Typical entry: High school diploma or equivalent
Sales development representative
Sales development representatives find and qualify leads for a sales team: researching companies, emailing and calling prospects, and booking meetings for account executives. It is the standard entry job into technology sales.
By the Degreeless Jobs research deskUpdated Sep 7, 2026Sources: BLS, O*NET
What a sales development representative makes
Median pay, May 2025, United States
$72,080
$34.65 an hour, median
- 25th percentile
- $50,470
- 75th percentile
- $99,640
- 90th percentile
- $137,550
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. Wages of employed workers, not offers.
- Typical entry education
- High school diploma or equivalent
- BLS
- Workers without a bachelor's
- 66%
- O*NET
- Growth, 2025 to 2035
- -0.9%
- BLS projections
- Openings a year
- 99,800
- BLS projections
How people get in without a degree
SDR roles are hired on communication, persistence, and familiarity with a CRM, not on a degree. The Salesforce Sales Development Representative certificate teaches the workflow and the CRM, and previous retail, hospitality, or call-center work is a real advantage in interviews.
The work, as O*NET defines it: Sell goods for wholesalers or manufacturers to businesses or groups of individuals. Work requires substantial knowledge of items sold.
The next step
Salesforce Sales Development Representative Professional Certificate
- Typical cost
- $49 per month on Coursera, typically $100 to $250 total
- Time to complete
- About 4 to 6 months at 5 to 10 hours a week
Where to start Salesforce Sales Development Representative Professional Certificate
Costs and durations are ranges gathered from provider and state sources; confirm the current price and your state's rules before you pay anything. Never pay a fee to apply for a job.
Pay by state
Median pay for sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, except technical and scientific products by state, May 2025, sorted by annual median. States without a published estimate are omitted.
| State | Hourly median | Annual median | 25th to 75th | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rhode Island | $39.63 | $82,420 | $58,950 to $132,730 | 4,870 |
| District of Columbia | $38.47 | $80,010 | $60,390 to $105,670 | 560 |
| Washington | $38.38 | $79,830 | $62,850 to $108,310 | 27,340 |
| Massachusetts | $38.37 | $79,810 | $63,550 to $108,200 | 22,700 |
| New York | $38.27 | $79,590 | $59,860 to $106,010 | 61,500 |
| New Jersey | $38.18 | $79,410 | $59,950 to $123,920 | 34,360 |
| Colorado | $38.10 | $79,250 | $59,630 to $110,930 | 27,530 |
| South Dakota | $37.12 | $77,210 | $61,060 to $95,960 | 5,220 |
| Vermont | $36.94 | $76,840 | $59,010 to $101,100 | 1,890 |
| Minnesota | $36.90 | $76,750 | $59,490 to $100,630 | 31,230 |
| California | $36.78 | $76,490 | $56,460 to $104,870 | 134,800 |
| Connecticut | $36.33 | $75,570 | $54,900 to $102,940 | 9,870 |
| North Dakota | $35.70 | $74,250 | $57,550 to $98,620 | 4,180 |
| Oregon | $35.66 | $74,180 | $55,300 to $95,650 | 15,020 |
| Ohio | $35.56 | $73,960 | $51,720 to $101,090 | 58,740 |
| Illinois | $35.34 | $73,510 | $56,070 to $99,580 | 51,310 |
| Maryland | $35.14 | $73,080 | $55,110 to $98,250 | 9,070 |
| Michigan | $35.09 | $72,980 | $51,060 to $100,380 | 40,960 |
| New Hampshire | $35.00 | $72,790 | $50,690 to $102,160 | 4,940 |
| Wyoming | $34.87 | $72,530 | $51,340 to $101,380 | 1,480 |
| Arizona | $34.80 | $72,390 | $50,650 to $97,150 | 19,400 |
| Indiana | $34.29 | $71,330 | $49,870 to $98,290 | 32,350 |
| North Carolina | $34.13 | $70,990 | $48,750 to $100,240 | 49,110 |
| Kansas | $33.15 | $68,960 | $49,800 to $97,490 | 12,630 |
| Nevada | $32.76 | $68,150 | $48,550 to $94,940 | 8,970 |
| Iowa | $32.09 | $66,760 | $50,580 to $90,350 | 16,990 |
| Pennsylvania | $31.79 | $66,130 | $49,540 to $97,930 | 51,270 |
| Texas | $31.72 | $65,970 | $47,820 to $98,970 | 95,670 |
| Wisconsin | $31.70 | $65,930 | $51,580 to $95,150 | 37,700 |
| Idaho | $31.18 | $64,840 | $48,170 to $87,530 | 7,210 |
| Kentucky | $30.90 | $64,280 | $47,400 to $94,590 | 15,550 |
| South Carolina | $30.89 | $64,250 | $48,220 to $100,470 | 22,010 |
| Alabama | $30.84 | $64,140 | $48,090 to $89,840 | 20,470 |
| Nebraska | $30.78 | $64,030 | $50,500 to $84,510 | 8,550 |
| Maine | $30.75 | $63,960 | $50,540 to $80,700 | 3,320 |
| Georgia | $30.70 | $63,860 | $48,240 to $92,210 | 43,630 |
| West Virginia | $30.56 | $63,560 | $45,810 to $82,510 | 3,220 |
| Virginia | $30.48 | $63,400 | $48,960 to $94,310 | 22,570 |
| Louisiana | $30.43 | $63,290 | $45,170 to $93,840 | 19,120 |
| Florida | $30.04 | $62,490 | $46,810 to $91,170 | 92,920 |
| Delaware | $29.94 | $62,280 | $48,650 to $93,260 | 2,920 |
| Oklahoma | $29.89 | $62,160 | $42,710 to $93,440 | 14,220 |
| Utah | $29.80 | $61,980 | $47,940 to $86,160 | 13,900 |
| Missouri | $29.78 | $61,940 | $47,460 to $84,980 | 21,960 |
| Montana | $29.65 | $61,670 | $47,110 to $78,430 | 3,510 |
| Tennessee | $29.63 | $61,630 | $46,990 to $95,490 | 23,850 |
| New Mexico | $29.48 | $61,320 | $45,450 to $82,860 | 3,660 |
| Mississippi | $28.52 | $59,320 | $41,750 to $80,560 | 7,000 |
| Hawaii | $28.37 | $59,010 | $47,830 to $80,670 | 3,280 |
| Alaska | $27.32 | $56,830 | $49,570 to $77,300 | 910 |
| Arkansas | $26.50 | $55,120 | $38,590 to $83,270 | 12,740 |
Questions
Do you need a degree to be a sales development representative?
No. BLS lists "high school diploma or equivalent" as the typical education for entry, and 66% of workers in the occupation report less than a bachelor's degree (O*NET). The usual credential is salesforce Sales Development Representative Professional Certificate.
How much does a sales development representative make?
The median pay was $72,080 a year ($34.65 an hour) in May 2025, according to BLS. The middle half earned between $50,470 and $99,640, and the top 10 percent earned more than $137,550.
How long does it take to become a sales development representative?
About 4 to 6 months at 5 to 10 hours a week. The typical cost is $49 per month on Coursera, typically $100 to $250 total.
Is sales development representative work growing?
BLS projects employment to decline 0.9% from 2025 to 2035 with about 99,800 openings a year from growth and from workers leaving the occupation.
Sources
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, occupation code 41-4012.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2025–35 (Table 1.2).
- O*NET 31.0 Database (USDOL/ETA), CC BY 4.0. The share without a bachelor’s degree is our summary of O*NET’s education distribution; USDOL/ETA has not approved or endorsed it.
- BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook profile