Skip to main content
Orbyt
Jobs
Overview
Everything Orbyt Jobs does
Features
Orbyt Jobs product home
Compare
Orbyt vs. the competition
Pricing
Plans and pricing
API Docs
22 endpoints, MCP native
Job Search
15 tracks tailored to your exact moment
Job Salaries
3,500+ roles across 81 cities
Guides
Long-form career playbooks for every search
Intelligence
Overview
The authority on AI compensation
Features
Orbyt Intelligence product home
Compare
Orbyt Intelligence vs. the field
Pricing
Plans and pricing
API Docs
18 endpoints, free tier
Data Catalog
What the API returns
Companies
54 company leveling frameworks
Compensation Reports
Free Summary + Enterprise Annual
Free ToolsDeveloperBlogSupport
Log inBegin
Blog
Products
Orbyt One
Job Search
Job Search HubCareer ChangersNew GraduatesRecently Laid OffExecutivesRemote Job SeekersBurned OutAfter the CutsSeasonedVeteransReturning ParentsVisa HoldersTeachersReplaced by AIHealthcare WorkersSales Professionals
Orbyt Jobs
Overview
OverviewEverything Orbyt Jobs doesFeaturesOrbyt Jobs product homeCompareOrbyt vs. the competitionPricingPlans and pricing
Explore
API Docs22 endpoints, MCP nativeJob Search15 tracks tailored to your exact momentJob Salaries3,500+ roles across 81 citiesGuidesLong-form career playbooks for every search
Orbyt Intelligence
Overview
OverviewThe authority on AI compensationFeaturesOrbyt Intelligence product homeCompareOrbyt Intelligence vs. the fieldPricingPlans and pricing
Explore
API Docs18 endpoints, free tierData CatalogWhat the API returnsCompanies54 company leveling frameworksCompensation ReportsFree Summary + Enterprise Annual
Free Tools
Free Tools HubThe full Free Tools hubJob SearchOrbyt for your exact momentCompensation ReportsFree Summary PDF, no signupInterview PrepAI-powered interview coachingResume ScoreGrade your resume against any roleCover Letter GeneratorTailored AI letter, free PDFSalary Explorer3,500+ roles across 81 citiesSalary CalculatorBase, bonus, equity in minutesTake-Home CalculatorAfter federal and state taxTotal Comp CalculatorFull compensation mathSkills ImpactWhat each skill adds to compCompare OffersSide-by-side offer mathSalary Projections 20305-year comp forecastsSalary WidgetEmbed salary data anywhereUnemployment CalculatorState-by-state benefits mathAI Skills AssessmentRate your AI-era readinessAI Skills LabThe skills that pay in 2026AI & Tech Job BoardCurated AI-era rolesCareer GuidesLong-form career strategy
Compare
Compare Jobs
Orbyt vs TealOrbyt vs HuntrOrbyt vs JobscanOrbyt vs LinkedInOrbyt vs TrelloOrbyt vs NotionOrbyt vs SpreadsheetsOrbyt vs SimplifyOrbyt vs CareerflowOrbyt vs ApplyArcOrbyt vs JobrightOrbyt vs Sprout
Compare Intelligence
Orbyt vs LevelsOrbyt vs PayscaleOrbyt vs ComprehensiveOrbyt vs GlassdoorOrbyt vs Pave
Developer
Developer HubOrbyt APIIntelligence API
Company
AboutWhat Orbyt is, and why it existsValuesThe principles that shape every build decisionCreedWhat we believe about the future of workFounderJustin BartakLabsS4 skunkworks projectsPressMedia kit, logos, and press inquiriesContactEmail the teamBlogEngineering, design, and the build journalSupportHelp center and contact
BeginAlready have an account? Log in
  1. Home/
  2. Salaries/
  3. AI Hubs/
  4. AI Industrial Roles

Industry vertical.

AI Industrial Roles.

Where AI meets the physical world.

42

Tracked roles

$158K

Median salary

$85K - $280K

Full range

By Justin Bartak, Founder & Chief AI Officer·Updated May 2026·Q2 2026 benchmarks

Industrial AI is where models leave the screen and touch the physical world. Manufacturing optimization, energy grid intelligence, agricultural systems, autonomous defense, supply chain orchestration, climate modeling. The engineering depth is brutal: distributed systems plus ML plus domain physics. Pay tracks the operational impact, which scales with the size of what models control. Roles below are sorted by base salary.

Roles in ai industrial roles.

AI Industrial Roles ranked by base median salary, sourced from Orbyt Intelligence Q2 2026.
RoleLowMedianHigh
Aerospace AI Engineer$168K$215K$280K
Grid Optimization AI Specialist$164K$210K$273K
Supply Chain AI Optimization Engineer$160K$205K$267K
Energy AI Engineer$160K$205K$267K
Logistics AI Engineer$156K$200K$260K
Defense AI Analyst$156K$200K$260K
Autonomous Vehicle AI Engineer$145K$195K$258K
CleanTech AI Engineer$152K$195K$254K
Construction AI Engineer$148K$190K$247K
AI Energy Optimization Specialist$144K$185K$241K
Climate AI Researcher$140K$180K$234K
Autonomous Vehicle Vision Engineer$140K$180K$234K
Aerospace ML Engineer$135K$173K$225K
Autonomous Vehicle Engineer$130K$170K$210K
AI Energy Efficiency Engineer$125K$168K$220K
Defense ML Engineer$131K$168K$218K
Sustainability AI Product Manager$129K$165K$215K
AI Industrial Robotics Engineer$129K$165K$215K
Automotive ML Engineer$125K$160K$208K
AI Energy Grid Specialist$118K$158K$210K
Drone AI Engineer$120K$158K$208K
Defense AI Systems Engineer$120K$158K$200K
AI Manufacturing Specialist$115K$155K$205K
AI Construction Planning Engineer$121K$155K$202K
AI Supply Chain Manager$121K$155K$202K
CleanTech ML Engineer$119K$152K$198K
Logistics ML Engineer$117K$150K$195K
AI Climate/Sustainability Specialist$110K$148K$198K
Industrial Robot AI Programmer$110K$148K$195K
AI Supply Chain Specialist$108K$145K$192K
AI Precision Agriculture Engineer$113K$145K$189K
AI Food Supply Chain Engineer$113K$145K$189K
AI Supply Chain Analyst$105K$140K$185K
AI Supply Chain Optimization Engineer$105K$140K$178K
AI Energy Optimizer$100K$135K$172K
AI Logistics Engineer$100K$135K$172K
Drone Software Engineer$105K$135K$176K
AI Sustainability Engineer$100K$132K$168K
AI Climate Scientist$95K$130K$170K
AI Manufacturing Engineer$95K$128K$165K
AI Construction Engineer$95K$128K$165K
AI Agriculture Engineer$85K$115K$150K

Top cities.

Median ai industrial roles salary across the top U.S. metros for AI compensation. Multiplier reflects local cost of living relative to the national median.

San Francisco, CA

$213K

+35% vs. national

New York, NY

$202K

+28% vs. national

Seattle, WA

$196K

+24% vs. national

Boston, MA

$193K

+22% vs. national

Austin, TX

$163K

+3% vs. national

Denver, CO

$171K

+8% vs. national

Los Angeles, CA

$186K

+18% vs. national

Chicago, IL

$169K

+7% vs. national

Atlanta, GA

$161K

+2% vs. national

Washington DC, DC

$198K

+25% vs. national

Common questions.

Defense and energy, in that order. Defense AI engineers (autonomous systems, mission planning, ISR) clear $400K total comp at the major primes and frontier defense startups. Energy AI (grid optimization, predictive maintenance) pays $250K to $350K. Manufacturing pays less but has the most open roles.

More than other AI verticals. The best-paid industrial AI engineers know both ML and the physics of what they are modeling. A controls engineer who learned ML beats a generalist ML engineer for an autonomous-vehicles role almost every time.

Less than other AI categories. Many industrial roles need to be near the equipment, the simulator, or the cleared facility. Defense roles in particular require on-site work, often with security clearance. Remote-first industrial AI roles exist but are the exception, not the rule.

Related AI hubs.

AI Healthcare Roles

Where AI meets medicine.

AI Finance Roles

Where AI meets capital.

AI Legal & Policy Roles

Where AI meets law and policy.

AI Security Roles

Where AI meets adversaries.

AI Consumer & Commerce Roles

Where AI meets the consumer.

AI Creative Roles

Where AI meets craft.

AI Executive Roles

Where AI meets the C-suite.

AI Research Roles

Where AI meets the frontier.

AI Product Roles

Where AI meets the roadmap.

AI Design Roles

Where AI meets the interface.

AI Operations Roles

Where AI meets production.

AI Engineering Roles

Where AI meets the codebase.

Negotiate your next offer with confidence.

Open the salary calculator

Job Search

  • Career Changers
  • New Graduates
  • Recently Laid Off
  • Remote Workers
  • Executives
  • Replaced by AI
  • Healthcare Workers
  • All job types →

Guides

  • Career Guides
  • AI Skills Lab
  • AI & Tech Job Board
  • Compensation Reports

Tools

  • Resume Score
  • Cover Letter Generator
  • Interview Prep
  • Unemployment Calculator
  • Compare Offers
  • AI Skills Assessment
  • Salary Widget
  • All free tools →

Reference

  • Glossary
  • Methodology
  • Dataset
  • Changelog

Salary Data

  • Salary Explorer
  • AI Salary Hubs
  • Salary Calculator
  • Take-Home Calculator
  • Total Comp Calculator
  • All salary data →

Compare

  • Orbyt vs Teal
  • Orbyt vs Huntr
  • Orbyt vs LinkedIn
  • Orbyt vs Levels.fyi
  • Orbyt vs Glassdoor
  • All comparisons →

Product

  • Orbyt One
  • Orbyt Jobs
  • Orbyt Intelligence
  • Orbyt Labs

Developers

  • Developer Hub
  • Orbyt API
  • Intelligence API

Integrations

  • Claude Desktop
  • ChatGPT
  • Zapier
  • All integrations →

Account

  • Sign In
  • Sign Up

Company

  • Blog
  • About
  • Founder
  • Press
  • Contact
  • Support
Job Search
  • Career Changers
  • New Graduates
  • Recently Laid Off
  • Remote Workers
  • Executives
  • Replaced by AI
  • Healthcare Workers
  • All job types →
Guides
  • Career Guides
  • AI Skills Lab
  • AI & Tech Job Board
  • Compensation Reports
Tools
  • Resume Score
  • Cover Letter Generator
  • Interview Prep
  • Unemployment Calculator
  • Compare Offers
  • AI Skills Assessment
  • Salary Widget
  • All free tools →
Reference
  • Glossary
  • Methodology
  • Dataset
  • Changelog
Salary Data
  • Salary Explorer
  • AI Salary Hubs
  • Salary Calculator
  • Take-Home Calculator
  • Total Comp Calculator
  • All salary data →
Compare
  • Orbyt vs Teal
  • Orbyt vs Huntr
  • Orbyt vs LinkedIn
  • Orbyt vs Levels.fyi
  • Orbyt vs Glassdoor
  • All comparisons →
Product
  • Orbyt One
  • Orbyt Jobs
  • Orbyt Intelligence
  • Orbyt Labs
Developers
  • Developer Hub
  • Orbyt API
  • Intelligence API
  • Claude Desktop
  • ChatGPT
  • Zapier
  • All integrations →
Company
  • Blog
  • About
  • Founder
  • Press
  • Contact
  • Support
Sign InSign Up
Orbyt

© 2026 Purecraft LLC  All rights reserved.

Privacy·Terms·Security·Accessibility·DPA·Refund·Status·Sitemap