SDR Salary Report 2026: In-House Cost vs Outsourced Comparison

2026 SDR salary and outsourcing cost report. Real data from Glassdoor, LinkedIn Talent Insights, and 200+ agency benchmarks.

In-house SDR salary (US, 2026)

• Base salary median: $68,000
• OTE (base + commission): $85,000 to $105,000
• Top-market cities (SF, NYC, Boston): 15-25% premium
• Remote SDR discount: 5-10% off major-metro rates

Fully loaded cost

• Salary + benefits + taxes: $85K to $130K
• Tools (Apollo, Outreach, dialer, LinkedIn Nav): $8K/year
• Manager time (25% of a Sales Manager): $30K to $40K
• Ramp cost (3 months at 30% productivity): $22K
• True year-one cost: $145K to $200K

Outsourced SDR cost (US-based)

• Retainers vary by scope, target market and volume, and are quoted per program
• No recruiting, ramp, attrition or management overhead to absorb
• Ask any provider for scope and terms in writing before you commit

SDR tenure crisis

• Average in-house SDR tenure: 14 months (down from 18 in 2022)
• Cost to replace an SDR: $22K to $38K
• 60% of SDRs leave within 18 months, meaning you're always ramping