Salaries in Dallas.
3,445 roles. One city.
Cost-of-living index: 1.01x national average. Last updated June 2026.
3,445 roles tracked
Highest Paying
$368,000
Principal AI Research Scientist
Median of All Roles
$158,000
AI Real Estate Analytics Engineer
Entry Level
$33,000
Hotel Clerk / Front Desk
Salary data sourced from Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, H-1B Labor Condition Applications (DOL), state pay-transparency job postings, and community submissions. 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 June 2026.
Dallas, TX has a cost-of-living index of 1.01x the national average. The highest-paying role is Principal AI Research Scientist at $368,000, while the median across all 3,445 roles is $158,000. Dallas is a major corporate hub with dozens of Fortune 500 headquarters spanning telecom, finance, defense, and retail.
About the Dallas market
Dallas is a major corporate hub with dozens of Fortune 500 headquarters spanning telecom, finance, defense, and retail. The metro's low cost of living and no state income tax make it a magnet for corporate relocations. Tech salaries in Dallas have risen quickly, particularly in fintech, cybersecurity, and enterprise software.
TelecomFinancial ServicesDefense & AerospaceHealthcareRetail
Top 50 salaries in Dallas
| # | Role | Median | Range |
|---|
| 1 | Principal AI Research Scientist | $368,000 | $287,000 – $478,000 |
| 2 | Principal Quantitative Researcher | $368,000 | $287,000 – $478,000 |
| 3 | Technical Fellow | $343,000 | $267,000 – $446,000 |
| 4 | Principal AI Safety Engineer | $337,000 | $263,000 – $438,000 |
| 5 | Distinguished Engineer | $333,000 | $253,000 – $424,000 |
| 6 | Senior VP of Security | $333,000 | $260,000 – $433,000 |
| 7 | Principal Quantitative Developer | $328,000 | $256,000 – $427,000 |
| 8 | Principal AI Agent Architect | $327,000 | $256,000 – $425,000 |
| 9 | Senior VP of Product | $326,000 | $255,000 – $424,000 |
| 10 | Principal Deep Learning Engineer | $325,000 | $253,000 – $422,000 |
| 11 | Chief Security Officer | $323,000 | $252,000 – $420,000 |
| 12 | Chief AI Officer | $322,000 | $239,000 – $416,000 |
| 13 | Principal AI Agent Engineer | $318,000 | $249,000 – $414,000 |
| 14 | Principal Cryptographer | $318,000 | $249,000 – $414,000 |
| 15 | Senior VP of Design | $316,000 | $247,000 – $411,000 |
| 16 | SVP of Product | $316,000 | $247,000 – $411,000 |
| 17 | Principal AI Compiler Engineer | $315,000 | $246,000 – $410,000 |
| 18 | Chief Machine Learning Officer | $315,000 | $246,000 – $410,000 |
| 19 | CTO | $315,000 | $246,000 – $410,000 |
| 20 | Chief Architect | $315,000 | $246,000 – $410,000 |
| 21 | Staff AI Research Scientist | $313,000 | $244,000 – $407,000 |
| 22 | L7 Software Engineer | $313,000 | $244,000 – $407,000 |
| 23 | SVP of Technology | $312,000 | $243,000 – $406,000 |
| 24 | Principal Applied Scientist | $306,000 | $239,000 – $398,000 |
| 25 | SVP of Sales | $306,000 | $239,000 – $398,000 |
| 26 | SVP of Strategy | $306,000 | $239,000 – $398,000 |
| 27 | Chief Transformation Officer | $305,000 | $237,000 – $396,000 |
| 28 | Principal Machine Learning Engineer | $304,000 | $236,000 – $394,000 |
| 29 | Principal Language Runtime Engineer | $304,000 | $236,000 – $394,000 |
| 30 | Chief Strategy Officer | $304,000 | $237,000 – $395,000 |
| 31 | Chief Commercial Officer | $304,000 | $237,000 – $396,000 |
| 32 | Senior Head of Product | $303,000 | $237,000 – $395,000 |
| 33 | Chief Growth Officer | $302,000 | $235,000 – $392,000 |
| 34 | SVP of Engineering | $301,000 | $235,000 – $391,000 |
| 35 | Staff Quantitative Researcher | $301,000 | $235,000 – $391,000 |
| 36 | Chief Science Officer | $301,000 | $235,000 – $391,000 |
| 37 | Lead High-Frequency Trading Engineer | $300,000 | $234,000 – $390,000 |
| 38 | Chief Legal Officer | $300,000 | $234,000 – $390,000 |
| 39 | VP of AI | $299,000 | $227,000 – $391,000 |
| 40 | Chief Digital Officer | $299,000 | $233,000 – $390,000 |
| 41 | SVP of Design | $299,000 | $233,000 – $390,000 |
| 42 | Chief Cloud Officer | $299,000 | $233,000 – $390,000 |
| 43 | Principal Computer Vision Engineer | $298,000 | $232,000 – $387,000 |
| 44 | Principal Kernel Engineer | $298,000 | $232,000 – $387,000 |
| 45 | VP of AI Research | $296,000 | $231,000 – $385,000 |
| 46 | Principal NLP Engineer | $295,000 | $230,000 – $383,000 |
| 47 | Principal AI Infrastructure Engineer | $295,000 | $230,000 – $383,000 |
| 48 | Principal Distributed Systems Engineer | $295,000 | $230,000 – $383,000 |
| 49 | Senior Head of Security | $295,000 | $230,000 – $383,000 |
| 50 | Principal Quantitative Analyst | $295,000 | $230,000 – $383,000 |
Tax considerations
Texas levies no state income tax, giving Dallas workers a meaningful take home pay advantage. Local property taxes are above the national average, typically around 2% of assessed value.
Negotiating in Dallas
Highlight the corporate headquarters density in DFW. Employers here compete fiercely for talent and often match or exceed offers from companies across the metroplex.
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