Neural Architecture Search Engineer.
St. Louis.
$154,000
median salary, 8% below the national average
$119,000 to $193,000. Last updated April 2026.
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Data points to own the conversation.
Here is what Neural Architecture Search Engineers actually make in St. Louis: $119,000 at the 25th percentile, $154,000 at the median, and $193,000 at the 75th. That is 8% below the national average. St. The number on your offer letter will depend on what you bring and how you ask.
Salary range
Where do you fall?
Salary by experience
The gap between entry and lead level is typically $139,000. Where you land depends on years of experience and what you bring to the table.
Entry (0-2 yrs)
$100,000
to $123,000
Mid (3-5 yrs)
$131,000
to $162,000
Senior (6-9 yrs)
$169,000
to $200,000
Lead (10+ yrs)
$193,000
to $239,000
Salary trend
+3% YoYTotal compensation
Base salary is not the full picture. Equity, bonus, and signing can add $43,000 to the total package.
Base
$154,000
Equity
$25,000
Bonus
$15,000
Signing
$3,000
Estimated total: $197,000
How St. Louis compares
St. Louis, MO
$154,000
Cost of living: 10% below average
National Average
$168,000
St. Louis is $14,000 below
Neural Architecture Search Engineer salary by city
Salary by role in St. Louis
What you should know
If you are interviewing for Neural Architecture Search Engineer roles in St. Louis, here is what you are walking into. St. Louis offers one of the most affordable major metro areas in the country, with a strong base in healthcare, financial services, and manufacturing. The region's anchor employers include Boeing, Centene, and Washington University's medical campus. A growing biotech and plant sciences corridor centered on the Cortex Innovation District is attracting new investment and talent. 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 St. Louis, 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: missouri's top income tax rate is about 4.8%, and St. Louis City adds a 1% earnings tax. The low base cost of living means your after tax salary still stretches further than in most metros. When someone quotes you $154,000, ask what the total package looks like. The gap between base and total comp is where real money hides.
On negotiation: Emphasize your willingness to work in person at Cortex or the BJC campus. St. Louis employers offer higher packages for candidates who commit to the local innovation hubs. The range for Neural Architecture Search Engineers in St. Louis runs from $119,000 to $193,000. 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 Robotics AI Engineer in St. Louis earns $153,000 (1% less)
- The highest-paying role in St. Louis is Distinguished Engineer at $297,000
Common questions.
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