AI Fraud Detection Engineer.
San Antonio.
$136,000
median salary, 6% below the national average
$103,000 to $173,000. Last updated April 2026.
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Data points to own the conversation.
A AI Fraud Detection Engineer in San Antonio earns a median of $136,000 in 2026. That is 6% below the national average. The range runs from $103,000 to $173,000, and where you land depends on your experience, your skills, and how well you negotiate. Compensation reflects the direct financial impact of fraud prevention systems.
Salary range
Where do you fall?
Salary by experience
The gap between entry and lead level is typically $123,000. Where you land depends on years of experience and what you bring to the table.
Entry (0-2 yrs)
$88,000
to $109,000
Mid (3-5 yrs)
$116,000
to $143,000
Senior (6-9 yrs)
$150,000
to $177,000
Lead (10+ yrs)
$170,000
to $211,000
Salary trend
+7% YoYTotal compensation
Base salary is not the full picture. Equity, bonus, and signing can add $64,000 to the total package.
Base
$136,000
Equity
$39,000
Bonus
$17,000
Signing
$8,000
Estimated total: $200,000
How San Antonio compares
San Antonio, TX
$136,000
Cost of living: 9% below average
National Average
$145,000
San Antonio is $9,000 below
AI Fraud Detection Engineer salary by city
Salary by role in San Antonio
What you should know
The AI Fraud Detection Engineer landscape in San Antonio is not what most salary sites will tell you. San Antonio has a major military presence with Joint Base San Antonio and a growing cybersecurity hub. The city is home to USAA headquarters and a cluster of healthcare systems. The extremely affordable cost of living and no state income tax make it attractive for professionals seeking purchasing power. Compensation reflects the direct financial impact of fraud prevention systems. Engineers who can build real-time transaction scoring models with low false positive rates earn premiums. Experience with graph neural networks for fraud ring detection, anomaly detection at scale, and adversarial robustness against evolving fraud tactics drives higher salaries.
Junior fraud detection engineers start at $95,000 to $115,000. Mid-level engineers building production fraud scoring systems reach $135,000 to $165,000. Senior engineers designing enterprise fraud platforms earn $170,000 to $210,000. Directors of fraud AI at financial institutions can reach $230,000 to $290,000 in total compensation. In San Antonio, cost of living sits near the national average, so the numbers you see are roughly what you keep.
Base salary is not the full picture. Performance bonuses of 15% to 25% tied to fraud loss reduction are common. Equity at fintech companies adds $20,000 to $70,000 annually. Some organizations offer bonuses based on the dollar value of fraud prevented. Benefits include financial services industry certifications and conference budgets. And on the tax side: texas has no state income tax. San Antonio has no city income tax. The zero tax environment and very affordable housing create exceptional purchasing power relative to most metros. When someone quotes you $136,000, ask what the total package looks like. The gap between base and total comp is where real money hides.
On negotiation: Leverage the cybersecurity corridor. San Antonio's NSA facility and military cyber operations drive demand for cleared security professionals at premium rates. The range for AI Fraud Detection Engineers in San Antonio runs from $103,000 to $173,000. 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
Considering a related role?
- A AI Auditor in San Antonio earns $135,000 (1% less)
- The highest-paying role in San Antonio is Distinguished Engineer at $303,000
Common questions.
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