Salaries in Columbus.
522 roles. One city.
Cost-of-living index: 0.93x national average. Last updated April 2026.
522 roles tracked
Highest Paying
$301,000
Distinguished Engineer
Median of All Roles
$135,000
AI EdTech Specialist
Entry Level
$30,000
Home Health Aide
Salary data sourced from SEC filings, H-1B Labor Condition Applications (DOL), Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, and aggregated job postings across 50+ platforms. Ranges reflect 25th to 75th percentile for full-time positions. Cost-of-living adjustments use Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional Price Parities (2025 index). Last updated April 2026.
Columbus, OH has a cost-of-living index of 0.93x the national average. The highest-paying role is Distinguished Engineer at $301,000, while the median across all 522 roles is $135,000. Columbus is Ohio's largest city and a growing technology and logistics hub, home to companies like Nationwide Insurance and a major Intel semiconductor fab under construction.
About the Columbus market
Columbus is Ohio's largest city and a growing technology and logistics hub, home to companies like Nationwide Insurance and a major Intel semiconductor fab under construction. The city's large university system and low cost of living attract both startups and corporate expansions.
Insurance & Financial ServicesTechnologyLogisticsHealthcareHigher Education
Top 50 salaries in Columbus
| # | Role | Median | Range |
|---|
| 1 | Distinguished Engineer | $301,000 | $228,000 – $383,000 |
| 2 | Chief AI Officer | $285,000 | $212,000 – $368,000 |
| 3 | Chief Technology Officer | $270,000 | $200,000 – $353,000 |
| 4 | VP of AI | $270,000 | $205,000 – $353,000 |
| 5 | CEO | $266,000 | $193,000 – $368,000 |
| 6 | Chief Revenue Officer | $266,000 | $199,000 – $351,000 |
| 7 | Chief Data & AI Officer | $266,000 | $198,000 – $347,000 |
| 8 | Head of AI Research | $259,000 | $192,000 – $340,000 |
| 9 | SVP of AI Innovation | $257,000 | $194,000 – $338,000 |
| 10 | Chief Algorithm Officer | $255,000 | $191,000 – $333,000 |
| 11 | Principal Engineer | $251,000 | $193,000 – $329,000 |
| 12 | Chief Data Officer | $249,000 | $187,000 – $326,000 |
| 13 | CFO | $247,000 | $185,000 – $327,000 |
| 14 | Chief Marketing Officer | $247,000 | $185,000 – $323,000 |
| 15 | Head of Applied AI | $247,000 | $184,000 – $324,000 |
| 16 | Head of AI | $244,000 | $180,000 – $316,000 |
| 17 | Chief Operating Officer | $242,000 | $180,000 – $323,000 |
| 18 | VP of Engineering | $242,000 | $181,000 – $316,000 |
| 19 | Chief Product Officer | $241,000 | $179,000 – $317,000 |
| 20 | Head of AI Platform | $240,000 | $179,000 – $314,000 |
| 21 | VP of AI Engineering | $239,000 | $180,000 – $311,000 |
| 22 | Chief Human Resources Officer | $235,000 | $177,000 – $305,000 |
| 23 | VP of AI Product | $235,000 | $175,000 – $304,000 |
| 24 | VP of Product | $223,000 | $169,000 – $287,000 |
| 25 | CTO, AI Startup | $220,000 | $172,000 – $287,000 |
| 26 | Head of AI Partnerships | $219,000 | $163,000 – $288,000 |
| 27 | AI Transformation Officer | $219,000 | $164,000 – $287,000 |
| 28 | VP of Sales | $214,000 | $161,000 – $286,000 |
| 29 | VP of Marketing | $212,000 | $158,000 – $280,000 |
| 30 | VP of Product Design | $210,000 | $156,000 – $272,000 |
| 31 | Director of AI Strategy | $209,000 | $158,000 – $273,000 |
| 32 | Foundation Model Engineer | $208,000 | $155,000 – $271,000 |
| 33 | Director of Generative AI | $207,000 | $156,000 – $272,000 |
| 34 | Staff Engineer | $203,000 | $161,000 – $258,000 |
| 35 | Director of Engineering | $201,000 | $155,000 – $260,000 |
| 36 | AI Program Director | $201,000 | $152,000 – $263,000 |
| 37 | AI Hardware/Chip Design Engineer | $199,000 | $148,000 – $263,000 |
| 38 | AI Alignment Researcher | $198,000 | $147,000 – $263,000 |
| 39 | AI Systems Architect | $198,000 | $150,000 – $259,000 |
| 40 | AI Agent Architect | $196,000 | $148,000 – $254,000 |
| 41 | AI World Model Engineer | $194,000 | $144,000 – $256,000 |
| 42 | Multimodal AI Engineer | $193,000 | $145,000 – $251,000 |
| 43 | Director of Data Science | $192,000 | $147,000 – $250,000 |
| 44 | Quantitative AI Researcher | $192,000 | $144,000 – $249,000 |
| 45 | Reinforcement Learning Researcher | $190,000 | $142,000 – $251,000 |
| 46 | Multimodal AI Researcher | $190,000 | $141,000 – $252,000 |
| 47 | AI Infrastructure Manager | $190,000 | $144,000 – $247,000 |
| 48 | AI Financial Engineer | $189,000 | $140,000 – $244,000 |
| 49 | Multi-Agent Systems Architect | $189,000 | $140,000 – $251,000 |
| 50 | Privacy / Data Counsel | $188,000 | $144,000 – $245,000 |
Tax considerations
Ohio's income tax tops out around 3.5%, and Columbus adds a city income tax of 2.5%. The combined rate is moderate, but the city tax applies to all who work within city limits.
Negotiating in Columbus
Mention Intel's new fab investment when negotiating. The semiconductor megaproject is driving salaries upward across the entire Columbus tech and engineering market.
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