How much does an AI engineer make?
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics doesn’t publish an “AI engineer” category. Its closest benchmarks are software developers, with a median of $135,980, and computer and information research scientists, with a median of $140,300 (May 2025). The top 10% of research scientists earned more than $230,630. Specialty, seniority, location and equity all move the number.
AI and ML salary benchmarks (BLS, May 2025)
AI engineer / ML engineer
- Closest BLS occupation
- Software developers (15-1252)
- Median
- $135,980
- Low 10%
- < $82,460
- High 10%
- > $214,670
AI / ML research scientist
- Closest BLS occupation
- Computer & information research scientists (15-1221)
- Median
- $140,300
- Low 10%
- < $82,200
- High 10%
- > $230,630
Data scientist
- Closest BLS occupation
- Data scientists
- Median
- $120,230
- Low 10%
- n/a
- High 10%
- n/a
Head of AI / VP of AI
- Closest BLS occupation
- Computer & information systems managers (11-3021)
- Median
- $175,140
- Low 10%
- < $107,550
- High 10%
- > $297,510
Chief AI officer (executive benchmark)
- Closest BLS occupation
- Chief executives (11-1011)
- Median
- $213,990
- Low 10%
- < $75,700
- High 10%
- > $507,730
| Role people search for | Closest BLS occupation | Median | Low 10% | High 10% |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AI engineer / ML engineer | Software developers (15-1252) | $135,980 | < $82,460 | > $214,670 |
| AI / ML research scientist | Computer & information research scientists (15-1221) | $140,300 | < $82,200 | > $230,630 |
| Data scientist | Data scientists | $120,230 | n/a | n/a |
| Head of AI / VP of AI | Computer & information systems managers (11-3021) | $175,140 | < $107,550 | > $297,510 |
| Chief AI officer (executive benchmark) | Chief executives (11-1011) | $213,990 | < $75,700 | > $507,730 |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook (OEWS wage data, May 2025; pages last modified Aug 27, 2026; accessed Oct 16, 2026). Wages are base pay and exclude bonus and equity. Mapping job titles to BLS occupations is Engaged Headhunters’ editorial judgment.
Machine learning engineer salary
BLS doesn’t track machine learning engineers as their own job. Most ML engineering work falls under software developers (median $135,980) or computer and information research scientists (median $140,300). Among the top industries for research scientists, software publishers had the highest median at $211,270. For software developers, software publishers led at $164,550 (May 2025).
Chief AI officer salary
There’s no federal wage series for this title. Use computer and information systems managers, a group that includes CIO and CTO titles, as a floor ($175,140 median). Use chief executives ($213,990 median, top 10% above $507,730) as the executive comparison. At this level, total pay usually depends more on bonus and equity than on base salary.
What moves AI pay
- Specialty: research, applied ML, or MLOps and platform work.
- Industry: BLS medians differ widely by industry (see above).
- Location and remote policy: use BLS OEWS state and metro data for local figures.
- Equity and bonus: not captured in BLS wage data.
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Frequently asked questions
How much does an AI engineer make?
BLS has no separate “AI engineer” category. The closest federal benchmarks are software developers (median $135,980, May 2025) and computer and information research scientists (median $140,300, May 2025). Pay varies a lot with specialty, seniority, location and equity.
What is the median machine learning engineer salary?
BLS doesn’t track ML engineers as their own job. Most ML engineering work falls under software developers (median $135,980) or computer and information research scientists (median $140,300; top 10% above $230,630), per BLS May 2025 data.
How much does a chief AI officer make?
BLS has no chief AI officer category. The related benchmarks are computer and information systems managers, a group that includes CIO and CTO titles (median $175,140; top 10% above $297,510), and chief executives (median $213,990). These are May 2025 figures and don’t include bonuses or equity.
Which industries pay AI talent the most?
In BLS May 2025 data, software publishers had the highest median among the top industries for research scientists ($211,270) and software developers ($164,550).
Is AI engineering a growing field?
BLS projects 22% employment growth for computer and information research scientists from 2025 to 2035, much faster than average. It names AI as a driver.
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