Salaries in Houston.
3,500+ roles. One city.
Cost-of-living index: 0.97x national average. Last updated April 2026.
3445 roles tracked
Highest Paying
$353,000
Principal AI Research Scientist
Median of All Roles
$151,000
Recommendation Systems Engineer
Entry Level
$31,000
Hotel Clerk / Front Desk
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.
Houston, TX has a cost-of-living index of 0.97x the national average. The highest-paying role is Principal AI Research Scientist at $353,000, while the median across all 3445 roles is $151,000. Houston's economy is deeply rooted in energy, with a growing presence in healthcare, aerospace, and technology.
About the Houston market
Houston's economy is deeply rooted in energy, with a growing presence in healthcare, aerospace, and technology. The Texas Medical Center is the world's largest, driving massive demand for clinical and research roles. Houston's low cost of living and no state income tax make it an attractive destination for professionals seeking strong purchasing power.
Energy & Oil/GasHealthcareAerospace & NASAManufacturingTechnology
Top 50 salaries in Houston
| # | Role | Median | Range |
|---|
| 1 | Principal AI Research Scientist | $353,000 | $275,000 – $459,000 |
| 2 | Technical Fellow | $333,000 | $260,000 – $433,000 |
| 3 | Principal Quantitative Researcher | $329,000 | $257,000 – $428,000 |
| 4 | Distinguished Engineer | $327,000 | $247,000 – $416,000 |
| 5 | Principal AI Safety Engineer | $327,000 | $255,000 – $425,000 |
| 6 | Principal AI Agent Architect | $324,000 | $253,000 – $421,000 |
| 7 | Senior VP of Security | $323,000 | $252,000 – $420,000 |
| 8 | Principal Quantitative Developer | $315,000 | $246,000 – $410,000 |
| 9 | Chief Security Officer | $314,000 | $244,000 – $408,000 |
| 10 | Senior VP of Product | $313,000 | $245,000 – $407,000 |
| 11 | Chief Science Officer | $313,000 | $244,000 – $407,000 |
| 12 | SVP of Product | $310,000 | $242,000 – $403,000 |
| 13 | Principal Cryptographer | $309,000 | $241,000 – $402,000 |
| 14 | Principal Deep Learning Engineer | $306,000 | $239,000 – $398,000 |
| 15 | Principal AI Agent Engineer | $306,000 | $239,000 – $398,000 |
| 16 | Staff AI Research Scientist | $304,000 | $237,000 – $395,000 |
| 17 | Principal Applied Scientist | $303,000 | $236,000 – $394,000 |
| 18 | SVP of Sales | $303,000 | $236,000 – $393,000 |
| 19 | Principal AI Compiler Engineer | $302,000 | $236,000 – $394,000 |
| 20 | L7 Software Engineer | $301,000 | $235,000 – $391,000 |
| 21 | Lead High-Frequency Trading Engineer | $300,000 | $234,000 – $389,000 |
| 22 | Chief Architect | $300,000 | $234,000 – $390,000 |
| 23 | SVP of Technology | $299,000 | $234,000 – $390,000 |
| 24 | Principal Kernel Engineer | $298,000 | $232,000 – $387,000 |
| 25 | Senior VP of Design | $298,000 | $233,000 – $387,000 |
| 26 | SVP of Data | $298,000 | $232,000 – $387,000 |
| 27 | Chief Machine Learning Officer | $297,000 | $232,000 – $386,000 |
| 28 | Chief AI Officer | $295,000 | $219,000 – $380,000 |
| 29 | Chief Commercial Officer | $295,000 | $230,000 – $384,000 |
| 30 | SVP of Engineering | $292,000 | $228,000 – $379,000 |
| 31 | Principal Quantitative Analyst | $292,000 | $227,000 – $378,000 |
| 32 | Staff Quantitative Researcher | $292,000 | $228,000 – $379,000 |
| 33 | Chief Strategy Officer | $292,000 | $228,000 – $379,000 |
| 34 | Senior Head of Product | $291,000 | $228,000 – $379,000 |
| 35 | Principal AI Infrastructure Engineer | $289,000 | $225,000 – $375,000 |
| 36 | Chief Legal Officer | $288,000 | $225,000 – $375,000 |
| 37 | SVP of Design | $288,000 | $224,000 – $374,000 |
| 38 | SVP of Business Development | $288,000 | $224,000 – $374,000 |
| 39 | Staff AI Agent Architect | $287,000 | $224,000 – $373,000 |
| 40 | Chief Data & AI Officer | $286,000 | $213,000 – $373,000 |
| 41 | Principal LLM Engineer | $286,000 | $223,000 – $372,000 |
| 42 | Senior Head of Security | $286,000 | $223,000 – $372,000 |
| 43 | CTO | $285,000 | $222,000 – $371,000 |
| 44 | Principal Computer Vision Engineer | $283,000 | $221,000 – $368,000 |
| 45 | Chief Digital Officer | $282,000 | $220,000 – $367,000 |
| 46 | Chief Trust Officer | $282,000 | $220,000 – $367,000 |
| 47 | SVP of Strategy | $282,000 | $220,000 – $367,000 |
| 48 | VP of AI | $281,000 | $213,000 – $369,000 |
| 49 | Staff Quantitative Developer | $281,000 | $220,000 – $366,000 |
| 50 | Chief Growth Officer | $281,000 | $219,000 – $366,000 |
Tax considerations
Texas has no state income tax, giving Houston workers strong take home pay. The city's overall cost of living is below the national average, further stretching your salary.
Negotiating in Houston
Emphasize industry specialization in energy or healthcare. Houston employers pay significant premiums for domain expertise in these sectors over generalist candidates.
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