AI Red Teamer.
Portland.
$207,000
median salary, 10% above the national average
$154,000 to $273,000. Updated for 2026.
The numbers.
Everything you need to negotiate with confidence.
If you are evaluating a AI Red Teamer offer in Portland, OR, here is the reality: $154,000 to $273,000, with $207,000 as the midpoint. 10% above the national average. Salary is driven by expertise in adversarial attacks against ML systems and ability to identify novel vulnerability classes. Do not accept the first number.
Salary range
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How Portland compares
Portland, OR
$207,000
Cost of living: 10% above average
National Average
$188,000
Portland is $19,000 above
What you should know
The AI Red Teamer landscape in Portland is not what most salary sites will tell you. Portland's tech scene is anchored by Intel's semiconductor campus and a strong cluster of sportswear and creative companies including Nike and Adidas. The city attracts professionals who value work life balance and sustainability. Salaries are moderate compared to Seattle, but the lower cost of living makes Portland a solid value proposition. Salary is driven by expertise in adversarial attacks against ML systems and ability to identify novel vulnerability classes. Red teamers who discover high-impact exploits in production AI systems or publish influential security research command top compensation. Experience with prompt injection, model extraction, and training data poisoning techniques is essential for premium offers.
Junior AI security analysts start at $120,000 to $140,000 running standard evaluation suites. Mid-level red teamers designing custom attacks earn $165,000 to $188,000. Senior red team leads developing new attack methodologies reach $220,000 to $248,000, with principal roles exceeding $280,000. In Portland, 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 of 15 to 25% are standard, with some companies offering bug bounty-style rewards for critical findings. Equity at AI safety companies and major tech firms adds substantial value, often 25 to 50% of base salary in RSUs. And on the tax side: oregon has no sales tax, but state income tax rates climb to 9.9%. Portland adds a local arts tax and metro supportive housing tax. Factor these into your net pay calculations. When someone quotes you $207,000, ask what the total package looks like. The gap between base and total comp is where real money hides.
On negotiation: Highlight your willingness to work hybrid in Portland's tech campuses. Intel, Nike, and other major employers reward in person collaboration with higher compensation bands. The range for AI Red Teamers in Portland runs from $154,000 to $273,000. 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 Portland
Negotiating in Portland
Highlight your willingness to work hybrid in Portland's tech campuses. Intel, Nike, and other major employers reward in person collaboration with higher compensation bands.