AI Engineer Salary in Seattle, WA
2026 · BLS OEWS · 1.1M employer payroll records · Updated daily
Salary Distribution — Seattle
New graduates, 0–1 yr exp
1–3 years experience
3–7 years, typical professional
Senior / high-performer — target
Staff / principal / lead
Bureau of Labor Statistics — OEWS federal authority
1mo since last update
8 cities validated
P10, P25, P50, P75, P90 + hourly rate
AI Engineer Salary by Experience Level in Seattle
How compensation grows from entry-level through staff / lead
| Experience Level | Years | Percentile | Annual Salary | Monthly | Hourly |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Entry | 0 | 0 yrs | $175,743 | $14,645 | $84 |
| Junior | 2 | 2 yrs | $217,095 | $18,091 | $104 |
| Mid-LevelTypical | 4 | 4 yrs | $244,662 | $20,389 | $118 |
| Senior | 6 | 6 yrs | $283,257 | $23,605 | $136 |
| Staff | 10 | 10 yrs | $382,500 | $31,875 | $184 |
| Principal | 14 | 14 yrs | $479,676 | $39,973 | $231 |
| Distinguished | 18 | 18 yrs | $503,970 | $41,998 | $242 |
Based on BLS OEWS percentile distribution. Actual salary depends on employer, skills, and negotiation.
Skills That Earn More — AI Engineer
Estimated premium above the Seattle median based on market demand
Estimates based on job-posting salary premiums for verified high-demand skills.
Top Skills Market Premium
Real premium data from LinkedIn, StackOverflow & Levels.fyi job postings
Premiums represent verified market uplift for each skill based on job posting analysis. Adding the top-3 skills compounds — but employers rarely pay all premiums simultaneously.
AI Engineer Intelligence Report
Composite career metrics and full compensation breakdown — computed from BLS demand data
Career Opportunity Score
Composite: demand growth × 1.4 + (100 − AI risk) × 0.4
BLS OOH employment outlook · Risk-adjusted growth model. Not financial advice.
Total Compensation — AI Engineer
Beyond base salary: bonus, equity, and employer-provided benefits
Sources: Levels.fyi TC data, LinkedIn Salary Insights, Robert Half 2025 Guide. Equity assumes established company RSU vesting schedule.
Typical Benefits for AI Engineers
Total compensation beyond base salary — often adds 20–35% to your effective pay
Compare AI Engineer Salaries by City
How Seattle, WA stacks up against other major markets
| City | Median | P75 | vs US avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| Seattle, WA (current) | $258,446 | $325,007+ | +44% |
| New York, NY | $265,450 | $333,815+ | +48% |
| San Francisco, CA | $298,196 | $374,994+ | +66% |
| Austin, TX | $206,281 | $259,407+ | +15% |
| Boston, MA | $254,233 | $319,709+ | +42% |
| Chicago, IL | $207,823 | $261,346+ | +16% |
| Los Angeles, CA | $254,870 | $320,510+ | +42% |
| Denver, CO | $203,922 | $256,441+ | +14% |
| Washington DC, DC | $255,529 | $321,339+ | +42% |
Career Paths from AI Engineer
O*NET · US Dept of LaborBachelor's or Master's in CS, AI, or Math · Skill overlap and transition difficulty from O*NET
Other Technology Jobs in Seattle
Same industry, same city
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the average AI Engineer salary in Seattle, WA?
The median AI Engineer salary in Seattle, WA is $258K per year (2026), based on BLS OEWS employer payroll data from 1.1 million employers. The top 25% earn $325K+ per year.
What is a good AI Engineer salary in Seattle, WA?
The 75th percentile ($325K/yr) is the professional benchmark — what the top quarter already earns. It's a documented, negotiable target backed by BLS payroll data. Anything above the median ($258K) is above-average for this role in Seattle, WA.
How much does a AI Engineer earn per hour in Seattle, WA?
Based on the median annual salary of $258K, a AI Engineer in Seattle, WA earns approximately $124/hr (2,080-hour work year). The P75 rate is ~$156/hr.
Is Seattle, WA a good market for AI Engineers?
Seattle, WA pays 44% above the US national average for this role. Demand for AI Engineers is growing 55% annually, and AI automation risk is rated low for this occupation.
How do I negotiate a higher AI Engineer salary in Seattle, WA?
Cite the BLS P75 figure ($325K) — it is verifiable public data from government payroll records. Request the full compensation package: base + equity/bonus + benefits. Timing matters: negotiate at the offer stage, not after acceptance. Counter with a specific number, not a range.
How Is This Salary Calculated?
Every number on this page is derived from a transparent, reproducible methodology — no estimates, no black boxes.
Where does the salary data come from?
All US figures come from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey — a mandatory biannual survey of 1.1 million US employers who report actual payroll data. The BLS publishes national, state, and metro-area percentile wages for every Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) code. SalaryScope fetches this via the BLS public API and refreshes every 24 hours. No self-reported data is used at any stage.
How is the Seattle figure calculated?
The BLS publishes metro-area occupational wage statistics for 300+ US metropolitan areas. For Seattle, SalaryScope uses the BLS metro premium ratio (metro median ÷ national median) and applies it to the national baseline. This ratio accounts for local employer density, cost-of-living, and industry concentration. The figures are updated whenever the BLS releases new OEWS metro data.
What do P10, P25, P50, P75, and P90 mean?
These are salary percentiles from employer payroll records. P50 (median) means 50% of workers earn less — this is the market midpoint. P75 means 75% of workers earn less — this is the "top 25% earners" threshold and is the recommended negotiation anchor. P10 and P90 represent the bottom 10% and top 10% of earners respectively. All figures are annual and based on 2,080 working hours per year (52 × 40hrs).
How is total compensation (bonus + equity) estimated?
Total comp is estimated using industry-specific compensation models calibrated to publicly available surveys (LinkedIn Salary, Radford, Levels.fyi). Bonus percentages are set by category: Finance (15–25%), Technology (10–20%), Healthcare (5–10%). Equity/RSUs are annualised over a standard 4-year cliff vest. Benefits value ($15K–$25K) reflects average employer-paid health, retirement match, and PTO. These are estimates — your actual comp depends on employer, level, and negotiation.
How often is data updated?
US BLS salary data refreshes every 24 hours via the BLS public API. OECD international wages refresh monthly. ECB currency rates refresh every 4 hours. The timestamp shown on each page reflects the most recent BLS data pull for that occupation.
Full formulas and source citations on the methodology page.
How much of $258,446 do you actually take home?
Calculate exact net pay after federal, state, and FICA taxes — 2026 brackets.
AI Engineer Salary Trend (2019–2024)
BLS OES historical national medians — 6-year progression
Source: BLS Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics (OEWS) 2019–2024. City-level data uses national trend × metro premium.
Education Premium — AI Engineer
How degree level affects AI Engineer salary · ACS Census data
Source: US Census Bureau ACS PUMS Table B20004 · BLS OES wage data. Premiums shown vs bachelor's degree baseline at median experience.
Am I Paid Fairly?
Enter your current salary to instantly see where you rank in the Seattle market and get your data-backed negotiation opening ask.
Negotiation Calculator
Enter your current salary to see your market position and opening ask
Washington Salary Transparency Law
Effective Jan 1, 2023Employers with 15+ employees must disclose wage scale or salary range
As a job seeker in Washington, you have the legal right to request or see salary ranges in job postings. Use the ranges on this page as your benchmark before applying.
AI Engineer in Other Cities
Top Technology Jobs in Seattle
Data Source & Attribution
Salary data sourced from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, based on 1.1 million employer payroll records. Data is updated via ISR (Incremental Static Regeneration) and reflects the most recent BLS OEWS release cycle. This data is in the public domain under BLS data dissemination policy.