On November 9, 2026 there were 1,091 open AI engineer jobs in the US in our data, collected from employers' own hiring systems. 775 of them post an annual base salary range.
The median is $204K a year. The middle half of listings pays between $165K and $252K.
That is $14K more than the median for software engineers ($190K) and $14K less than for machine learning engineers ($218K).
These are advertised base salaries, taken as the midpoint of each posted range. Bonuses, commission and equity are not included.
How the pay is spread
| Midpoint of the posted range | Share of listings |
|---|---|
| Under $125K | 5% |
| $125K–$150K | 9% |
| $150K–$175K | 15% |
| $175K–$200K | 16% |
| $200K–$225K | 17% |
| $225K–$250K | 12% |
| $250K–$275K | 8% |
| $275K–$300K | 10% |
| $300K and up | 8% |
Only one listing in seven pays under $150K. About one in four pays $250K or more.
By level
| Level | Jobs | Typical range | Median |
|---|---|---|---|
| Intern | 5 | $100K–$140K | $120K |
| Entry level | 13 | $112K–$155K | $140K |
| Mid level | 354 | $156K–$240K | $200K |
| Senior | 141 | $157K–$220K | $190K |
| Lead / Staff | 214 | $200K–$281K | $247K |
| Manager | 48 | $155K–$245K | $191K |
Senior listings have a lower median than mid level: $190K against $200K. Managers sit at $191K too. The step that pays is lead and staff, at $247K.
Beginner jobs are rare. 18 of 775 salaried listings are for interns or entry level, about 2%.
By city
| Metro | Jobs | Median |
|---|---|---|
| San Francisco Bay Area | 331 | $240K |
| New York | 218 | $221K |
| Boston | 79 | $221K |
| Washington, DC | 122 | $214K |
| Seattle | 37 | $212K |
| Remote, US | 113 | $202K |
| Dallas–Fort Worth | 23 | $177K |
| Chicago | 18 | $175K |
| Los Angeles | 26 | $160K |
The Bay Area has 43% of all salaried AI engineer listings and pays $36K above the national median. Remote listings pay almost the same as the median: $202K against $204K.
Pittsburgh shows the highest median, $276K, but from only 6 listings, so it is not in the table.
Who pays the most
Companies with at least 3 salaried AI engineer listings, by median posted salary: Mercor ($330K), Perplexity ($312K), Figure ($300K), Anthropic ($300K, 30 listings), Suno ($296K). OpenAI has the most listings in this group, 38, with a median of $264K.
FAQ
How much does an AI engineer make in the US?
The median advertised base salary is $204K a year, with the middle half of listings between $165K and $252K.
How much do AI specialists make on average?
It depends on the role. AI engineers have a median of $204K, machine learning engineers $218K, data scientists $191K.
What is the starting salary for an AI engineer?
Entry-level listings have a median of $140K. That comes from only 13 listings.
Do AI engineers earn more than software engineers?
In these listings, yes: $204K against $190K at the median.
Where do AI engineers earn the most?
The San Francisco Bay Area ($240K), New York ($221K) and Boston ($221K).
Do remote AI engineers earn less?
Barely: $202K against $204K nationally.
The numbers are recalculated daily from live listings. Source: AI engineer salaries on Sudo Get Job.
This post was written with AI assistance and checked against the source data.
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