Deep Learning Engineer.
Portland.
$206,000
median salary, 3% above the national average
$159,000 to $262,000. Last updated April 2026.
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Data points to own the conversation.
If you are evaluating a Deep Learning Engineer offer in Portland, ME, here is the reality: $159,000 to $262,000, with $206,000 as the midpoint. 3% above the national average. Pay hinges on expertise with transformer architectures, large-scale training pipelines, and GPU optimization. Do not accept the first number.
Salary range
Where do you fall?
Salary by experience
The gap between entry and lead level is typically $185,000. Where you land depends on years of experience and what you bring to the table.
Entry (0-2 yrs)
$134,000
to $165,000
Mid (3-5 yrs)
$175,000
to $216,000
Senior (6-9 yrs)
$227,000
to $268,000
Lead (10+ yrs)
$258,000
to $319,000
Salary trend
+8% YoYTotal compensation
Base salary is not the full picture. Equity, bonus, and signing can add $104,000 to the total package.
Base
$206,000
Equity
$64,000
Bonus
$28,000
Signing
$12,000
Estimated total: $310,000
Deep Learning Engineer salary by company
Total compensation estimates include base, equity, bonus, and signing. Ranges reflect mid to senior level. Derived from public H-1B LCA filings, SEC proxy statements, and aggregated self-reported data.
How Portland compares
Portland, ME
$206,000
Cost of living: 5% above average
National Average
$200,000
Portland is $6,000 above
Deep Learning Engineer salary by city
Salary by role in Portland
What you should know
The Deep Learning Engineer landscape in Portland is not what most salary sites will tell you. Portland, Maine is a small but growing tech and creative economy hub. The city attracts remote workers and small companies seeking quality of life on the New England coast. Healthcare, marine industries, and a craft food and beverage sector round out the local economy. Pay hinges on expertise with transformer architectures, large-scale training pipelines, and GPU optimization. Engineers who have shipped production models at scale earn top-band salaries. Publications at NeurIPS or ICML and familiarity with distributed training frameworks like DeepSpeed further boost compensation.
Junior deep learning roles start at $120,000 to $145,000. Mid-level engineers earn $155,000 to $200,000. Senior and staff-level positions reach $220,000 to $300,000 base, with principal engineers at top labs exceeding $400,000 in total compensation. In Portland, 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. Equity is a major component at AI-focused companies, often representing 30 to 50% of total compensation. Annual bonuses range from 10 to 20% of base, with signing bonuses of $30,000 to $75,000 common for experienced hires. And on the tax side: maine's top income tax rate is 7.15%. Portland has no city income tax. The state rate is above average but offset by quality of life and access to rural New England. When someone quotes you $206,000, ask what the total package looks like. The gap between base and total comp is where real money hides.
On negotiation: Negotiate remote work flexibility. Portland employers know they compete with Boston and New York for talent and may offer location flexibility to attract top candidates. The range for Deep Learning Engineers in Portland runs from $159,000 to $262,000. 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 Safety Researcher in Portland earns $205,000 (0% more)
- The highest-paying role in Portland is Chief AI Officer at $319,000
Common questions.
Deep Learning Engineer salary in other cities
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