Staff AI Engineer Salary
Staff AI Engineer roles pay a median of $271k a year, based on 147 live listings that disclose salary. The middle half earns $226k to $299k, and the top 10% more than $380k. 39% of these roles are remote. Highest median pay: Anthropic.
- $271k
- median USD
- $226k
- 25th percentile
- $299k
- 75th percentile
- 147
- disclosed roles
Shaded: middle half ($226k to $299k)
By city
| City | n | P25 | Median | P75 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Francisco | 46 | $275k | $292k | $353k |
| New York | 24 | $246k | $279k | $288k |
| Mountain View | 16 | $219k | $235k | $281k |
| Toronto | 6 | $192k | $207k | $245k |
| Boston | 6 | $268k | $283k | $296k |
| Menlo Park | 5 | $266k | $287k | $288k |
| Palo Alto | 3 | $249k | $273k | $349k |
By country
| Country | n | P25 | Median | P75 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| USA | 124 | $237k | $279k | $300k |
| Canada | 14 | $190k | $205k | $206k |
Remote vs on-site
| Group | n | P25 | Median | P75 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| On-site / hybrid | 89 | $226k | $267k | $303k |
| Remote | 58 | $236k | $276k | $287k |
Top-paying companies
Companies with at least three disclosed salaries here, by median.
Live roles
Staff+ Software Engineer, Deployment
AnthropicRemote
~$405k–$485k
Remoteai llm engineerStaff~$405k–$485k · 1d agoSenior/Staff Software Engineer, Data Lifecycle
DecagonNew York, New York, US
$200k–$400k
ai llm engineerStaff$200k–$400k · 1d agoSenior / Staff Software Engineer — Product (Backend-Focused)
Snorkel AISan Francisco, CA, US
~$208k–$315k
ai llm engineerStaff~$208k–$315k · 2d agoSr. Staff Applied AI Engineer, GTM
ZscalerRemote (US)
~$180k–$225k
Remoteai llm engineerStaff~$180k–$225k · 2d agoStaff/Senior Staff Software Engineer, Agent Infrastructure
CohereRemote (CA)
$240k–$360k
Remoteai llm engineerStaff$240k–$360k · 7d agoStaff Forward Deployed Engineer
LovableNew York City, US
$199k–$325k
ai llm engineerStaff$199k–$325k · 8d agoStaff Software Engineer, Backend Platform
HarveyRemote (US)
$231k–$325k
Remoteai llm engineerStaff$231k–$325k · 9d agoSenior / Staff Full-Stack AI Engineer
SunoRemote (US)
$228k–$363k
Remoteai llm engineerStaff$228k–$363k · 9d agoStaff Engineer – Ad Monetization
GlanceBengaluru, KA, IN
Not disclosed
ai llm engineerStaff10d agoStaff+ Software Engineer, Memory & Search
AnthropicRemote (US)
~$405k–$485k
Remoteai llm engineerStaff~$405k–$485k · 10d ago
Other roles
Every live listing here that discloses a number, in any currency. Converted to USD at ECB reference rates as of 2026-10-28. Hourly, weekly, and monthly figures are annualised (2,080 / 52 / 12). Where a salary is a range we use its midpoint. Breakdowns with fewer than three disclosed salaries are left out. All AI and ML salaries