Neural Architecture Search Engineer.
New Orleans.
$159,000
median salary, 5% below the national average
$123,000 to $199,000. Last updated April 2026.
Get the job.
Data points to own the conversation.
If you are evaluating a Neural Architecture Search Engineer offer in New Orleans, LA, here is the reality: $123,000 to $199,000, with $159,000 as the midpoint. 5% below the national average. Compensation reflects the deep expertise needed in both ML theory and systems optimization. Do not accept the first number.
Salary range
Where do you fall?
Salary by experience
The gap between entry and lead level is typically $143,000. Where you land depends on years of experience and what you bring to the table.
Entry (0-2 yrs)
$103,000
to $127,000
Mid (3-5 yrs)
$135,000
to $167,000
Senior (6-9 yrs)
$175,000
to $207,000
Lead (10+ yrs)
$199,000
to $246,000
Salary trend
+3% YoYTotal compensation
Base salary is not the full picture. Equity, bonus, and signing can add $44,000 to the total package.
Base
$159,000
Equity
$25,000
Bonus
$16,000
Signing
$3,000
Estimated total: $203,000
How New Orleans compares
New Orleans, LA
$159,000
Cost of living: 8% below average
National Average
$168,000
New Orleans is $9,000 below
Neural Architecture Search Engineer salary by city
Salary by role in New Orleans
What you should know
The Neural Architecture Search Engineer landscape in New Orleans is not what most salary sites will tell you. New Orleans has a distinctive economy shaped by energy, port operations, tourism, and a growing digital media sector. The city's creative and cultural industries are unique employment drivers. Post hurricane rebuilding has created ongoing demand in construction, engineering, and resilience planning roles. Compensation reflects the deep expertise needed in both ML theory and systems optimization. Engineers who can design efficient search spaces, optimize for hardware-specific constraints, and produce architectures that outperform hand-designed networks command premiums. Publication record and demonstrated production impact are major salary levers.
Junior NAS engineers start at $115,000 to $135,000 running predefined search experiments. Mid-level engineers designing search strategies reach $155,000 to $185,000. Senior engineers defining architecture search paradigms earn $195,000 to $240,000. Research leads at top labs can exceed $300,000 in total compensation. In New Orleans, 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. Equity at AI efficiency companies adds $30,000 to $90,000 annually. Compute budgets are among the largest for any ML role due to the search-intensive nature of the work. Bonuses of 12% to 18% are standard. And on the tax side: louisiana's top income tax rate is 4.25%. New Orleans has no city income tax. The moderate state rate and affordable living costs yield good take home pay. When someone quotes you $159,000, ask what the total package looks like. The gap between base and total comp is where real money hides.
On negotiation: Highlight energy sector or resilience engineering experience. New Orleans employers pay premiums for professionals who understand the region's unique environmental and infrastructure challenges. The range for Neural Architecture Search Engineers in New Orleans runs from $123,000 to $199,000. 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 Feature Store Engineer in New Orleans earns $158,000 (1% less)
- The highest-paying role in New Orleans is Distinguished Engineer at $307,000
Common questions.
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Other salaries in New Orleans
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