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

The national median AI/ML Data Analyst salary is $125,556. In St. Louis, COL adjustments bring the median to $113,000.

What is the demand outlook for AI/ML Data Analysts in St. Louis?

Demand for AI/ML Data Analysts in St. Louis remains strong. The compensation range of $86,000 to $149,000 reflects competitive hiring.

What is the hiring process like for AI/ML Data Analysts in St. Louis?

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

AI/ML Data Analyst.

St. Louis.

$113,000

median salary, 10% below the national average

$86,000 to $149,000. 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 St. Louis: $86,000 at the 25th percentile, $113,000 at the median, and $149,000 at the 75th. That is 10% below the national average. St. The number on your offer letter will depend on what you bring and how you ask.

Salary range

25th Percentile

$86,000

per year

Median

$113,000

per year

75th Percentile

$149,000

per year

Tap to place your salary

$86,000$149,000

How St. Louis compares

St. Louis, MO

$113,000

Cost of living: 10% below average

National Average

$125,000

St. Louis is $12,000 below

What you should know

Before you negotiate a AI/ML Data Analyst offer in St. Louis, understand the terrain. St. Louis offers one of the most affordable major metro areas in the country, with a strong base in healthcare, financial services, and manufacturing. The region's anchor employers include Boeing, Centene, and Washington University's medical campus. A growing biotech and plant sciences corridor centered on the Cortex Innovation District is attracting new investment and talent. 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 St. Louis, 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: missouri's top income tax rate is about 4.8%, and St. Louis City adds a 1% earnings tax. The low base cost of living means your after tax salary still stretches further than in most metros. When someone quotes you $113,000, ask what the total package looks like. The gap between base and total comp is where real money hides.

On negotiation: Emphasize your willingness to work in person at Cortex or the BJC campus. St. Louis employers offer higher packages for candidates who commit to the local innovation hubs. The range for AI/ML Data Analysts in St. Louis runs from $86,000 to $149,000. 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 St. Louis

HealthcareDefense & AerospaceFinancial ServicesPlant Sciences & BiotechManufacturing

Negotiating in St. Louis

Emphasize your willingness to work in person at Cortex or the BJC campus. St. Louis employers offer higher packages for candidates who commit to the local innovation hubs.

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 $125,556. In St. Louis, cost of living adjustments push the median to $113,000. That discount reflects St. Louis's lower housing, transportation, and everyday costs.

St. Louis offers one of the most affordable major metro areas in the country, with a strong base in healthcare, financial services, and manufacturing. 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 $86,000 to $149,000 reflects a market that is competing for talent.

Missouri's top income tax rate is about 4.8%, and St. Louis City adds a 1% earnings tax. The low base cost of living means your after tax salary still stretches further than in most metros. 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 St. Louis 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 St. Louis's Healthcare 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.