AI salary benchmarks
Median, p25 and p75 posted base pay at 235 AI labs, infra, app, chip and robotics companies, from 9,049 listings that publish pay. Updated Oct 19, 2026.
Read next: ML engineer salary 2026 · AI engineer salary 2026
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Midpoint of each posted USD annual base range. Distribution in $25K bins. Filters combine.
By role
| Role | p25 | Median | p75 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Research scientist | $220K | $275K | $339K |
| Account executive | $178K | $275K | $323K |
| ML engineer | $205K | $244K | $290K |
| Software engineer | $205K | $240K | $300K |
| Inference / GPU engineer | $197K | $236K | $285K |
| AI product manager | $209K | $234K | $264K |
| Product designer | $196K | $232K | $264K |
| Data scientist | $205K | $230K | $278K |
| Product manager | $205K | $230K | $269K |
| Security engineer | $199K | $229K | $310K |
| Robotics engineer | $191K | $222K | $265K |
| Chip / ASIC design | $177K | $216K | $258K |
| Forward deployed engineer | $210K | $216K | $242K |
| Solutions engineer | $198K | $214K | $239K |
USD, annual base. Midpoint of each posted range; p25/p75 = 25th/75th percentile.
By function
| Function | p25 | Median | p75 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Risk & compliance | $200K | $240K | $275K |
| Engineering | $194K | $230K | $280K |
| Product | $197K | $230K | $270K |
| Other | $162K | $212K | $261K |
| Sales & GTM | $165K | $204K | $265K |
| Design | $175K | $204K | $252K |
| Operations | $130K | $166K | $210K |
USD, annual base. Midpoint of each posted range; p25/p75 = 25th/75th percentile.
By company category
| Category | p25 | Median | p75 |
|---|---|---|---|
| AI labs & models | $240K | $305K | $362K |
| AI hardware & chips | $196K | $220K | $252K |
| AI infra & devtools | $180K | $214K | $250K |
| AI apps | $172K | $212K | $258K |
| Robotics & embodied AI | $165K | $202K | $242K |
| AI × fintech & crypto | $158K | $192K | $231K |
USD, annual base. Midpoint of each posted range; p25/p75 = 25th/75th percentile.
Median by category × function
| Category | Engineering | Product | Design | Risk & compliance | Operations | Sales & GTM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AI labs & models | $326K | $296K | $255K | $280K | $234K | $256K |
| AI infra & devtools | $216K | $214K | $202K | $234K | $165K | $200K |
| AI apps | $232K | $242K | $198K | $234K | $166K | $185K |
| AI hardware & chips | $226K | $218K | $216K | $161K | $159K | $218K |
| Robotics & embodied AI | $212K | $212K | $190K | $190K | $148K | $187K |
| AI × fintech & crypto | $210K | $208K | $200K | $203K | $156K | $170K |
Read the guide: AI hardware & chip salaries (2026) →
FAQ
Where do these salaries come from?
From the pay ranges companies publish in their own job posts (9,049 of 16,379 open roles list one). We take each range's midpoint and compute percentiles. US-dollar annual base pay only.
Which role pays the most?
Of the segments with 5+ posted salaries, research scientist has the highest median at $275K.
Why are some ranges so wide?
A single posting can cover several levels or locations, and some companies post very wide bands. That's why we lead with p25/median/p75 rather than min and max.
How often is this updated?
Daily, with every refresh of the job boards.