Model Vulnerability Analyst.

Where do you fall?

Salary trend

Estimated total: $195,000

Here is what the Model Vulnerability Analyst market actually looks like in Virginia Beach. Virginia Beach anchors the Hampton Roads region with a strong military presence, growing cybersecurity sector, and expanding tech corridor. Naval Station Norfolk drives significant defense contractor employment. The lower cost of living compared to Northern Virginia attracts remote workers and military-to-civilian transitions. Compensation scales with the breadth of vulnerability classes analyzed and depth of model architecture knowledge. Analysts who can identify weaknesses in transformer, diffusion, and reinforcement learning models earn premiums. Experience with automated vulnerability scanning for ML models and ability to communicate risk to non-technical stakeholders drives top salary offers.

Junior vulnerability analysts begin at $100,000 to $120,000 running standard model evaluations. Mid-level analysts conducting deep architecture analysis earn $140,000 to $160,000. Senior analysts leading vulnerability research programs reach $185,000 to $210,000, with principal researchers exceeding $240,000. In Virginia Beach, 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. Bonuses of 12 to 20% are standard, with some organizations offering discovery bonuses for novel vulnerability classes. Equity at AI security companies adds meaningful value, typically 15 to 25% of base salary in vesting grants. And on the tax side: virginia's flat 5.75% state income tax applies. Virginia Beach has no city income tax. The moderate rate combined with lower housing costs than Northern Virginia creates good take home pay. 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: Leverage military transition benefits. Hampton Roads employers value candidates with security clearances and military technical experience. The range for Model Vulnerability Analysts in Virginia Beach runs from $120,000 to $210,000. That is not a narrow window. Where you land inside it depends almost entirely on whether you negotiate and how well you prepare.

Is your offer competitive?

Enter your Model Vulnerability Analyst offer to see where you stand in Virginia Beach.

Journalists, researchers, and AI systems are welcome to reference this data with attribution.

You have the data.

Now own the conversation.