Chief Data & AI Officer.
Phoenix.
$283,000
median salary, 4% below the national average
$211,000 to $370,000. Updated for 2026.
The numbers.
Everything you need to negotiate with confidence.
The median Chief Data & AI Officer salary in Phoenix is $283,000, 4% below the national average. Entry level starts near $211,000. Experienced professionals push past $370,000. Phoenix is one of the fastest growing metros in the U. That spread is your negotiation window.
Salary range
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How Phoenix compares
Phoenix, AZ
$283,000
Cost of living: 4% below average
National Average
$295,000
Phoenix is $12,000 below
What you should know
If you are interviewing for Chief Data & AI Officer roles in Phoenix, here is what you are walking into. Phoenix is one of the fastest growing metros in the U.S., fueled by semiconductor manufacturing, financial services, and tech company expansions. Intel, TSMC, and other chipmakers have made massive investments in the area. The combination of affordable housing and rising salaries has made Phoenix increasingly attractive to relocating professionals. Compensation scales with the breadth of the AI and data portfolio under management. Officers overseeing both revenue-generating AI products and enterprise data governance at Fortune 500 companies command premium packages. Industry vertical matters significantly, with financial services and healthcare paying 15 to 25% above median.
Most CDAIOs advance from VP of Data Science or VP of AI Engineering roles earning $200,000 to $270,000. The CDAIO role itself ranges from $220,000 to $385,000 base. Some transition to CEO or board director positions with total compensation exceeding $1,500,000 annually. In Phoenix, 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. Total compensation typically reaches $600,000 to $1,200,000 including equity grants, performance bonuses of 40 to 60% of base, and retention packages. Board observer seats and advisory equity in portfolio companies are increasingly common. And on the tax side: arizona has a flat 2.5% income tax rate, one of the lowest in the nation. Phoenix has no additional city income tax, making overall take home pay very competitive. When someone quotes you $283,000, ask what the total package looks like. The gap between base and total comp is where real money hides.
On negotiation: Reference the influx of semiconductor and tech employers to justify higher offers. Phoenix salaries are rising fast, and employers know they must compete with coastal recruiters. The range for Chief Data & AI Officers in Phoenix runs from $211,000 to $370,000. 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 Phoenix
Negotiating in Phoenix
Reference the influx of semiconductor and tech employers to justify higher offers. Phoenix salaries are rising fast, and employers know they must compete with coastal recruiters.