Edge AI Engineer Salary.
Across 30 U.S. cities.
$180,000
national median salary
$135,000 to $230,000. Last updated April 2026.
Highest Paying
$251,000
San Jose, CA
Best Purchasing Power
$188,000
Anchorage, AK
Lowest Paying
$142,000
Jackson, MS
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 Edge AI Engineer salary in the United States is $180,000 in 2026, with the full range spanning $135,000 at the 25th percentile to $230,000 at the 75th. San Jose pays the most at $251,000, while Anchorage offers the best purchasing power after cost-of-living adjustments. Salary variance stems from expertise in model compression, quantization, and hardware-aware neural architecture search.
Edge AI Engineer salary by city
What you should know
Salary variance stems from expertise in model compression, quantization, and hardware-aware neural architecture search. Engineers who can deploy performant models on resource-constrained devices are scarce. Experience with specific edge hardware platforms like NVIDIA Jetson, Qualcomm, or custom ASICs significantly influences offers.
Junior embedded ML engineers start at $100,000 to $125,000. Mid-career edge AI engineers earn $135,000 to $180,000. Senior specialists reach $200,000 to $260,000, and principal edge AI architects at autonomous vehicle or robotics companies command $280,000 to $370,000.
Equity is common at robotics and IoT startups, often representing 20 to 35% of total compensation. Bonuses of 10 to 15% are standard, with additional patent bonuses at hardware-focused companies worth $5,000 to $15,000 per filing.