AI Engineer Salary in United States
AI engineers build, fine-tune, and deploy machine learning and generative AI systems. The United States median is $194,000 per year. Pick a city below for a local breakdown.
Showing amounts in USD (USD default). FX as of Mon, 13 Jul 2026 00:02:31 +0000. Convert currencies
National median
$194,000
per year
Monthly (national)
$16,200
per month, before tax
Highest-paying city
$256,000
Washington DC, DC
Hourly (national)
$93.27
varies by city
AI Engineer salary by city in United States
| City | Per year | Per month | vs. national |
|---|---|---|---|
| Washington DC, DC | $256,000 | $21,300 | +32% |
| Los Angeles, CA | $255,000 | $21,300 | +31% |
| San Diego, CA | $236,000 | $19,700 | +22% |
| Chicago, IL | $208,000 | $17,300 | +7% |
| Philadelphia, PA | $195,000 | $16,300 | +1% |
| The Bronx, NY | $194,000 | $16,200 | 0% |
| Jacksonville, FL | $194,000 | $16,200 | 0% |
| Fort Worth, TX | $194,000 | $16,200 | 0% |
| Dallas, TX | $185,000 | $15,400 | -5% |
| Houston, TX | $171,000 | $14,300 | -12% |
| Phoenix, AZ | $171,000 | $14,300 | -12% |
| San Antonio, TX | $157,000 | $13,100 | -19% |
AI Engineer salary in other countries
United Kingdom
Canada
Australia
Germany
France
Netherlands
Switzerland
Singapore
India
Japan
South Korea
Poland
Brazil
United Arab Emirates
Mexico
Ireland
Spain
Italy
Sweden
Norway
Denmark
Belgium
Austria
Portugal
Finland
China
Hong Kong
New Zealand
Indonesia
Philippines
Vietnam
Thailand
Malaysia
Israel
Saudi Arabia
Turkey
Argentina
Colombia
South AfricaRelated Technology salaries in United States
Software EngineerFrontend DeveloperBackend DeveloperData ScientistMachine Learning EngineerDevOps EngineerProduct ManagerUX DesignerData AnalystCybersecurity AnalystIT Support SpecialistFull-Stack DeveloperWeb DeveloperData EngineerQA EngineerSite Reliability EngineerCloud ArchitectNetwork EngineerSystems AdministratorDatabase Administrator
Frequently asked questions
- How much does a ai engineer make in United States?
- The national median ai engineer salary in United States is about $194,000 per year ($16,200 per month). Across 12 cities, pay ranges from about $157,000 to $256,000.
- Which United States city pays ai engineers the most?
- Washington DC, DC pays the most at about $256,000 per year.
- Which United States city pays ai engineers the least?
- Among cities we cover, San Antonio, TX is on the lower end at about $157,000 per year for a ai engineer.
- What is the typical salary range for a ai engineer in United States?
- Across United States cities we cover, ai engineer pay commonly spans from about $102,000 at the entry end in lower-paying markets up to about $395,000 for senior pay in higher-paying cities. Open a city page for the full local percentile band.
- How many United States cities have ai engineer salary data?
- Pay by Role publishes ai engineer pay for 12 cities in United States, all shown in USD.
- Is ai engineer in demand in United States?
- Employment for this role is projected to change by about +40% over the next decade. Related technology roles on Pay by Role include Software Engineer, Frontend Developer, Backend Developer.