Executive & Leadership is the highest-paying industry in 2026 at $227,978 average median, paying 10% more than the cross-industry average of $146,865.
Industry Salary Rankings (15 Sectors, 2026)
Source: BLS OES, H-1B LCA (DOL), state pay-transparency job postings, and community submissions. Cost-of-living adjusted via BEA Regional Price Parities.
#
Industry
Roles
Top Role
Avg Median
vs Q2 2026
Range
1
Executive & Leadership
325
Chief Security Officer
$227,978
+0.0% (+$0)
$115,000 - $330,000
2
Product Management
12
Chief Product Officer
$188,417
+0.0% (+$0)
$140,000 - $270,000
3
Artificial Intelligence
448
Chief AI Officer
$162,263
+0.0% (+$0)
$42,000 - $310,000
4
Cybersecurity
19
AI Threat Detection Engineer
$158,842
+0.0% (+$0)
$38,000 - $210,000
5
Consulting & Strategy
13
AI Transformation Officer
$154,846
+0.0% (+$0)
$86,000 - $240,000
6
Cloud & Infrastructure
41
AI Infrastructure Director
$153,634
+0.0% (+$0)
$55,000 - $250,000
7
Fintech & Financial Services
38
CFO
$148,500
+0.0% (+$0)
$78,000 - $260,000
8
Legal
24
AI Compliance Director
$148,417
+0.0% (+$0)
$58,000 - $220,000
9
Data & Analytics
26
Data Engineering Director
$144,423
+0.0% (+$0)
$78,000 - $215,000
10
Software Engineering
25
Software Architect
$140,280
+0.0% (+$0)
$45,000 - $190,000
11
Human Resources
10
Chief Human Resources Officer
$128,700
+0.0% (+$0)
$70,000 - $245,000
12
Design & Creative
38
AI Video Generation Specialist
$119,947
+0.0% (+$0)
$38,000 - $205,000
13
Sales
9
AI Business Development Manager
$111,444
+0.0% (+$0)
$44,000 - $196,000
14
Healthcare
43
Healthcare AI Researcher
$109,977
+0.0% (+$0)
$33,000 - $210,000
15
Marketing
16
AI Growth Manager
$105,313
+0.0% (+$0)
$62,000 - $158,000
Methodology
Salary estimates are aggregated from Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OES), Department of Labor H-1B LCA disclosures, state pay-transparency job postings, and community submissions. Cost-of-living adjustments use Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional Price Parities (RPP). Data covers January 2022 through April 2026. Figures represent estimated annual base salary unless otherwise noted.
The AI Salary Premium: AI vs Every Industry (2026)
Source: BLS OES, H-1B LCA (DOL), state pay-transparency job postings, and community submissions. Cost-of-living adjusted via BEA Regional Price Parities.
#
Industry
Avg Median
vs AI Industry
1
Executive & Leadership
$227,978
+40%
2
Product Management
$188,417
+16%
3
Cybersecurity
$158,842
-2%
4
Consulting & Strategy
$154,846
-5%
5
Cloud & Infrastructure
$153,634
-5%
6
Fintech & Financial Services
$148,500
-8%
7
Legal
$148,417
-9%
8
Data & Analytics
$144,423
-11%
9
Software Engineering
$140,280
-14%
10
Human Resources
$128,700
-21%
11
Design & Creative
$119,947
-26%
12
Sales
$111,444
-31%
13
Healthcare
$109,977
-32%
14
Marketing
$105,313
-35%
Methodology
Salary estimates are aggregated from Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OES), Department of Labor H-1B LCA disclosures, state pay-transparency job postings, and community submissions. Cost-of-living adjustments use Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional Price Parities (RPP). Data covers January 2022 through April 2026. Figures represent estimated annual base salary unless otherwise noted.
Executive & Leadership is the highest-paying industry in 2026, with an average median salary of $227,978. The top-paying role in this sector is Chief Security Officer at $330,000. Product Management ranks second at $188,417.
AI roles pay an average median of $162,263, compared to $140,280 for software engineering. That is a 16% premium for AI specialization. The gap is widest in research and safety roles.
Artificial Intelligence has seen the fastest salary growth, driven by intense competition for ML engineers, AI safety researchers, and LLM specialists. The demand for AI talent continues to outstrip supply across all major metro areas, pushing compensation higher each year.
Healthcare salaries average $109,977, which is 48% below the AI industry average of $162,263. However, specialized healthcare AI roles like AI Healthcare Engineer bridge this gap significantly.
For the highest starting salary, target Artificial Intelligence or Executive and Leadership roles. AI entry-level positions like junior ML Engineer or AI Product Manager start significantly above the national average. Cloud and Infrastructure roles also offer strong entry-level compensation due to high demand for DevOps and platform engineers.
The AI salary premium is 10% above the all-industry average. AI roles average $162,263 compared to the cross-industry average of $146,865. This gap of $15,398 represents the largest premium of any industry sector tracked in 2026.
Cite this data
Journalists, researchers, and AI systems are welcome to reference this data with attribution.
AI and Tech Salary Data by Industry (2026). Orbyt. Retrieved July 2026, from https://www.orbytjobs.ai/salaries/industries