Sales · Level A1 · Salary
Account Executive (AE) salary
Typical on-target earnings (US national)
$175,000–$230,000
Base
$100,000
Variable @ target
$100,000
Equity (annual)
—
~50/50 base/variable. SMB/mid-market; ~$600k-$1M ARR quota. ~41% hit quota. 3-4 mo ramp.
Indicative, sourced — not a guarantee. RepVue Account Executive (median base $100k / OTE $200k; ~41% attainment); Bridge Group AE range $92k-$218k at 53:47 split
Pay by metro — nominal vs cost-adjusted
“Real” adjusts for cost of living, so a high headline number in an expensive metro can be worth less in practice. Ranked by real pay.
| Metro | Nominal | Real (cost-adjusted) |
|---|---|---|
| Remote (US national) | $200,000 | $200,000 |
| Atlanta | $196,000 | $200,000 |
| Austin | $200,000 | $196,078 |
| Chicago | $200,000 | $185,185 |
| Seattle | $216,000 | $180,000 |
| Denver | $196,000 | $178,182 |
| Boston | $200,000 | $148,148 |
| Los Angeles | $200,000 | $137,931 |
| New York City | $210,000 | $135,484 |
| San Francisco Bay Area | $210,000 | $116,667 |
Grow this number — your highest-value routes
VP of Salesup to $510,000
$200,000 OTE now → $456,000 total comp in 11 yrs
Regional Sales Directorup to $400,000
$200,000 OTE now → $340,000 total comp in 7 yrs
Strategic Account Executiveup to $360,000
$200,000 OTE now → $300,000 OTE in 7 yrs
Enterprise Account Executiveup to $320,000
$200,000 OTE now → $275,000 OTE in 4 yrs
Sales Managerup to $320,000
$200,000 OTE now → $280,000 OTE in 4 yrs