AI Data Quality Engineer.
Los Angeles.
$165,000
median salary, 18% above the national average
$124,000 to $218,000. Updated for 2026.
The numbers.
Everything you need to negotiate with confidence.
Los Angeles is 18% more expensive than the national average. For AI Data Quality Engineers, that shakes out to a median of $165,000, with the full range spanning $124,000 to $218,000. AI data quality engineers ensure training and serving data meets standards for ML model reliability. Know the range before you walk in.
Salary range
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How Los Angeles compares
Los Angeles, CA
$165,000
Cost of living: 18% above average
National Average
$140,000
Los Angeles is $25,000 above
What you should know
Here is what the AI Data Quality Engineer market actually looks like in Los Angeles. Los Angeles blends a thriving entertainment industry with a growing tech and startup ecosystem, often called Silicon Beach. The city's diverse economy spans aerospace, healthcare, fashion, and gaming. LA offers strong salaries that, while below San Francisco levels, pair with a broader lifestyle appeal and lower housing costs relative to the Bay Area. AI data quality engineers ensure training and serving data meets standards for ML model reliability. Salary is driven by experience with data validation frameworks, drift detection systems, and automated quality monitoring at scale. Engineers working in regulated industries like healthcare and finance earn 12 to 20% premiums due to compliance requirements.
Junior AI data quality engineers earn $105,000 to $125,000. Engineers with 3 to 5 years of ML data quality experience reach $140,000 to $185,000. Senior engineers and quality team leads earn $190,000 to $248,000, while directors of data quality at enterprise AI companies can command $255,000 to $330,000. In Los Angeles, those numbers run higher. The cost of living here is 18% above average, and employers adjust to compete.
Base salary is not the full picture. Tech companies provide equity grants of 12 to 22% of base salary. Bonuses range from 10 to 15% annually. Some firms offer additional compensation for maintaining critical data quality SLAs, adding $5,000 to $12,000 for on-call responsibilities. And on the tax side: california's 13.3% top state income tax rate applies to LA earners as well. There is no city income tax, but the high state rate makes take home pay lower than cities in no income tax states. 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 cross industry skills. LA employers value candidates who bridge entertainment and tech, so framing your experience across verticals can unlock higher offers. The range for AI Data Quality Engineers in Los Angeles runs from $124,000 to $218,000. 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 Los Angeles
Negotiating in Los Angeles
Highlight cross industry skills. LA employers value candidates who bridge entertainment and tech, so framing your experience across verticals can unlock higher offers.