AI/ML Data Analyst Salary.
Across 30 U.S. cities.
$125,000
national median salary
$95,000 to $165,000. Last updated April 2026.
Highest Paying
$171,000
San Jose, CA
Best Purchasing Power
$130,000
Charlotte, NC
Lowest Paying
$111,000
Detroit, MI
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/ML Data Analyst salary in the United States is $125,000 in 2026, with the full range spanning $95,000 at the 25th percentile to $165,000 at the 75th. San Jose pays the most at $171,000, while Charlotte offers the best purchasing power after cost-of-living adjustments. Compensation varies based on proficiency with ML-specific data pipelines, feature engineering, and model evaluation metrics.
AI/ML Data Analyst salary by city
What you should know
Compensation varies based on proficiency with ML-specific data pipelines, feature engineering, and model evaluation metrics. Analysts who can build automated data quality monitoring for training datasets earn more. Experience with large-scale data platforms like Databricks or Snowflake adds 10 to 15% to offers.
Junior ML data analysts start at $70,000 to $90,000. Mid-level analysts earn $95,000 to $125,000. Senior analysts reach $140,000 to $165,000, and those who transition into ML engineering or data science roles can exceed $180,000 to $220,000.
Bonuses typically range from 5 to 15% of base salary. Equity is less common than in pure engineering roles but increasingly offered at AI-first startups, usually valued at $10,000 to $30,000 annually.