Deep Learning Engineer Salary.
Across 83 U.S. cities.
$200,000
national median salary
$155,000 to $255,000. Last updated April 2026.
Highest Paying
$284,000
San Jose, CA
Best Purchasing Power
$208,000
New York, NY
Lowest Paying
$157,000
Wichita, KS
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.
The average Deep Learning Engineer salary in the United States is $200,000 in 2026, with the full range spanning $155,000 at the 25th percentile to $255,000 at the 75th. San Jose pays the most at $284,000, while New York offers the best purchasing power after cost-of-living adjustments. Pay hinges on expertise with transformer architectures, large-scale training pipelines, and GPU optimization.
Deep Learning Engineer salary by city
Skills that increase Deep Learning Engineer pay
The skills below command measurable salary premiums for Deep Learning Engineers based on job posting data. Learning the top skill here could add $28,000 to your annual compensation.
≈ +$28,000 per year
≈ +$26,000 per year
≈ +$24,000 per year
≈ +$22,000 per year
≈ +$20,000 per year
≈ +$20,000 per year
≈ +$20,000 per year
≈ +$18,000 per year
What you should know
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.
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.