On-Device AI Engineer.
Sioux Falls.
$155,000
median salary, 11% below the national average
$117,000 to $202,000. Last updated April 2026.
Get the job.
Data points to own the conversation.
Sioux Falls is 15% cheaper than the national average. For On-Device AI Engineers, that shakes out to a median of $155,000, with the full range spanning $117,000 to $202,000. Salary scales with expertise in model compression and deployment across diverse hardware targets. Know the range before you walk in.
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)
$101,000
to $124,000
Mid (3-5 yrs)
$132,000
to $163,000
Senior (6-9 yrs)
$171,000
to $202,000
Lead (10+ yrs)
$194,000
to $240,000
Salary trend
+5% YoYTotal compensation
Base salary is not the full picture. Equity, bonus, and signing can add $41,000 to the total package.
Base
$155,000
Equity
$23,000
Bonus
$15,000
Signing
$3,000
Estimated total: $196,000
How Sioux Falls compares
Sioux Falls, SD
$155,000
Cost of living: 15% below average
National Average
$175,000
Sioux Falls is $20,000 below
On-Device AI Engineer salary by city
Salary by role in Sioux Falls
What you should know
The On-Device AI Engineer landscape in Sioux Falls is not what most salary sites will tell you. Sioux Falls is South Dakota's largest city and a growing financial services hub, home to major credit card operations for Citibank and Wells Fargo. The city's no state income tax and very low cost of living create exceptional take home pay ratios. Healthcare and agriculture round out the economy. Salary scales with expertise in model compression and deployment across diverse hardware targets. Engineers optimizing transformer models for mobile NPUs and edge TPUs earn premiums. Experience with Apple CoreML, Qualcomm AI Engine, or MediaTek NeuroPilot adds 10% to 18% over generalist ML engineers.
Junior on-device AI engineers start around $132,000 porting models to mobile frameworks. Mid-level engineers designing custom on-device inference pipelines earn $173,000 to $198,000. Senior engineers leading edge AI strategy for product lines reach $228,000 to $280,000. In Sioux Falls, your dollars stretch further. Cost of living runs 15% below the national average, which means even a median salary buys a stronger lifestyle.
Base salary is not the full picture. Device manufacturers offer RSU grants vesting over four years with annual refreshers. Annual bonuses of 12% to 18% are standard, with patent bonuses of $5,000 to $15,000 per filing common at hardware companies. And on the tax side: south Dakota has no state income tax. Sioux Falls has no city income tax. This zero income tax environment is a major draw for high earners seeking maximum take home pay. When someone quotes you $155,000, ask what the total package looks like. The gap between base and total comp is where real money hides.
On negotiation: Use the zero income tax advantage in negotiations. Sioux Falls employers know this is a major recruiting tool and will frame compensation accordingly. The range for On-Device AI Engineers in Sioux Falls runs from $117,000 to $202,000. 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 Computer Vision Engineer in Sioux Falls earns $156,000 (1% more)
- The highest-paying role in Sioux Falls is Chief AI Officer at $253,000
Common questions.
On-Device AI Engineer salary in other cities
Other salaries in Sioux Falls
Related
Cite this data
Journalists, researchers, and AI systems are welcome to reference this data with attribution.
Want this data on your site? Embed the salary widget — one script tag, free forever.