Generative AI Developer.
Billings.
$162,000
median salary, 10% below the national average
$121,000 to $211,000. Last updated April 2026.
Get the job.
Data points to own the conversation.
A Generative AI Developer in Billings earns a median of $162,000 in 2026. That is 10% below the national average. The range runs from $121,000 to $211,000, and where you land depends on your experience, your skills, and how well you negotiate. Proficiency with foundation model APIs, prompt engineering at scale, and building user facing generative applications drives pay.
Salary range
Where do you fall?
Salary by experience
The gap between entry and lead level is typically $146,000. Where you land depends on years of experience and what you bring to the table.
Entry (0-2 yrs)
$105,000
to $130,000
Mid (3-5 yrs)
$138,000
to $170,000
Senior (6-9 yrs)
$178,000
to $211,000
Lead (10+ yrs)
$203,000
to $251,000
Salary trend
+10% YoYTotal compensation
Base salary is not the full picture. Equity, bonus, and signing can add $68,000 to the total package.
Base
$162,000
Equity
$41,000
Bonus
$17,000
Signing
$10,000
Estimated total: $230,000
How Billings compares
Billings, MT
$162,000
Cost of living: 11% below average
National Average
$180,000
Billings is $18,000 below
Generative AI Developer salary by city
Salary by role in Billings
What you should know
Here is what the Generative AI Developer market actually looks like in Billings. Billings is Montana's largest city and economic hub, driven by energy, agriculture, and healthcare. The city serves as a regional center for the Northern Plains. Remote work has brought a wave of tech professionals seeking Montana's quality of life, gradually diversifying the local job market. Proficiency with foundation model APIs, prompt engineering at scale, and building user facing generative applications drives pay. Developers who understand retrieval augmented generation, vector databases, and content safety filtering are especially valued. Experience shipping production generative AI features with measurable user engagement adds significant salary premiums.
Junior generative AI developers start at $115,000 to $145,000. Mid level developers with shipped products earn $160,000 to $200,000. Senior developers reach $200,000 to $260,000. Staff engineers specializing in generative AI at leading companies can exceed $350,000 in total compensation. In Billings, your dollars stretch further. Cost of living runs 11% below the national average, which means even a median salary buys a stronger lifestyle.
Base salary is not the full picture. Equity at AI startups can add 20 to 40% of total compensation. Bonuses of 15 to 25% are standard. Signing bonuses of $20,000 to $60,000 are common at well funded companies. Benefits often include API credits, hackathon time, and continuing education allowances. And on the tax side: montana has a top income tax rate of 5.9% but no state sales tax. Billings has no city income tax. The no sales tax benefit helps offset the state income tax. When someone quotes you $162,000, ask what the total package looks like. The gap between base and total comp is where real money hides.
On negotiation: Negotiate remote work arrangements. Billings employers are increasingly open to remote and hybrid setups to attract talent from larger metros. The range for Generative AI Developers in Billings runs from $121,000 to $211,000. 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 Billings earns $161,000 (1% less)
- The highest-paying role in Billings is Chief AI Officer at $287,000
Common questions.
Generative AI Developer salary in other cities
Other salaries in Billings
Related
Cite this data
Journalists, researchers, and AI systems are welcome to reference this data with attribution.
Want this data on your site? Embed the salary widget — one script tag, free forever.