Sales salaries
Account Executive Salary in 2026
The short answer
US tech account executives earn a median base of $105,000 and median on-target earnings of $200,000, according to RepVue's trailing-year salary reports (October 2026).
Built In's US data is closely aligned: an average base of $104,062 and average total cash of $212,849. The two sources measure different populations — RepVue is self-reported tech-sales medians, Built In is employer-side averages — and their agreement on base is within 1%.
These figures combine all AE segments — SMB, mid-market and enterprise — into one number. Segment is the biggest single driver of AE pay: see the enterprise account executive page for the top of the market.
OTE is pay at 100% of quota. Actual earnings depend on attainment, which varies by company, territory and segment.
Reported salary figures, by source
Every figure links to the source that published it. Sources differ in population, geography, date and whether variable pay is included, so the “What it measures” column matters as much as the figure. We do not blend these into an average of averages.
| Source | Reported figure | What it measures |
|---|---|---|
| RepVue | $105,000 base / $200,000 OTE | Median base and median on-target earnings, tech-sales oriented, trailing-year salary reports · as of 25 Oct 2026 |
| Built In | $104,062 base / $212,849 total | Average base and average total cash compensation, US tech employers · as of 2026 |
Why AE sources agree on base but not on total
RepVue and Built In agree on base to within a thousand dollars, then disagree by roughly $13,000 on total pay. That pattern has a simple explanation: base is a contract term, while total pay depends on what each source counts.
- OTE versus reported cash. RepVue's $200,000 is on-target earnings — the plan, at full quota. Built In's $212,849 is reported total cash, which includes over-attainment and accelerators at some companies and missed quota at others.
- Segment mixing. Both figures blend SMB, mid-market and enterprise AEs. Enterprise AEs earn materially more — RepVue reports a $280,000 median OTE for enterprise account executives — so the blended figure understates the top of the market and overstates the bottom.
Account executive versus sales engineer pay
The natural comparison for an AE is the sales engineer they sell alongside. Our verified offer data puts median sales engineer OTE at $205,000 against RepVue's $200,000 AE median — roughly level at target — while the SE median base of $145,000 sits about $40,000 above the AE median. The full breakdown, including why these are different populations and should not be read as a like-for-like gap, is on our SE vs AE pay page.
AE pay by level
The AE title covers a wide pay band. Senior, strategic and enterprise account executives each carry their own benchmarks — the enterprise page shows the largest step up, with RepVue reporting a $140,000 median base and $280,000 median OTE.
Related salary data
- Enterprise AE salary
The top of the AE market
- SE vs AE pay
The full two-role comparison
- Sales engineer salary (US)
The pre-sales benchmark from our own offer data
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Frequently asked questions
How much does an account executive make in the US?
RepVue reports a median base of $105,000 and median OTE of $200,000 for US tech AEs (October 2026). Built In reports an average base of $104,062 and average total cash of $212,849. Both blend all AE segments.
What is a typical AE base/OTE split?
The sourced medians imply roughly a 50/50 split at target — $105,000 base against $200,000 OTE. Plans vary: SMB roles often run more base-heavy, enterprise roles more variable-heavy.
Do account executives earn more than sales engineers?
At median OTE the two roles are roughly level — about $200,000 for AEs (RepVue) against $205,000 for sales engineers (our verified offer data) — but the mix differs: SEs carry a much higher base ($145,000 median) and lower variable. These are different populations, so read the full comparison before drawing conclusions.