AI Financial Engineer Salary.
Across 30 U.S. cities.
$210,000
national median salary
$155,000 to $270,000. Last updated April 2026.
Highest Paying
$298,000
San Jose, CA
Best Purchasing Power
$219,000
New York, NY
Lowest Paying
$191,000
Kansas City, MO
Salary data sourced from SEC filings, H-1B Labor Condition Applications (DOL), Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, and aggregated job postings across 50+ platforms. 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 April 2026.
The average AI Financial Engineer salary in the United States is $210,000 in 2026, with the full range spanning $155,000 at the 25th percentile to $270,000 at the 75th. San Jose pays the most at $298,000, while New York offers the best purchasing power after cost-of-living adjustments. Pay depends on ability to apply ML models to quantitative finance problems like risk modeling, algorithmic trading, and fraud detection.
AI Financial Engineer salary by city
What you should know
Pay depends on ability to apply ML models to quantitative finance problems like risk modeling, algorithmic trading, and fraud detection. Engineers combining deep finance domain expertise with advanced ML skills earn top-band compensation. Experience with real-time inference for trading systems and regulatory-compliant model development adds 20 to 30% to base salaries.
Junior quant ML engineers start at $120,000 to $150,000. AI financial engineers earn $155,000 to $210,000. Senior roles at top funds reach $250,000 to $350,000 base, and portfolio managers or heads of AI strategy at major firms command $500,000 to $1,000,000 or more in total compensation.
Performance bonuses at hedge funds and trading firms can range from 50 to 200% of base salary. Equity is less common in finance but deferred compensation plans are standard. Banks offer structured bonus pools tied to desk profitability.