AI Research Engineer Salary 2026
AI Research Engineer jobs posted on AiRagJobs in the last 90 days pay a median of $300k in base salary, and half of them fall between $250k and $413k. Here’s how that changes with seniority, city and company.
- Median
- $300k
- -14% since Q3 2026
- Middle 50%
- $250k–$413k
- Lowest to highest
- $227k–$360k
- Salary ranges
- 180
AI Research Engineer salary by seniority
| Seniority | Median | Middle 50% | Chart | Postings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Junior | $216k | $153k–$216k | 11 | |
| Mid-Level | $310k | $275k–$440k | 79 | |
| Senior | $283k | $248k–$353k | 68 | |
| Staff | $325k | $263k–$430k | 16 | |
| Principal | $352k | $324k–$444k | 6 |
Bars run from $125k to $475k. The light bar is the middle half of posted pay, the dark tick the median.
AI Research Engineer salary by city
Remote jobs are counted under Remote, whatever city the company is in.
| City | Median | Middle 50% | Chart | Postings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Francisco Bay Area | $327k | $265k–$440k | 133 | |
| New York | $330k | $270k–$360k | 6 | |
| Seattle | $248k | $236k–$250k | 5 | |
| Remote | $270k | $221k–$285k | 23 | |
| Other US | $300k | $225k–$325k | 13 |
Bars run from $125k to $475k. The light bar is the middle half of posted pay, the dark tick the median.
Remote vs on-site
| Workplace | Median | Middle 50% | Chart | Postings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Remote | $270k | $221k–$285k | 23 | |
| On-site or hybrid | $310k | $250k–$425k | 157 |
Bars run from $125k to $475k. The light bar is the middle half of posted pay, the dark tick the median.
Top-paying companies
Companies with at least two AI Research Engineer postings that list pay, highest median first.
| Company | Median | Range posted | Chart | Postings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anthropic | $600k | $350k–$850k | 29 | |
| Inflection AI | $475k | $400k–$550k | 2 | |
| OpenAI | $440k | $380k–$500k | 16 | |
| Thinking Machines Lab | $413k | $350k–$475k | 11 | |
| Datadog | $360k | $320k–$400k | 4 | |
| Mercor | $350k | $200k–$500k | 3 | |
| Perplexity AI | $333k | $220k–$445k | 2 | |
| xAI | $310k | $180k–$440k | 4 | |
| Databricks | $310k | $275k–$345k | 2 | |
| Turing | $300k | $250k–$350k | 9 |
Bars run from $150k to $875k. The light bar is the lowest to highest posted pay, the dark tick the median.
By quarter
| Quarter | Median | Middle 50% | Chart | Postings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $350k | $264k–$440k | 104 |
Bars run from $225k to $475k. The light bar is the middle half of posted pay, the dark tick the median.
How these figures are worked out
- Every figure comes from the pay ranges employers publish in their job postings on AiRagJobs between Aug 2, 2026 and Oct 31, 2026, not from surveys or self-reported pay.
- Each posting counts once, at the middle of its range. An opening posted in several cities counts once too.
- These are annual base salaries in US dollars. Equity and bonuses aren’t included, and they can add a lot at AI labs and late-stage startups.
- Postings in other currencies, and hourly or monthly rates, are left out.
- A figure needs at least 5 postings; below that, a single posting would set the number.
- The guides cover the last 90 days and refresh as new jobs arrive. Each finished quarter is saved so you can see how pay moves over time.