Austin produces the widest spread of any major US tech market when you put the salary sources side by side. Indeed reports an average enterprise account executive base of $161,505 from 202 postings. RepVue's Austin account executive data reports a median base of $90,000.*
That is a gap of more than $70,000 on the same nominal job title in the same city. Neither source is lying. Understanding why they disagree tells you more about hiring in Austin than either number does on its own.
The three reasons the numbers split
First, they are measuring different populations. The RepVue metro page covers account executives at all levels, from SMB through mid-market to enterprise. The Indeed page is enterprise-specific. Austin has an unusually large volume of SMB and mid-market SaaS roles relative to true enterprise seats, so an all-levels median gets dragged down hard. This accounts for most of the gap and it is the first thing to check whenever a city's numbers look implausible.
Second, they are measuring different things. Indeed reads advertised base. RepVue collects what reps say they are actually paid. Advertised bases skew high because employers advertise the top of the band.
Third, Austin has no posting obligation. Texas has no statewide pay transparency requirement, unlike Massachusetts, where disclosure became mandatory on 29 October 2025, or New York, which has requirements at both state and city level.* Austin employers post a salary range when it helps them compete and stay silent when it does not. Self-selected disclosure is not a random sample, so any scraped Austin average is drawn from a skewed subset by construction.
What the sources say, properly labelled
| Source | Population measured | Figure |
|---|---|---|
| Indeed | Enterprise AE, advertised base, 202 postings | $161,505 average |
| RepVue, Austin metro | AE all levels, rep-reported | $90,000 base, $180,000 OTE, top above $444,000 |
| RepVue, national | Enterprise AE, rep-reported, 35,605 ratings | $140,000 base, $280,000 OTE |
| Recruits Lab | Enterprise AE, total cash estimate | $320,000 to $420,000 OTE, flat on national |
Recruits Lab marks Austin as flat against the national benchmark while putting New York 10% above and Boston 3% above. That is the most defensible single read in the table: Austin pays a national enterprise rate, with none of the coastal premium, and a cost of living that makes the same number go considerably further.
The quota number that applies everywhere
Whatever city you are hiring in, only 39% of US enterprise AEs reach or exceed quota.*
In Austin this matters for a specific local reason. The city's top-performer ceiling is above $444,000 against a $180,000 metro median OTE, a ratio of roughly 2.5 to 1. The money in Austin is heavily concentrated in the reps who clear quota, and the distance between a median outcome and a top-decile outcome is larger than the distance between Austin and New York. Picking the right rep matters more than picking the right city. See our note on verifying attainment claims before you take a candidate's number at face value.
What to budget
A defensible 2026 band for a genuine Austin enterprise AE carrying a $1M-plus quota:
| Component | Range | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Base | $135,000 to $155,000 | Around the national enterprise median, well below the $161.5K posted average |
| Split | 50/50 | Austin deal cycles rarely justify a heavier variable weighting |
| OTE at 100% | $270,000 to $310,000 | At or just above the $280K national median, consistent with the flat benchmark |
If a candidate quotes you an Austin package above $400,000, establish whether they mean OTE or actual earnings, and whether the role was genuinely enterprise or a mid-market seat with an enterprise title. In this market that distinction moves the number by six figures.
The practical takeaway
Post a range even though Texas does not make you. In a market where disclosure is optional, the employers who disclose get read first, and you are competing against Massachusetts and New York employers whose numbers are on the page whether they like it or not.
Then be precise about segment in the advert itself. Austin's single biggest hiring problem is title inflation: "enterprise" attached to roles selling $30,000 deals. It wastes your pipeline and it is the reason the city's salary data is as noisy as it is.
If you want an Austin band built on genuine enterprise comparators rather than a scraped average of mislabelled roles, talk to us.
*Figures correct at the time of writing, 17 October 2026. Salary aggregators restate their averages continuously, and pay transparency law is moving quickly at state and city level, so confirm both the figures and your posting obligations before advertising a role.