Embodied AI Engineer.
Portland.
$204,000
median salary, 6% above the national average
$151,000 to $267,000. Last updated April 2026.
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Data points to own the conversation.
The median Embodied AI Engineer salary in Portland is $204,000, 6% above the national average. Entry level starts near $151,000. Experienced professionals push past $267,000. Portland, Maine is a small but growing tech and creative economy hub. That spread is your negotiation window.
Salary range
Where do you fall?
Salary by experience
The gap between entry and lead level is typically $183,000. Where you land depends on years of experience and what you bring to the table.
Entry (0-2 yrs)
$133,000
to $163,000
Mid (3-5 yrs)
$173,000
to $214,000
Senior (6-9 yrs)
$224,000
to $265,000
Lead (10+ yrs)
$255,000
to $316,000
Salary trend
+5% YoYTotal compensation
Base salary is not the full picture. Equity, bonus, and signing can add $48,000 to the total package.
Base
$204,000
Equity
$27,000
Bonus
$17,000
Signing
$4,000
Estimated total: $252,000
How Portland compares
Portland, ME
$204,000
Cost of living: 5% above average
National Average
$192,000
Portland is $12,000 above
Embodied AI Engineer salary by city
Salary by role in Portland
What you should know
If you are interviewing for Embodied AI Engineer roles in Portland, here is what you are walking into. 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 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 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. 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: 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 $204,000, 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 Embodied AI Engineers in Portland runs from $151,000 to $267,000. 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 LLM Engineer in Portland earns $203,000 (0% more)
- The highest-paying role in Portland is Chief AI Officer at $319,000
Common questions.
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