Swarm Intelligence Engineer.
Knoxville.
$165,000
median salary, 11% below the national average
$123,000 to $215,000. Last updated April 2026.
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Data points to own the conversation.
Knoxville is 11% cheaper than the national average. For Swarm Intelligence Engineers, that shakes out to a median of $165,000, with the full range spanning $123,000 to $215,000. Expertise in multi agent coordination, distributed decision making, and emergent behavior design drives compensation. 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 $149,000. Where you land depends on years of experience and what you bring to the table.
Entry (0-2 yrs)
$107,000
to $132,000
Mid (3-5 yrs)
$140,000
to $173,000
Senior (6-9 yrs)
$182,000
to $215,000
Lead (10+ yrs)
$206,000
to $256,000
Salary trend
+4% YoYTotal compensation
Base salary is not the full picture. Equity, bonus, and signing can add $46,000 to the total package.
Base
$165,000
Equity
$26,000
Bonus
$17,000
Signing
$3,000
Estimated total: $211,000
How Knoxville compares
Knoxville, TN
$165,000
Cost of living: 11% below average
National Average
$185,000
Knoxville is $20,000 below
Swarm Intelligence Engineer salary by city
Salary by role in Knoxville
What you should know
The Swarm Intelligence Engineer landscape in Knoxville is not what most salary sites will tell you. Knoxville benefits from the presence of Oak Ridge National Laboratory, the University of Tennessee, and the Tennessee Valley Authority. The national lab drives strong demand for research scientists, engineers, and data analysts. No state income tax and affordable living make it an attractive value proposition. Expertise in multi agent coordination, distributed decision making, and emergent behavior design drives compensation. Engineers who can build scalable swarm systems with robust communication protocols and decentralized control are rare and valued. Experience with bio inspired algorithms, formation control, and resilient swarm architectures for degraded communications adds significant premiums.
Junior swarm systems engineers start at $110,000 to $142,000. Mid level engineers with deployed multi agent systems earn $162,000 to $208,000. Senior engineers reach $212,000 to $265,000. Principal swarm intelligence scientists at defense or logistics companies can exceed $340,000 in total compensation. In Knoxville, your dollars stretch further. Cost of living runs 11% below the national average, which means even a median salary buys a stronger lifestyle.
Base salary is not the full picture. Equity at defense and drone technology startups adds 20 to 40% of total compensation. Performance bonuses of 15 to 25% are standard. Signing bonuses of $25,000 to $60,000 are common. Security clearance holders receive additional 10 to 20% compensation premiums. And on the tax side: tennessee has no state income tax on wages. Knoxville has no city income tax. This zero income tax environment combined with very affordable housing creates excellent purchasing power. When someone quotes you $165,000, ask what the total package looks like. The gap between base and total comp is where real money hides.
On negotiation: Highlight Oak Ridge National Lab and DOE experience. National lab affiliations and security clearances command significant premiums in the Knoxville area. The range for Swarm Intelligence Engineers in Knoxville runs from $123,000 to $215,000. 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 LLM Fine-Tuning Engineer in Knoxville earns $166,000 (1% more)
- The highest-paying role in Knoxville is Technical Fellow at $324,000
- See all ai research roles tracked in Orbyt Intelligence
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