What is the entry level AI Data Labeling Manager salary in Austin?

Entry level AI Data Labeling Manager positions in Austin start near $88,000. Candidates with strong backgrounds negotiate toward $118,000.

How does company size affect AI Data Labeling Manager pay in Austin?

Large enterprises in Austin pay AI Data Labeling Managers 10 to 20% more in base, but startups compensate with equity. The range of $88,000 to $160,000 spans both.

What does total compensation look like for a AI Data Labeling Manager in Austin?

Equity is common at AI startups, typically 0. Base salaries in Austin range from $88,000 to $160,000.

AI Data Labeling Manager.

Austin.

$118,000

median salary, 3% above the national average

$88,000 to $160,000. Updated for 2026.

Get your playbook

The numbers.

Everything you need to negotiate with confidence.

If you are evaluating a AI Data Labeling Manager offer in Austin, TX, here is the reality: $88,000 to $160,000, with $118,000 as the midpoint. 3% above the national average. AI data labeling managers oversee annotation teams and quality assurance processes critical to ML model performance. Do not accept the first number.

Salary range

25th Percentile

$88,000

per year

Median

$118,000

per year

75th Percentile

$160,000

per year

Tap to place your salary

$88,000$160,000

How Austin compares

Austin, TX

$118,000

Cost of living: 3% above average

National Average

$115,000

Austin is $3,000 above

What you should know

Here is what the AI Data Labeling Manager market actually looks like in Austin. Austin has transformed into one of America's fastest growing tech hubs, attracting relocations from Apple, Tesla, Oracle, and Samsung. The city's combination of no state income tax, a vibrant startup scene, and a strong university pipeline makes it highly competitive. Salaries have risen sharply over the past five years, narrowing the gap with coastal cities. AI data labeling managers oversee annotation teams and quality assurance processes critical to ML model performance. Salary varies based on team size managed and domain complexity, with medical and autonomous driving labeling paying 15 to 25% more. Experience with labeling platforms like Scale AI, Labelbox, or custom tooling is a key differentiator.

Labeling team leads start at $85,000 to $100,000. Managers overseeing multiple annotation teams earn $115,000 to $155,000. Senior managers and directors of data operations reach $160,000 to $210,000, while VPs of data quality at large AI companies can command $220,000 to $300,000. In Austin, cost of living sits near the national average, so the numbers you see are roughly what you keep.

Base salary is not the full picture. Equity is common at AI startups, typically 0.05 to 0.2% for manager-level roles. Annual bonuses range from 8 to 15%. Some companies offer per-project completion bonuses of $5,000 to $15,000 for meeting quality and timeline targets on critical datasets. And on the tax side: texas has no state income tax, which can mean 5 to 10% more take home pay compared to California roles. Property taxes are above average, however, running about 1.8% of home value. When someone quotes you $118,000, ask what the total package looks like. The gap between base and total comp is where real money hides.

On negotiation: Use the no income tax advantage as a negotiation lever. Ask employers to match 90% of a Bay Area offer and show that your net pay will actually be higher. The range for AI Data Labeling Managers in Austin runs from $88,000 to $160,000. That is not a narrow window. Where you land inside it depends almost entirely on whether you negotiate and how well you prepare.

Top industries in Austin

TechnologySemiconductorsClean EnergyHealthcareGovernment

Negotiating in Austin

Use the no income tax advantage as a negotiation lever. Ask employers to match 90% of a Bay Area offer and show that your net pay will actually be higher.

Common questions.

Technical understanding of ML model requirements, experience with active learning and programmatic labeling, and strong project management skills drive the highest pay. Managers who can reduce labeling costs while maintaining quality through process optimization earn 10 to 20% premiums.

The role is shifting from managing large manual annotation teams to overseeing AI-assisted labeling workflows. Managers who can implement and manage human-in-the-loop systems earn more as companies seek to reduce labeling costs while scaling data quality.

Entry level AI Data Labeling Manager positions in Austin typically start near $88,000. Candidates with relevant internships, certifications, or portfolio work often negotiate closer to the median of $118,000. Labeling team leads start at $85,000 to $100,000.

In Austin, large enterprises typically pay AI Data Labeling Managers 10 to 20% more in base salary than small companies, but startups often compensate with equity that can exceed base salary value. Equity is common at AI startups, typically 0. The $88,000 to $160,000 range reflects this entire spectrum.

AI data labeling managers oversee annotation teams and quality assurance processes critical to ML model performance. Salary varies based on team size managed and domain complexity, with medical and autonomous driving labeling paying 15 to 25% more. Experience with labeling platforms like Scale AI, Labelbox, or custom tooling is a key differentiator. In Austin, these factors can push compensation from the 25th percentile of $88,000 to the 75th percentile of $160,000 or beyond.

Equity is common at AI startups, typically 0.05 to 0.2% for manager-level roles. Annual bonuses range from 8 to 15%. Some companies offer per-project completion bonuses of $5,000 to $15,000 for meeting quality and timeline targets on critical datasets. In Austin's market, the base range of $88,000 to $160,000 is just the starting point for negotiation.