Unstructured Data Engineer.
Wichita.
$130,000
median salary, 14% below the national average
$98,000 to $171,000. Last updated April 2026.
Get the job.
Data points to own the conversation.
Here is what Unstructured Data Engineers actually make in Wichita: $98,000 at the 25th percentile, $130,000 at the median, and $171,000 at the 75th. That is 14% below the national average. Wichita is the air capital of the world, home to major aerospace manufacturers including Spirit AeroSystems, Textron Aviation, and Airbus. 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 $117,000. Where you land depends on years of experience and what you bring to the table.
Entry (0-2 yrs)
$85,000
to $104,000
Mid (3-5 yrs)
$111,000
to $137,000
Senior (6-9 yrs)
$143,000
to $169,000
Lead (10+ yrs)
$163,000
to $202,000
Salary trend
+4% YoYTotal compensation
Base salary is not the full picture. Equity, bonus, and signing can add $27,000 to the total package.
Base
$130,000
Equity
$14,000
Bonus
$10,000
Signing
$3,000
Estimated total: $157,000
How Wichita compares
Wichita, KS
$130,000
Cost of living: 18% below average
National Average
$152,000
Wichita is $22,000 below
Unstructured Data Engineer salary by city
Salary by role in Wichita
What you should know
If you are interviewing for Unstructured Data Engineer roles in Wichita, here is what you are walking into. Wichita is the air capital of the world, home to major aerospace manufacturers including Spirit AeroSystems, Textron Aviation, and Airbus. The city's engineering talent pool is deep, and the extremely low cost of living means aerospace salaries deliver exceptional purchasing power. Unstructured data engineers specialize in processing text, images, audio, and video at scale for AI applications. Salary is driven by the diversity of data types handled and the scale of processing pipelines. Engineers with experience in document parsing, OCR systems, and multimedia processing for LLM training earn 10 to 20% premiums over structured data specialists.
Junior unstructured data engineers earn $115,000 to $135,000. Engineers with 3 to 5 years of multimedia data pipeline experience reach $152,000 to $200,000. Senior engineers and platform leads earn $205,000 to $270,000, while staff engineers and directors of data processing infrastructure can command $280,000 to $360,000. In Wichita, your dollars stretch further. Cost of living runs 18% below the national average, which means even a median salary buys a stronger lifestyle.
Base salary is not the full picture. Tech companies offer equity of 15 to 25% of base salary with standard vesting schedules. Annual bonuses range from 10 to 15%. Some firms provide compute credits and tool budgets of $5,000 to $15,000 for experimenting with new unstructured data processing technologies. And on the tax side: kansas has a top income tax rate of 5.7%. Wichita has no city income tax. The moderate state rate combined with very low housing costs creates strong net pay. When someone quotes you $130,000, ask what the total package looks like. The gap between base and total comp is where real money hides.
On negotiation: Highlight aerospace engineering expertise. Wichita manufacturers pay competitive national rates for specialized aviation and defense engineering talent. The range for Unstructured Data Engineers in Wichita runs from $98,000 to $171,000. 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 Cybersecurity Engineer in Wichita earns $129,000 (1% less)
- The highest-paying role in Wichita is Technical Fellow at $298,000
Common questions.
Unstructured Data Engineer salary in other cities
Other salaries in Wichita
Related salary pages
Jump to nearby roles and cities most relevant to Unstructured Data Engineers in Wichita.
Related tools
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.
Related tools