Artificial Intelligence (AI) Engineer Salary in the USA: A 2024 Guide

Artificial intelligence (AI) engineers use their skills and expertise to develop machines capable of replicating human intelligence. In this article, we provide information on artificial intelligence engineer salaries in the USA based on their experience, industry, and location in the country.

For the next decade, the artificial intelligence market is expected to grow at a rate of 38% every year. Considering their specialized technical expertise and with the anticipated growth rate of AI, AI Engineers are assured to be in high demand in the job market for many years to come.

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Artificial Intelligence Engineer (AI) Salary: Key Considerations

To maximize the earning potential, it’s essential to first understand the factors that impact the AI Engineer Salary.

‍Company’s position and stature: Business enterprises from finance, healthcare and IT have consistent cash flows. So, they pay better than companies from other sectors. AI engineers working in top IT companies in the world, (FAANG+), get even better pay.

‍Skills of Candidates: Basic eligibility to be an AI engineer is a high school degree. However, to secure a job as an AI engineer, a candidate is expected to at least have a bachelor’s degree preferably in computer science, data science, or any related field.

Candidates with a postgraduate degree or higher are expected to get even better salaries as AI engineers.

In addition, candidates are required to have the right combination of technical and interpersonal skills to earn a job in the AI field. These include:

• Proficiency in any of the programming languages like Python, R, C++, Java, etc.
• Expertise of SQL and NoSQL databases
• Knowledge of big data tools and development tools
• Knowledge of machine learning algorithms and models.
• Strong understanding of data security and privacy measures
• Strong interpersonal, communication, and problem-solving skills

Experience of Candidates: Like in other professions, the higher the experience the candidates have in the AI field, the better their salaries will be.

Location of work: In the USA, salary structures of AI engineers may differ based on the location of the company.

For example, business enterprises located in metropolitan cities like Seattle, New York, and Washington provide better pay packages than other cities in the USA.

Other factors include the employment rate and tax structure of the state in which that city is located.

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Artificial Intelligence (AI) Engineer Salary: Based on Experience

Experience plays a very important role in figuring out the salaries of artificial engineer salaries. Generally, the higher the experience, the higher is the salary of the candidate.

Before we take a closer look at the salaries AI engineers can expect in the USA, it’s worth noting that the data provided is only accurate at the time of publishing this article and is subject to change on daily basis.

According to Talent.com, the median annual salary for an AI Intelligence Engineer is $153,490 per year.  Entry-level positions start with an annual base pay of $115,458 per year and the most experienced employees earn up to $203,812 per year.

The information is consistent with the 2024 data provided by Glassdoor.com. Entry-level AI engineers earn an average salary of $114,672.61, mid-level engineer’s salary is $146,246.47 and senior-level engineer’s salary is $204,416.40.

According to Indeed.com, for 2024, the average base salary of an Entry level AI Engineer is $113,992, mid-level engineer’s salary is $153,788 and senior-level engineer’s salary is $202.614.

Artificial Intelligence Engineer Salary: In Top IT Companies

Here is the list of salaries offered by top IT companies. Listed below are the average base pay and additional compensation drawn by engineers working in various AI fields at top IT companies in 2024. Additional compensation includes stock bonus, annual bonus and other benefits.

Source: Glassdoor

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AI Engineer Salary: In US Cities and States

The tables below provide the average salary that various U.S. cities and states offer to AI engineers. As we can notice, technology hubs like San Francisco, California and New York, NY pay better salaries than other U.S. cities.

This gap between the salaries is likely because of considerably higher cost of living in technology hubs than other cities of the U.S.

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To Conclude

With the exponential expansion of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in almost every field worldwide, it’s appropriate to state that AI engineers will remain in demand for a considerable period in the future.

What they require are appropriate skills and the never-ending desire to keep themselves updated in this ever-evolving domain of AI.

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FAQs: Artificial Intelligence Engineer Salary

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What is the highest position an AI engineer can attain?
The highest position AI engineers can attain in their career path is that of a Chief AI Officer (CAIO). The CAIO works closely with the organization’s top management to align the company;s goals with its long-term AI strategy.

What is the salary of a PHd in AI?
PHd scholars in AI can expect to earn a pay package of $115K per annum. Their salaries are expected to grow with skills enhancement and experience.

What do AI engineers do?

AI engineers develop complex algorithms to make machines think and function like humans.

How AI is changing the future?

With its ever-evolving growth and reach in almost every profession. Its positive impact is enhancing the experience of customers and workers in various fields such as finance, healthcare and customer care.

However, without proper regulations in place, it’s prone to misuse. Another potential issue is loss of jobs that rapid automation AI brings.

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