Salaries in Washington DC.
1 metro area. 3445 roles.
Average cost-of-living index: 1.25x national average. Last updated April 2026.
1 city tracked3445 roles
Highest Paying
$451,000
Technical Fellow
Median Role
$394,000
Principal Cryptographer
Entry Level
$376,000
Principal Compiler Engineer
Salary data sourced from SEC filings, H-1B Labor Condition Applications (DOL), Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, and aggregated job postings across 50+ platforms. Ranges reflect 25th to 75th percentile for full-time positions. Cost-of-living adjustments use Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional Price Parities (2025 index). Last updated April 2026.
Washington DC has 1 major metro area tracked in our salary database, with an average cost-of-living index of 1.25x the national average. The highest-paying role across the state is Technical Fellow at $451,000 in Washington DC. The median role pays $394,000.
Metro areas in Washington DC
Top 30 salaries in Washington DC
| # | Role | Median | Top City | Range |
|---|
| 1 | Technical Fellow | $451,000 | Washington DC | $351,000 – $586,000 |
| 2 | Principal AI Research Scientist | $438,000 | Washington DC | $341,000 – $569,000 |
| 3 | Principal Quantitative Researcher | $429,000 | Washington DC | $334,000 – $557,000 |
| 4 | Chief Security Officer | $429,000 | Washington DC | $334,000 – $558,000 |
| 5 | Distinguished Engineer | $425,000 | Washington DC | $322,000 – $541,000 |
| 6 | Senior VP of Product | $425,000 | Washington DC | $332,000 – $552,000 |
| 7 | Principal AI Safety Engineer | $409,000 | Washington DC | $319,000 – $532,000 |
| 8 | Principal Deep Learning Engineer | $406,000 | Washington DC | $317,000 – $528,000 |
| 9 | Senior VP of Security | $404,000 | Washington DC | $315,000 – $525,000 |
| 10 | L7 Software Engineer | $403,000 | Washington DC | $315,000 – $524,000 |
| 11 | Principal AI Agent Architect | $401,000 | Washington DC | $313,000 – $521,000 |
| 12 | Chief AI Officer | $395,000 | Washington DC | $293,000 – $510,000 |
| 13 | SVP of Product | $395,000 | Washington DC | $309,000 – $514,000 |
| 14 | Principal Applied Scientist | $394,000 | Washington DC | $308,000 – $512,000 |
| 15 | Principal Quantitative Developer | $394,000 | Washington DC | $308,000 – $513,000 |
| 16 | Principal Cryptographer | $394,000 | Washington DC | $308,000 – $512,000 |
| 17 | Staff AI Research Scientist | $391,000 | Washington DC | $306,000 – $509,000 |
| 18 | Senior VP of Design | $391,000 | Washington DC | $306,000 – $509,000 |
| 19 | Chief Strategy Officer | $391,000 | Washington DC | $306,000 – $509,000 |
| 20 | Principal Kernel Engineer | $384,000 | Washington DC | $299,000 – $498,000 |
| 21 | Staff Quantitative Researcher | $384,000 | Washington DC | $299,000 – $499,000 |
| 22 | Principal AI Compiler Engineer | $382,000 | Washington DC | $298,000 – $497,000 |
| 23 | SVP of Technology | $382,000 | Washington DC | $298,000 – $497,000 |
| 24 | SVP of Engineering | $380,000 | Washington DC | $296,000 – $494,000 |
| 25 | Senior Head of Security | $380,000 | Washington DC | $297,000 – $494,000 |
| 26 | CTO | $379,000 | Washington DC | $295,000 – $492,000 |
| 27 | SVP of Sales | $379,000 | Washington DC | $295,000 – $492,000 |
| 28 | Chief Risk Officer | $377,000 | Washington DC | $294,000 – $490,000 |
| 29 | Principal LLM Engineer | $376,000 | Washington DC | $293,000 – $489,000 |
| 30 | Principal Compiler Engineer | $376,000 | Washington DC | $293,000 – $488,000 |
Tax considerations in Washington DC
DC income tax rates reach 10.75% for high earners. Maryland and Virginia residents working in DC face their own state taxes. Choose your residence jurisdiction carefully to optimize net pay.
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