AI Safety Researcher Salary in the USA
AI Safety Researcher roles in the USA pay a median of $398k a year, based on 27 live listings that disclose salary. The middle half earns $329k to $425k, and the top 10% more than $439k. 11% of these roles are remote. Highest median pay: Anthropic.
- $398k
- median USD
- $329k
- 25th percentile
- $425k
- 75th percentile
- 27
- disclosed roles
Shaded: middle half ($329k to $425k)
By level
From the title and requirements, not from a company level framework.
| Level | n | P25 | Median | P75 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Staff | 3 | $403k | $403k | $403k |
By city
| City | n | P25 | Median | P75 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Francisco | 21 | $345k | $398k | $425k |
| New York | 3 | $368k | $403k | $403k |
Remote vs on-site
| Group | n | P25 | Median | P75 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| On-site / hybrid | 24 | $342k | $398k | $425k |
| Remote | 3 | $304k | $313k | $376k |
Top-paying companies
Companies with at least three disclosed salaries here, by median.
Live roles
Enforcement Analyst, Agentic Alignment
AnthropicBoston, MA, US
~$245k–$285k
ai safety alignment~$245k–$285k · 4d agoResearch Scientist / Research Engineer, Safety + Alignment, Search
OpenAISan Francisco, California, US
$380k–$850k
ai safety alignment$380k–$850k · 8d agoResearch Engineer, Safety & Alignment
CognitionSan Francisco, California, US
Not disclosed
ai safety alignment20d agoProgram Manager, Safeguards Policy, Enforcement, and Threat Intelligence
AnthropicSan Francisco, CA, US
~$285k–$330k
ai safety alignment~$285k–$330k · 26d agoProduct Designer, Safeguards
AnthropicSan Francisco, CA, US
~$305k–$460k
ai safety alignment~$305k–$460k · 1mo agoProduct Manager, Safeguards (Generalist)
AnthropicSan Francisco, CA, US
~$385k–$460k
ai safety alignment~$385k–$460k · 1mo agoMercor AI Safety Fund Grants
MercorSan Francisco, California, US
Not disclosed
ai safety alignmenttemporary1mo ago2027 Summer Intern, PhD, Safety Research, Human Behavior Analytics
WaymoMountain View, CA, US
Not disclosed
ai safety alignmentIntern1mo agoStaff+ Site Reliability Engineer, Safeguards ML Infra
AnthropicSan Francisco, CA, US
~$320k–$485k
ai safety alignmentStaff~$320k–$485k · 1mo agoResearcher, Alignment Interpretability
OpenAISan Francisco, California, US
$295k–$500k
ai safety alignment$295k–$500k · 1mo ago
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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