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  1. Home/
  2. Salaries/
  3. AI Energy Efficiency Engineer/
  4. Sioux Falls

AI Energy Efficiency Engineer.

Sioux Falls.

$140,000

median salary, 17% below the national average

$104,000 to $183,000. Last updated April 2026.

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Data points to own the conversation.

Sioux Falls is 15% cheaper than the national average. For AI Energy Efficiency Engineers, that shakes out to a median of $140,000, with the full range spanning $104,000 to $183,000. Pay depends on demonstrated ability to reduce compute costs while maintaining model performance. Know the range before you walk in.

Salary range

25th Percentile

$104,000

per year

Median

$140,000

per year

75th Percentile

$183,000

per year

Where do you fall?

$104,000$183,000

Salary by experience

The gap between entry and lead level is typically $126,000. Where you land depends on years of experience and what you bring to the table.

Entry (0-2 yrs)

$91,000

to $112,000

Mid (3-5 yrs)

$119,000

to $147,000

Senior (6-9 yrs)

$154,000

to $182,000

Lead (10+ yrs)

$175,000

to $217,000

Salary trend

+8% YoY
$103,000
2022
$111,000
2023
$120,000
2024
$130,000
2025
$140,000
2026

Total compensation

Base salary is not the full picture. Equity, bonus, and signing can add $58,000 to the total package.

Base

$140,000

Equity

$35,000

Bonus

$15,000

Signing

$8,000

Estimated total: $198,000

How Sioux Falls compares

Sioux Falls, SD

$140,000

Cost of living: 15% below average

National Average

$168,000

Sioux Falls is $28,000 below

AI Energy Efficiency Engineer salary by city

AI Energy Efficiency Engineer salary comparison across 10 cities
CityMedianRangeCOLAdjusted
San Jose, CA$232,000$173,000 – $304,0001.38x$168,000
San Francisco, CA$227,000$169,000 – $297,0001.35x$168,000
Honolulu, HI$218,000$163,000 – $286,0001.30x$168,000
New York, NY$217,000$162,000 – $284,0001.28x$170,000
Washington DC, DC$214,000$159,000 – $281,0001.25x$171,000
Seattle, WA$212,000$158,000 – $278,0001.24x$171,000
Boston, MA$211,000$157,000 – $276,0001.22x$173,000
Newark, NJ$196,000$146,000 – $257,0001.18x$166,000
San Diego, CA$195,000$145,000 – $255,0001.17x$167,000
Sioux Falls, SD$140,000$104,000 – $183,0000.85x$165,000

See all 30 cities for AI Energy Efficiency Engineer →

Salary by role in Sioux Falls

Salary comparison by role in Sioux Falls
RoleMedianRange
Chief AI Officer$253,000$188,000 – $326,000
Chief Technology Officer$249,000$185,000 – $326,000
Chief Algorithm Officer$248,000$186,000 – $323,000
Model Vulnerability Analyst$141,000$106,000 – $186,000
AI Energy Efficiency Engineer$140,000$104,000 – $183,000
AI/GenAI Sales Engineer$140,000$102,000 – $187,000
AI Penetration Tester$140,000$106,000 – $186,000
Chatbot Architect$140,000$106,000 – $184,000

What you should know

Here is what the AI Energy Efficiency Engineer market actually looks like in Sioux Falls. Sioux Falls is South Dakota's largest city and a growing financial services hub, home to major credit card operations for Citibank and Wells Fargo. The city's no state income tax and very low cost of living create exceptional take home pay ratios. Healthcare and agriculture round out the economy. Pay depends on demonstrated ability to reduce compute costs while maintaining model performance. Engineers who achieve significant efficiency gains through quantization, pruning, or architectural optimization command premiums. Data center experience and knowledge of carbon accounting frameworks add 10% to 15% to base offers.

Junior efficiency engineers start near $125,000 implementing standard optimization techniques. Mid-level engineers designing custom compression and distillation pipelines earn $166,000 to $190,000. Senior architects setting efficiency strategy across AI infrastructure reach $220,000 to $265,000. In Sioux Falls, your dollars stretch further. Cost of living runs 15% below the national average, which means even a median salary buys a stronger lifestyle.

Base salary is not the full picture. Green tech companies offer equity with strong growth potential. Annual bonuses of 10% to 15% are standard, with some firms offering sustainability milestone bonuses tied to measurable energy reduction targets. And on the tax side: south Dakota has no state income tax. Sioux Falls has no city income tax. This zero income tax environment is a major draw for high earners seeking maximum take home pay. When someone quotes you $140,000, ask what the total package looks like. The gap between base and total comp is where real money hides.

On negotiation: Use the zero income tax advantage in negotiations. Sioux Falls employers know this is a major recruiting tool and will frame compensation accordingly. The range for AI Energy Efficiency Engineers in Sioux Falls runs from $104,000 to $183,000. That is not a narrow window. Where you land inside it depends almost entirely on whether you negotiate and how well you prepare.

Sources: SEC filings, H-1B LCA (DOL), BLS OES, 50+ job posting platforms. COL: BEA Regional Price Parities (2025). Data verified by Justin Bartak, Founder & Chief AI Officer. Last verified April 8, 2026. Full methodology

Interactive

Is your offer competitive?

Enter your AI Energy Efficiency Engineer offer to see where you stand in Sioux Falls.

$

25th

$104,000

Median

$140,000

75th

$183,000

Considering a related role?

  • A Model Vulnerability Analyst in Sioux Falls earns $141,000 (1% more)
  • The highest-paying role in Sioux Falls is Chief AI Officer at $253,000

Common questions.

AI training and inference now consume significant portions of global electricity. Regulatory pressure, ESG reporting requirements, and pure cost optimization drive demand. Companies spending millions on GPU compute need engineers who can cut costs 30% to 50% through model optimization, making this role directly tied to bottom-line savings.

Key methods include model quantization, knowledge distillation, pruning, efficient attention mechanisms, and hardware-aware neural architecture search. Engineers also optimize inference serving with batching strategies and caching. Understanding power usage effectiveness metrics and carbon-aware scheduling across data center regions is increasingly important.

Ask about equity structure, vesting schedule, annual bonus targets, 401(k) match, health insurance premiums, PTO policy, and remote flexibility. Green tech companies offer equity with strong growth potential. In Sioux Falls's market, these extras can add $35,000 or more on top of the base salary.

Pay depends on demonstrated ability to reduce compute costs while maintaining model performance. Engineers who achieve significant efficiency gains through quantization, pruning, or architectural optimization command premiums. Data center experience and knowledge of carbon accounting frameworks add 10% to 15% to base offers. In Sioux Falls, these factors can push compensation from the 25th percentile of $104,000 to the 75th percentile of $183,000 or beyond.

Sioux Falls is South Dakota's largest city and a growing financial services hub, home to major credit card operations for Citibank and Wells Fargo. The city's no state income tax and very low cost of living create exceptional take home pay ratios. For AI Energy Efficiency Engineers specifically, the median salary of $140,000 reflects that demand.

Remote work has compressed geographic salary premiums for AI Energy Efficiency Engineers. Some Sioux Falls employers offer location adjusted pay, while others maintain local rates to attract in office talent. In Sioux Falls's moderate cost market, remote and local salaries are converging. The $104,000 to $183,000 range reflects both arrangements.

Sioux Falls is South Dakota's largest city and a growing financial services hub, home to major credit card operations for Citibank and Wells Fargo. The city's no state income tax and very low cost of living create exceptional take home pay ratios. For AI Energy Efficiency Engineers specifically, pay depends on demonstrated ability to reduce compute costs while maintaining model performance, which signals sustained demand. The current compensation range of $104,000 to $183,000 reflects a market that is competing for talent.

AI Energy Efficiency Engineer salary in other cities

Austin$177,000
Atlanta$166,000
Anchorage$184,000
Albuquerque$151,000
Boston$211,000
Birmingham$141,000

Other salaries in Sioux Falls

Generative AI Developer$155,000
LLM Engineer$162,000
LLM Fine-Tuning Engineer$160,000
Machine Learning Engineer$134,000

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"AI Energy Efficiency Engineer Salary in Sioux Falls, SD." Orbyt Salary Explorer, April 2026. https://www.orbytjobs.ai/salaries/ai-energy-efficiency-engineer/sioux-falls

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