How much do AI/ML Data Analysts make in Philadelphia compared to the national average?

The national median AI/ML Data Analyst salary is $124,771. In Philadelphia, COL adjustments bring the median to $136,000.

What is the demand outlook for AI/ML Data Analysts in Philadelphia?

Demand for AI/ML Data Analysts in Philadelphia remains strong. The compensation range of $104,000 to $180,000 reflects competitive hiring.

What is the hiring process like for AI/ML Data Analysts in Philadelphia?

AI/ML Data Analyst hiring in Philadelphia involves 3 to 5 rounds over 2 to 4 weeks. Prepare with company research and Orbyt's Interview Prep tool.

AI/ML Data Analyst.

Philadelphia.

$136,000

median salary, 9% above the national average

$104,000 to $180,000. Updated for 2026.

Get your playbook

The numbers.

Everything you need to negotiate with confidence.

Here is what AI/ML Data Analysts actually make in Philadelphia: $104,000 at the 25th percentile, $136,000 at the median, and $180,000 at the 75th. That is 9% above the national average. Philadelphia combines a robust healthcare and life sciences sector with established finance and higher education institutions. The number on your offer letter will depend on what you bring and how you ask.

Salary range

25th Percentile

$104,000

per year

Median

$136,000

per year

75th Percentile

$180,000

per year

Tap to place your salary

$104,000$180,000

How Philadelphia compares

Philadelphia, PA

$136,000

Cost of living: 9% above average

National Average

$125,000

Philadelphia is $11,000 above

What you should know

Before you negotiate a AI/ML Data Analyst offer in Philadelphia, understand the terrain. Philadelphia combines a robust healthcare and life sciences sector with established finance and higher education institutions. The city's pharmaceutical corridor is among the strongest in the country. Tech growth has accelerated, particularly in health tech and enterprise software, offering salaries that stretch further than in nearby New York. 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. In Philadelphia, 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. 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. And on the tax side: pennsylvania has a flat 3.07% state income tax, but Philadelphia adds a 3.75% city wage tax for residents. This combined local burden is worth factoring into salary negotiations. When someone quotes you $136,000, ask what the total package looks like. The gap between base and total comp is where real money hides.

On negotiation: Account for the Philadelphia wage tax in your ask. Request a 5 to 8% premium over suburban offers to offset the city's local tax on all earned income. The range for AI/ML Data Analysts in Philadelphia runs from $104,000 to $180,000. 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 Philadelphia

Healthcare & PharmaFinancial ServicesHigher EducationTechnologyManufacturing

Negotiating in Philadelphia

Account for the Philadelphia wage tax in your ask. Request a 5 to 8% premium over suburban offers to offset the city's local tax on all earned income.

Common questions.

AI/ML data analysts earn 20 to 35% more than traditional analysts. The premium reflects specialized skills in training data curation, feature engineering, model performance analysis, and familiarity with ML frameworks that general analysts typically lack.

AWS Machine Learning Specialty and Google Professional Machine Learning Engineer certifications each add $5,000 to $15,000 in market value. Practical portfolio projects demonstrating end-to-end ML data pipeline work are equally valued by hiring managers.

The national median for a AI/ML Data Analyst is $124,771. In Philadelphia, cost of living adjustments push the median to $136,000. That premium reflects Philadelphia's higher housing, transportation, and everyday costs.

Philadelphia combines a robust healthcare and life sciences sector with established finance and higher education institutions. The city's pharmaceutical corridor is among the strongest in the country. For AI/ML Data Analysts specifically, compensation varies based on proficiency with ml-specific data pipelines, feature engineering, and model evaluation metrics, which signals sustained demand. The current compensation range of $104,000 to $180,000 reflects a market that is competing for talent.

Pennsylvania has a flat 3.07% state income tax, but Philadelphia adds a 3.75% city wage tax for residents. This combined local burden is worth factoring into salary negotiations. When comparing offers across states, your take home pay matters more than the number on the offer letter. A lower salary in a no income tax state can net more than a higher one elsewhere.

AI/ML Data Analyst hiring in Philadelphia typically involves three to five rounds: a recruiter screen, a technical or skills assessment, one or two team interviews, and a final conversation with leadership. Companies in Philadelphia's Healthcare & Pharma sector may add domain specific evaluations. The process usually takes two to four weeks. Prepare by researching the company and practicing with Orbyt's Interview Prep tool.