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 Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, H-1B Labor Condition Applications (DOL), state pay-transparency job postings, and community submissions. 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 June 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 to $586,000 |
| 2 | Principal AI Research Scientist | $438,000 | Washington DC | $341,000 to $569,000 |
| 3 | Principal Quantitative Researcher | $429,000 | Washington DC | $334,000 to $557,000 |
| 4 | Chief Security Officer | $429,000 | Washington DC | $334,000 to $558,000 |
| 5 | Distinguished Engineer | $425,000 | Washington DC | $322,000 to $541,000 |
| 6 | Senior VP of Product | $425,000 | Washington DC | $332,000 to $552,000 |
| 7 | Principal AI Safety Engineer | $409,000 | Washington DC | $319,000 to $532,000 |
| 8 | Principal Deep Learning Engineer | $406,000 | Washington DC | $317,000 to $528,000 |
| 9 | Senior VP of Security | $404,000 | Washington DC | $315,000 to $525,000 |
| 10 | L7 Software Engineer | $403,000 | Washington DC | $315,000 to $524,000 |
| 11 | Principal AI Agent Architect | $401,000 | Washington DC | $313,000 to $521,000 |
| 12 | Chief AI Officer | $395,000 | Washington DC | $293,000 to $510,000 |
| 13 | SVP of Product | $395,000 | Washington DC | $309,000 to $514,000 |
| 14 | Principal Applied Scientist | $394,000 | Washington DC | $308,000 to $512,000 |
| 15 | Principal Quantitative Developer | $394,000 | Washington DC | $308,000 to $513,000 |
| 16 | Principal Cryptographer | $394,000 | Washington DC | $308,000 to $512,000 |
| 17 | Staff AI Research Scientist | $391,000 | Washington DC | $306,000 to $509,000 |
| 18 | Senior VP of Design | $391,000 | Washington DC | $306,000 to $509,000 |
| 19 | Chief Strategy Officer | $391,000 | Washington DC | $306,000 to $509,000 |
| 20 | Principal Kernel Engineer | $384,000 | Washington DC | $299,000 to $498,000 |
| 21 | Staff Quantitative Researcher | $384,000 | Washington DC | $299,000 to $499,000 |
| 22 | Principal AI Compiler Engineer | $382,000 | Washington DC | $298,000 to $497,000 |
| 23 | SVP of Technology | $382,000 | Washington DC | $298,000 to $497,000 |
| 24 | SVP of Engineering | $380,000 | Washington DC | $296,000 to $494,000 |
| 25 | Senior Head of Security | $380,000 | Washington DC | $297,000 to $494,000 |
| 26 | CTO | $379,000 | Washington DC | $295,000 to $492,000 |
| 27 | SVP of Sales | $379,000 | Washington DC | $295,000 to $492,000 |
| 28 | Chief Risk Officer | $377,000 | Washington DC | $294,000 to $490,000 |
| 29 | Principal LLM Engineer | $376,000 | Washington DC | $293,000 to $489,000 |
| 30 | Principal Compiler Engineer | $376,000 | Washington DC | $293,000 to $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.
Know the number. Get the offer.
Orbyt gives you the salary data, interview prep, and pipeline tools to negotiate from a position of strength.
Start