Embodied AI Engineer.
Albany.
$177,000
median salary, 8% below the national average
$131,000 to $232,000. Last updated April 2026.
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Data points to own the conversation.
If you are evaluating a Embodied AI Engineer offer in Albany, NY, here is the reality: $131,000 to $232,000, with $177,000 as the midpoint. 8% below the national average. Pay correlates with robotics platform complexity and real-world deployment experience. Do not accept the first number.
Salary range
Where do you fall?
Salary by experience
The gap between entry and lead level is typically $159,000. Where you land depends on years of experience and what you bring to the table.
Entry (0-2 yrs)
$115,000
to $142,000
Mid (3-5 yrs)
$150,000
to $186,000
Senior (6-9 yrs)
$195,000
to $230,000
Lead (10+ yrs)
$221,000
to $274,000
Salary trend
+5% YoYTotal compensation
Base salary is not the full picture. Equity, bonus, and signing can add $42,000 to the total package.
Base
$177,000
Equity
$23,000
Bonus
$15,000
Signing
$4,000
Estimated total: $219,000
How Albany compares
Albany, NY
$177,000
Cost of living: 4% below average
National Average
$192,000
Albany is $15,000 below
Embodied AI Engineer salary by city
Salary by role in Albany
What you should know
Here is what the Embodied AI Engineer market actually looks like in Albany. Albany is New York's capital and a growing semiconductor hub, with GlobalFoundries and the SUNY Polytechnic Institute driving chip manufacturing employment. State government is the largest employer. The cost of living is dramatically lower than NYC while still offering strong tech salaries. Pay correlates with robotics platform complexity and real-world deployment experience. Engineers who bridge simulation-to-reality transfer for manipulation or locomotion tasks earn premiums. Hardware integration skills combined with deep learning for perception and control drive salaries toward the high end.
Junior embodied AI engineers start near $142,000 working on perception pipelines. Mid-level engineers deploying manipulation or navigation systems earn $190,000 to $215,000. Technical leads architecting full-stack embodied AI platforms reach $252,000 to $320,000. In Albany, 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. Robotics companies offer competitive equity packages, especially pre-IPO. Annual bonuses of 12% to 20% are standard, with hardware prototype completion bonuses adding $10,000 to $25,000 at some firms. And on the tax side: new York State income tax rates reach 10.9%. Albany has no additional city income tax (unlike NYC). The lower cost of living and absence of city tax makes take home pay more competitive than downstate. When someone quotes you $177,000, ask what the total package looks like. The gap between base and total comp is where real money hides.
On negotiation: Reference the semiconductor investment corridor. GlobalFoundries and related suppliers are paying nationally competitive rates to attract engineering talent to the Capital Region. The range for Embodied AI Engineers in Albany runs from $131,000 to $232,000. 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 Engineer in Albany earns $178,000 (1% more)
- The highest-paying role in Albany is Distinguished Engineer at $307,000
Common questions.
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