Key Takeaways
- The overall median max salary across all AI roles is $210K.
- Moving from Mid to Senior level corresponds to a 18% median salary increase.
- Most AI postings (3,744) target Mid or Senior candidates.
- Entry-level AI roles are scarce. Only 141 postings in our dataset.
Salary by Seniority Level
Median maximum posted salary across 3,195 AI roles with disclosed compensation, grouped by seniority.
Salary Ranges by Level
Full salary range (median min to median max) for each seniority band.
Role and Seniority Intersection
How salary varies when you combine role type with seniority level. Only combinations with 3+ postings are shown.
| Role | Level | Median Salary | Postings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Research Engineer | Senior | $263K | 15 |
| Research Engineer | Mid | $252K | 47 |
| AI Software Engineer | Senior | $250K | 124 |
| Research Scientist | Senior | $248K | 57 |
| AI Product Manager | Senior | $242K | 82 |
| AI/ML Engineer | Senior | $220K | 824 |
| Research Scientist | Mid | $215K | 87 |
| Data Scientist | Senior | $210K | 132 |
| AI Software Engineer | Mid | $210K | 98 |
| AI Product Manager | Mid | $208K | 76 |
| AI/ML Engineer | Mid | $184K | 988 |
| Data Scientist | Mid | $160K | 114 |
Seniority Distribution
How AI job postings break down by seniority level.
What This Means for Your Career
The data in this report points to actionable steps for AI professionals at every level. If you are entering the field, focus on the skills and role types showing the strongest demand growth. For mid-career engineers, the salary premiums and skill clusters above highlight where specialization pays off most. Senior practitioners should watch the company-level trends to identify where AI investment is accelerating and position themselves accordingly.
Methodology: This analysis is based on 4,318 AI job postings collected by AI Pulse in August 2026. Data is sourced from Indeed and company career pages. Only postings with disclosed salary information are included in compensation analyses.
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