Knowledge Graph Engineer.
Kansas City.
$160,000
median salary, 6% below the national average
$120,000 to $209,000. Last updated April 2026.
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Data points to own the conversation.
Knowledge Graph Engineer pay in Kansas City ranges from $120,000 to $209,000 in 2026. The median is $160,000, 6% below the national average. Kansas City straddles Missouri and Kansas, creating a unique dual state job market with strong logistics, tech, and agriculture technology sectors. Every dollar in that range is negotiable if you come prepared.
Salary range
Where do you fall?
Salary by experience
The gap between entry and lead level is typically $144,000. Where you land depends on years of experience and what you bring to the table.
Entry (0-2 yrs)
$104,000
to $128,000
Mid (3-5 yrs)
$136,000
to $168,000
Senior (6-9 yrs)
$176,000
to $208,000
Lead (10+ yrs)
$200,000
to $248,000
Salary trend
+3% YoYTotal compensation
Base salary is not the full picture. Equity, bonus, and signing can add $39,000 to the total package.
Base
$160,000
Equity
$22,000
Bonus
$14,000
Signing
$3,000
Estimated total: $199,000
How Kansas City compares
Kansas City, MO
$160,000
Cost of living: 7% below average
National Average
$170,000
Kansas City is $10,000 below
Knowledge Graph Engineer salary by city
Salary by role in Kansas City
What you should know
If you are interviewing for Knowledge Graph Engineer roles in Kansas City, here is what you are walking into. Kansas City straddles Missouri and Kansas, creating a unique dual state job market with strong logistics, tech, and agriculture technology sectors. The metro's central location has made it a hub for distribution centers and supply chain companies. Cerner's healthcare IT presence and a growing startup scene have boosted demand for technology professionals. Knowledge graph engineers combine graph database expertise with AI integration skills, a specialization that commands premium pay. Experience with enterprise knowledge graphs at scale using Neo4j, Amazon Neptune, or custom solutions drives salary above standard backend engineering. Pharmaceutical and fintech sectors pay the highest rates for this role.
Junior knowledge graph engineers earn $128,000 to $152,000. Engineers with 3 to 5 years of specialized experience reach $170,000 to $222,000. Senior engineers and graph platform leads earn $228,000 to $300,000, while principal engineers and directors of knowledge systems can command $310,000 to $400,000. In Kansas City, 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. Tech companies offer equity worth 18 to 30% of base salary. Annual bonuses range from 10 to 18%. Enterprise software companies may offer customer success bonuses tied to knowledge graph deployment milestones worth $8,000 to $20,000 annually. And on the tax side: missouri's top income tax rate is about 4.8%, and Kansas City adds a 1% earnings tax. Workers living in Kansas face that state's rates instead. Choose your side of the state line carefully. When someone quotes you $160,000, ask what the total package looks like. The gap between base and total comp is where real money hides.
On negotiation: Negotiate which side of the state line you will be based on. Your tax situation differs meaningfully between Missouri and Kansas, and some employers offer flexibility on office location. The range for Knowledge Graph Engineers in Kansas City runs from $120,000 to $209,000. 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 NLP Engineer in Kansas City earns $161,000 (1% more)
- The highest-paying role in Kansas City is Chief AI Officer at $288,000
Common questions.
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