Salary | OTE | Equity Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Seed or pre-Series A | $42K to $58K | $60K to $80K | Options common; ICP often undefined |
| Series A | $50K to $65K | $68K to $90K | Options standard; ramp takes longer |
| Series B | $55K to $70K | $75K to $98K | More defined playbook; faster ramp |
| Series C and beyond | $60K to $78K | $82K to $110K | Most structured; highest base stability |
| Public company | $62K to $82K | $85K to $115K | RSUs common; process-driven environment |
The average ramp time to full quota is 90 days for a Series B company with a defined playbook. Seed-stage companies often see 120 to 150-day ramps due to undefined ICP and evolving messaging. That longer ramp affects realized comp in the first two quarters more than the stated OTE suggests.
SDR Salary by Industry
Not all SDR roles pay the same, even within tech. The product’s complexity and the difficulty of the sale affect compensation.
| Industry | Base Salary | OTE |
|---|---|---|
| SaaS (enterprise motion) | $60K to $85K | $85K to $125K |
| SaaS (SMB or mid-market) | $52K to $70K | $72K to $100K |
| Cybersecurity | $65K to $90K | $90K to $130K |
| Cloud infrastructure | $62K to $85K | $85K to $120K |
| Fintech | $58K to $78K | $80K to $110K |
| Health tech | $52K to $70K | $70K to $95K |
| Manufacturing or industrial | $48K to $65K | $65K to $85K |
| Professional services | $45K to $62K | $62K to $82K |
Cybersecurity and cloud infrastructure sit at the top because buyers are technical and skeptical, sales cycles are longer, and the SDR role demands more research and credibility per outreach than in simpler product categories.
How SDR Commission Structures Work
Understanding how variable pay is calculated matters as much as the OTE number itself. A $90,000 OTE where 25 percent of reps hit quota is a worse deal than a $75,000 OTE where 60 percent hit it. Before accepting or extending any offer, the team’s quota attainment rate is the most important metric to ask about.
Most SDR commission plans use one of three structures.
- Per-meeting or per-activity. The SDR earns a fixed amount per qualified meeting booked, typically $75 to $200 per meeting, depending on deal size and market. Simple to track, easy to understand, but can incentivize quantity over quality if show rates and downstream conversion rates aren’t also measured.
- Per-opportunity accepted. The SDR earns commission when an AE formally accepts the opportunity as qualified, typically $150 to $500 per accepted opportunity. This better aligns incentives with pipeline quality because a meeting that doesn’t convert into an accepted opportunity doesn’t pay out.
- Pipeline or ARR contribution. The SDR earns a percentage of the pipeline created or revenue influenced by their booked meetings. This structure is less common at the entry level but appears more frequently for senior or enterprise SDR roles where the downstream value of each opportunity is large enough to justify the calculation.
Year-over-year comp growth in 2026 is 3 to 6 percent, down from the 2021 peaks but still positive. The SDR market stabilized significantly after the 2023 and 2024 tech hiring contractions, and most companies are now paying consistently within these bands rather than the inflated comp seen during the hiring boom.
What OTE Actually Means in Practice
OTE is the number you earn if you hit exactly 100 percent of quota. Most plans include accelerators above that threshold and reduced payouts below it. Understanding both matters.
A typical SDR plan with a $25,000 variable component might look like this:
At 70 percent of quota, the SDR earns 70 percent of variable, putting total comp at roughly $73,500 on a $60,000 base. At 100 percent, they earn the full $85,000 OTE. At 120 percent, an accelerator kicks in, and the variable multiplier increases, pushing total comp to $90,000 or above, depending on the plan.
What trips people up is everything in between: quota assumptions, territory, tools, and growth opportunities. The offer letter is just the starting point. What you actually take home depends on the system you step into.
For employers setting comp, the practical implication is that a lower OTE with a realistic quota and strong support infrastructure often attracts better candidates than a higher OTE with a quota that most of the team misses. Candidates who’ve been in the role before know to ask about the team-wide attainment rate before evaluating the OTE number.
What SDRs Can Earn at the Top of the Market
According to data from April 2026, the highest-paying tech companies for SDR roles are Iron Mountain at $165,000 OTE, Backbase at $160,000 OTE, and Microsoft at $155,000 OTE. Top-paying companies tend to share common traits:
- Strong product market fit
- A well-defined ICP
- Sales culture that invests in SDR development
Those numbers reflect the top end of the market, not the average. They’re achievable but not typical, and they generally come with higher quotas and more structured performance expectations than roles at smaller companies.
For Employers: What Happens When You Pay Below Market
If your SDR comp package is below market for your city and segment, the effects show up in two ways. First, your candidate pool shrinks to people who either don’t know the market or couldn’t land the better offer. Second, your current SDRs are easier to poach because a competitor paying $10,000 more in OTE has a simple pitch.
If you are struggling to attract applicants or losing offers, your base is likely below market. Validate comp against RepVue, Glassdoor, and Bravado before posting the role, not after the search stalls.
RevPilots runs comp benchmarking as part of every SDR search intake. If your package needs an adjustment before the search starts, we will let you know. Most clients who’ve updated their comp structure based on our guidance report faster time-to-fill and stronger candidate quality from the first week of sourcing.
Ready to hire using the latest data for an SDR salary in 2026? Work with the trusted SDR recruiters.
