What are the main factors that influence an Ai Engineer's salary?

The primary factors are: 1) Experience Level, 2) Geographic Location, 3) Education/Skills, 4) Company Size & Industry

How does experience change an Ai Engineer's salary?

An Ai Engineer's salary grows with experience: starting around $114,080 for beginners, reaching about $115,695 at mid-level, and approach $123,651 for experts.

What are the highest paying states for an Ai Engineer?

Ai Engineer salary varies significantly by state. The top 3 highest paying states for Ai Engineer roles are District of Columbia $128,098, California $127,612, Massachusetts $125,911. These tech hubs typically pay 10-15% above the national average.

How much do different types of Ai Engineer roles make?

Salaries for Ai Engineer level roles vary by specialization: Lead AI Engineer: $176,243; AI Engineer V: $176,226; AI Engineer IV: $158,354; Principal AI Engineer: $158,344; ai ml engineer: $136,742.

How do different companies affect an Ai Engineer's salary?

Company size, industry, and compensation structure create significant salary variations for Ai Engineer roles. Large, established industry leaders like C R Bard Inc ($128,509) and Henry Schein Canada ($124,697) offer base salaries 35-40% above the national average. In contrast, smaller firms or startups may offer closer to $82,041.

Ai Engineer Salary in the United States

How much does an Ai Engineer make in the United States?

As of January 01, 2026, the average salary for an Ai Engineer in the United States is $115,695 per year, which breaks down to an hourly rate of $56.

However, an Ai Engineer's salary can vary significantly. Here’s a look at the typical salary range:

Top Earners (90th percentile): $134,402
Majority Range (25th-75th percentile): $107,944 to $125,487
Entry-Level (10th percentile): $100,887

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Ai Engineer Salaries by Percentile

	Annual Salary	Monthly Pay	Weekly Pay	Hourly Wage
75th Percentile	$125,487	$10,457	$2,413	$60
Average	$115,695	$9,641	$2,225	$56
25th Percentile	$107,944	$8,995	$2,076	$52

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Key Factors That Influence Ai Engineer Salaries

An Ai Engineer's salary isn't a fixed number. It's shaped by several important factors. Below, we'll explore how your years of experience, geographic location, education and company size can directly affect your earning potential.

How Experience Level Affects Ai Engineer Salaries?

Experience is a primary driver of an Ai Engineer's salary. As you build your skills and take on more complex tasks, your compensation generally increases. Here's how the average salary grows at different career stages:

Entry-Level (less than 1 year): $114,080
Early Career (1-2 years): $114,619
Mid-Level (2-4 years): $115,695
Senior-Level (5-8 years): $120,647
Expert (over 8 years): $123,651

Levels	Salary
Entry Level Ai Engineer	$114,080
Intermediate Level Ai Engineer	$114,619
Senior Level Ai Engineer	$115,695
Specialist Level Ai Engineer	$120,647
Expert Level Ai Engineer	$123,651

View as Graph

What Am I Worth?

How Do Ai Engineer Salaries Vary from State to State?

Your salary can change significantly depending on where you work. States with a higher cost of living and strong industrial sectors often pay more to attract Ai Engineers. For example, consider the average annual salaries in these key locations:

District of Columbia: $128,098.
California: $127,612.
Massachusetts: $125,911.

District of Columbia $128,098 California $127,612 Massachusetts $125,911 Washington $125,448 New Jersey $125,402 Alaska $125,240 Connecticut $123,643 New York $122,995

Hawaii $120,924 Rhode Island $119,953 Maryland $119,293 Minnesota $118,391 Colorado $118,044 Illinois $117,928 Oregon $117,488 Delaware $117,164

New Hampshire $116,961 Virginia $116,505 Pennsylvania $115,174 Nevada $114,503 North Dakota $114,284 Michigan $113,936 Wisconsin $113,809 Vermont $113,555

Texas $112,849 Maine $112,803 Arizona $112,733 Ohio $112,652 Georgia $111,588 Indiana $111,056 Wyoming $110,952 Utah $110,790

Iowa $110,720 Kansas $110,165 Louisiana $110,003 North Carolina $109,945 Missouri $109,922 Florida $109,471 Montana $109,228 Nebraska $108,996

Kentucky $108,869 South Carolina $108,406 Tennessee $108,117 Idaho $108,001 New Mexico $107,157 Oklahoma $106,972 Alabama $106,289 South Dakota $105,144

Arkansas $104,519 West Virginia $104,183 Mississippi $103,177

Top Paying Cities for Ai Engineers

Salaries can also vary between different cities. Major metropolitan areas or cities with a high demand for technicians often offer more competitive pay. Here are a few examples of average annual salaries in different U.S. cities:

San Jose: $145,926
San Francisco: $144,491
Oakland: $141,287

San Jose, CA $145,926

San Francisco, CA $144,491

Oakland, CA $141,287

New York, NY $134,079

Queens Village, NY $133,211

Paramus, NJ $132,286

Passaic, NJ $132,170

Bergenfield, NJ $132,054

Stamford, CT $131,881

Huntington, NY $131,765

Newark, NJ $131,013

Bridgeport, CT $130,782

New Brunswick, NJ $130,400

Vallejo, CA $130,157

Middlesex, NJ $130,087

Somerset, NJ $129,983

Petaluma, CA $129,717

Santa Cruz, CA $129,266

Boston, MA $129,035

Monterey, CA $128,456

Fairbanks, AK $128,375

Los Angeles, CA $128,155

Washington, DC $128,098

Seattle, WA $127,889

Santa Rosa, CA $127,866

Juneau, AK $127,531

Orange, CA $127,149

Anchorage, AK $126,941

Anaheim, CA $126,860

Santa Ana, CA $126,686

Nassau, NY $126,617

Long Beach, CA $126,570

Danbury, CT $126,536

Santa Maria, CA $126,142

Everett, WA $126,119

Bremerton, WA $125,552

Trenton, NJ $125,332

Sacramento, CA $125,286

San Diego, CA $125,228

Brockton, MA $125,182

Tacoma, WA $125,136

Santa Barbara, CA $124,974

Lowell, MA $124,511

New Suffolk, NY $124,465

Nashua, NH $124,326

Lompoc, CA $124,141

Ventura, CA $124,025

Stockton, CA $123,990

New Haven, CT $123,759

Atlantic City, NJ $123,458

Hartford, CT $123,204

Modesto, CA $123,146

Poughkeepsie, NY $122,891

New Britain, CT $122,833

Olympia, WA $122,671

Kennewick, WA $122,671

New London, CT $122,648

Norwich, CT $122,614

Lawrence, MA $122,556

Bakersfield, CA $122,232

Riverside, CA $122,070

New Bedford, MA $122,070

Richland, WA $121,954

Portsmouth, NH $121,862

Vineland, NJ $121,838

San Bernardino, CA $121,746

Boulder, CO $121,422

Worcester, MA $121,329

Portland, OR $121,225

Saint Paul, MN $121,086

Minneapolis, MN $121,086

Philadelphia, PA $120,924

Honolulu, HI $120,311

Springfield, MA $119,906

Providence, RI $119,895

Chicago, IL $119,559

Bellingham, WA $119,420

Baltimore, MD $119,293

Chico, CA $119,004

Wilmington, DE $118,807

Pittsfield, MA $118,692

Manchester, NH $118,472

Spokane, WA $117,963

Denver, CO $117,951

Albany, NY $117,407

Troy, NY $117,361

Schenectady, NY $117,118

Burlington, VT $116,864

Portland, ME $116,459

Salem, OR $116,366

Yakima, WA $116,343

Ann Arbor, MI $116,308

Rochester, MN $115,984

Fresno, CA $115,926

Reno, NV $115,926

Milwaukee, WI $115,822

Detroit, MI $115,707

Allentown, PA $115,672

Carson City, NV $115,660

Houston, TX $115,487

Colorado Springs, CO $115,475

Syracuse, NY $115,417

Eugene, OR $115,198

Bismarck, ND $115,059

Gary, IN $115,059

Galveston, TX $115,059

Springfield, OR $114,966

Medford, OR $114,688

Fort Collins, CO $114,642

Austin, TX $114,550

Mesa, AZ $114,307

Phoenix, AZ $114,284

Dallas, TX $114,249

Reading, PA $114,179

Saint Cloud, MN $114,133

Concord, NH $114,029

Madison, WI $113,983

Utica, NY $113,670

Raleigh, NC $113,578

Las Vegas, NV $113,566

Rochester, NY $113,485

Des Moines, IA $113,474

Atlanta, GA $113,289

Battle Creek, MI $113,254

Salt Lake City, UT $113,219

Lancaster, PA $113,046

Champaign, IL $113,022

Harrisburg, PA $112,884

Durham, NC $112,779

Kansas City, MO $112,768

Kansas City, KS $112,745

Fort Worth, TX $112,733

Boca Raton, FL $112,687

Cleveland, OH $112,675

Columbus, OH $112,652

Pittsburgh, PA $112,641

Richmond, VA $112,594

Indianapolis, IN $112,571

Cincinnati, OH $112,421

Petersburg, VA $112,247

Billings, MT $111,993

Lansing, MI $111,993

Huntsville, AL $111,993

Lebanon, PA $111,981

Dayton, OH $111,970

Pueblo, CO $111,970

Appleton, WI $111,935

Buffalo, NY $111,889

Racine, WI $111,831

Charlotte, NC $111,819

Saint Louis, MO $111,785

Springfield, IL $111,738

Elkhart, IN $111,715

York, PA $111,715

Gastonia, NC $111,704

Benton Harbor, MI $111,704

Beaumont, TX $111,634

Lorain, OH $111,611

Toledo, OH $111,565

Binghamton, NY $111,507

Rock Hill, SC $111,495

Rockford, IL $111,437

Fargo, ND $111,380

Elyria, OH $111,380

Flagstaff, AZ $111,299

Fort Lauderdale, FL $111,229

Miami, FL $111,160

Duluth, MN $110,975

Bangor, ME $110,824

Cedar Rapids, IA $110,697

Louisville, KY $110,639

Grand Rapids, MI $110,616

Hialeah, FL $110,604

Casper, WY $110,442

Scranton, PA $110,304

New Orleans, LA $110,269

Virginia Beach, VA $110,257

Akron, OH $110,199

Peoria, IL $110,049

Sarasota, FL $110,026

Green Bay, WI $109,945

Baton Rouge, LA $109,887

Charleston, SC $109,864

Nashville, TN $109,829

Jamestown, NY $109,806

Davenport, IA $109,806

Tucson, AZ $109,748

Cheyenne, WY $109,714

Saint Petersburg, FL $109,679

Tampa, FL $109,656

Omaha, NE $109,633

Port Arthur, TX $109,586

Evansville, IN $109,586

Bradenton, FL $109,540

Santa Fe, NM $109,332

Orlando, FL $109,216

Clearwater, FL $109,089

Canton, OH $108,846

La Crosse, WI $108,846

Grand Forks, ND $108,811

Albuquerque, NM $108,776

Tulsa, OK $108,776

Newport News, VA $108,765

High Point, NC $108,730

Ogden, UT $108,684

Corpus Christi, TX $108,591

Laramie, WY $108,522

Norfolk, VA $108,522

Rock Island, IL $108,452

Saginaw, MI $108,429

Jacksonville, FL $108,418

Salisbury, NC $108,395

Memphis, TN $108,372

Moline, IL $108,314

Fort Myers, FL $108,279

Waterloo, IA $108,129

Spartanburg, SC $108,013

Lincoln, NE $107,955

Fort Wayne, IN $107,932

Birmingham, AL $107,805

Cedar Falls, IA $107,781

Provo, UT $107,770

Springfield, OH $107,758

San Antonio, TX $107,735

Greensboro, NC $107,689

South Bend, IN $107,677

Winston Salem, NC $107,666

Boise, ID $107,631

Savannah, GA $107,550

Muskegon, MI $107,342

Lima, OH $107,203

Lake Charles, LA $107,157

Anderson, IN $107,134

Lexington, KY $107,099

Augusta, GA $107,064

Greenville, SC $107,064

Wichita, KS $106,960

Tuscaloosa, AL $106,960

Columbia, SC $106,856

Bloomington, IN $106,567

Roanoke, VA $106,497

Asheville, NC $106,347

Knoxville, TN $106,150

Shreveport, LA $106,139

Wilmington, NC $105,988

Frankfort, KY $105,768

Oklahoma City, OK $105,687

Chillicothe, OH $105,641

Longview, TX $105,630

Topeka, KS $105,595

Mobile, AL $105,421

Terre Haute, IN $105,375

Erie, PA $105,363

Altoona, PA $105,306

Melbourne, FL $105,271

Amarillo, TX $105,225

Killeen, TX $105,190

Fayetteville, AR $105,097

Sioux Falls, SD $105,016

Chattanooga, TN $104,947

Idaho Falls, ID $104,935

Gainesville, FL $104,692

Portsmouth, OH $104,635

Little Rock, AR $104,611

Lynchburg, VA $104,611

Lafayette, LA $104,565

Youngstown, OH $104,565

Temple, TX $104,519

Daytona Beach, FL $104,496

Clarksville, TN $104,484

Pensacola, FL $104,473

Hopkinsville, KY $104,126

Charleston, WV $104,114

Florence, SC $104,056

Sioux City, IA $103,987

Macon, GA $103,651

Tallahassee, FL $103,640

Fayetteville, NC $103,616

Waco, TX $103,593

Wichita Falls, TX $103,593

Pine Bluff, AR $103,547

Vincennes, IN $103,327

Lubbock, TX $103,281

Great Falls, MT $103,212

Alamogordo, NM $103,200

Abilene, TX $103,107

Rapid City, SD $102,957

Monroe, LA $102,957

Albany, GA $102,888

Huntington, WV $102,876

Jackson, MS $102,864

Greenville, MS $102,853

Parkersburg, WV $102,737

Montgomery, AL $102,714

Johnstown, PA $102,691

Springfield, MO $102,598

Biloxi, MS $102,540

Sumter, SC $102,298

Columbus, GA $102,286

Twin Falls, ID $102,217

Pascagoula, MS $102,066

Kingsport, TN $101,765

Gulfport, MS $101,731

Alexandria, LA $101,349

Fort Smith, AR $101,060

El Paso, TX $100,747

Helena, MT $100,597

Las Cruces, NM $100,227

Harlingen, TX $99,903

Pocatello, ID $99,799

Florence, AL $99,764

Brownsville, TX $99,741

Dothan, AL $99,556

Mcallen, TX $99,498

Columbus, MS $98,642

Altus, OK $98,109

Lawton, OK $97,890

Pierre, SD $97,473

What Skills Can Increase an Ai Engineer's Salary?

Demanded Skills for the Role:

Analysis (Mentioned in 6.23% Job Postings): Analysis is the process of considering something carefully or using statistical methods in order to understand it or explain it.
Enterprise Resource Planning (Mentioned in 2.48% Job Postings): Enterprise resource planning is the integrated management of main business processes, often in real time and mediated by software and technology.
ABAP (Mentioned in 1.08% Job Postings): ABAP or Advanced Business Application Programming is the primary programming language supported on the SAP NetWeaver ABAP application server platform and applications that run on it, such as SAP ERP (formerly R/3), S/4HANA and CRM.

See More Skills

Skills	Demand Percentage
Analysis	6.23%
Enterprise Resource Planning	2.48%
ABAP	1.08%

What skills can make your compensation higher?

Mastering certain specialized skills can lead to a significant increase in pay. Here are examples of skills and the potential impact they can have on an Ai Engineer's salary.

Partnering: Can increase your salary by up to 5%.
Solution Design: Can increase your salary by up to 4%.
Confidentiality: Can increase your salary by up to 4%.

Skill	Salary	Salary % Increase
Partnering	$121,480	5%
Solution Design	$120,323	4%
Confidentiality	$120,323	4%
Coordination	$119,166	3%
Initiative	$119,166	3%
Materials Management	$119,166	3%

Get Latest Data

How Education impacts an Ai Engineer's Salary?

Your level of education can impact your salary potential. While many Ai Engineers enter the field with a Associate's Degree degree, higher education can lead to more specialized and higher-paying roles.

According to our 100% employer-reported salary data, the median salary for an Ai Engineer with a Associate's Degree is between $113,561 and $120,575).

Ai Engineer Salaries by Degree Level

Typical Education for Ai Engineer

No Diploma 0.6%

High School 2.8%

Associates 3.1%

Bachelors 50.9%

Masters 41.8%

Doctorate 0.6%

view as table

Degree Level	% of user with this level of education
No Diploma	0.6%
High School	2.8%
Associates	3.1%
Bachelors	50.9%
Masters	41.8%
Doctorate	0.6%

view as graph

Ai Engineer Salary: Hourly Rate, Weekly Pay, and Monthly Pay

Understanding how an Ai Engineer's annual salary breaks down can help with budgeting. Below, you can see the average hourly rate, weekly pay, and monthly pay for this role. Use the buttons to switch between different pay periods.

Last Updated on January 01, 2026

$107,944

Average $115,695/year

$125,487

$8,995

Average $9,641/month

$10,457

$2,076

Average $2,225/week

$2,413

$52

Average $56/hour

$60

	Annual Salary	Monthly Pay	Weekly Pay	Hourly Wage
75th Percentile	$125,487	$10,457	$2,413	$60
Average	$115,695	$9,641	$2,225	$56
25th Percentile	$107,944	$8,995	$2,076	$52

Salaries of jobs related to Ai Engineer

Salary Trends for Ai Engineer

Salaries for an Ai Engineer can change over time, reflecting shifts in market demand and the overall economy. The median salary decreased from $108,895 in 2023 to around $108,160 in 2025, reflecting changes in demand, location, experience, and the wider economy. For a detailed analysis of Ai Engineer salary trends, .

Average Annual Salary of Ai Engineer Over Time

2022

$???

2023

$108,895

2024

$108,808

2025

$108,160

2026

$???

2027

$???

Year	Average Annual Salary
2022	View More
2023	$108,895
2024	$108,808
2025	$108,160
2026	View More
2027	View More

Most common benefits for Ai Engineer

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Where Does Our Salary Data Come From?

Salary.com provides salary estimates, histograms, trends, and comparisons using data from employer job postings and third-party sources.

We offer detailed salary information across multiple percentiles for your reference. (Click here to learn Why the Salary Midpoint Formula Is Crucial for Achieving Pay Equity.)

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