Salaries in Houston.
422 roles. One city.
Cost-of-living index: 0.97x national average. Last updated April 2026.
422 roles tracked
Highest Paying
$295,000
Chief AI Officer
Median of All Roles
$144,000
AI Frontend Engineer
Entry Level
$31,000
Hotel Clerk / Front Desk
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.
Houston, TX has a cost-of-living index of 0.97x the national average. The highest-paying role is Chief AI Officer at $295,000, while the median across all 422 roles is $144,000. Houston's economy is deeply rooted in energy, with a growing presence in healthcare, aerospace, and technology.
About the Houston market
Houston's economy is deeply rooted in energy, with a growing presence in healthcare, aerospace, and technology. The Texas Medical Center is the world's largest, driving massive demand for clinical and research roles. Houston's low cost of living and no state income tax make it an attractive destination for professionals seeking strong purchasing power.
Energy & Oil/GasHealthcareAerospace & NASAManufacturingTechnology
Top 50 salaries in Houston
| # | Role | Median | Range |
|---|
| 1 | Chief AI Officer | $295,000 | $219,000 – $380,000 |
| 2 | Chief Data & AI Officer | $286,000 | $213,000 – $373,000 |
| 3 | Chief Technology Officer | $278,000 | $206,000 – $365,000 |
| 4 | SVP of AI Innovation | $276,000 | $209,000 – $364,000 |
| 5 | Chief Revenue Officer | $272,000 | $204,000 – $359,000 |
| 6 | Chief Product Officer | $270,000 | $200,000 – $355,000 |
| 7 | Head of AI Research | $270,000 | $200,000 – $355,000 |
| 8 | CEO | $269,000 | $196,000 – $372,000 |
| 9 | Head of AI | $262,000 | $194,000 – $340,000 |
| 10 | Chief Algorithm Officer | $261,000 | $196,000 – $340,000 |
| 11 | Chief Marketing Officer | $260,000 | $195,000 – $340,000 |
| 12 | VP of Engineering | $257,000 | $193,000 – $336,000 |
| 13 | VP of AI Engineering | $257,000 | $194,000 – $335,000 |
| 14 | CFO | $255,000 | $191,000 – $338,000 |
| 15 | Chief Operating Officer | $252,000 | $188,000 – $336,000 |
| 16 | Head of Applied AI | $252,000 | $188,000 – $331,000 |
| 17 | Chief Data Officer | $247,000 | $185,000 – $323,000 |
| 18 | VP of AI Product | $247,000 | $184,000 – $320,000 |
| 19 | Head of AI Platform | $245,000 | $183,000 – $322,000 |
| 20 | AI Transformation Officer | $240,000 | $180,000 – $315,000 |
| 21 | VP of Marketing | $235,000 | $175,000 – $310,000 |
| 22 | Head of AI Partnerships | $235,000 | $175,000 – $310,000 |
| 23 | Chief Human Resources Officer | $233,000 | $176,000 – $302,000 |
| 24 | VP of Sales | $233,000 | $175,000 – $310,000 |
| 25 | VP of Product | $228,000 | $172,000 – $293,000 |
| 26 | Director of Engineering | $220,000 | $170,000 – $285,000 |
| 27 | VP of Product Design | $219,000 | $163,000 – $284,000 |
| 28 | Director of Data Science | $217,000 | $166,000 – $282,000 |
| 29 | Director of Generative AI | $216,000 | $163,000 – $284,000 |
| 30 | Director of AI Strategy | $214,000 | $162,000 – $279,000 |
| 31 | AI Program Director | $212,000 | $160,000 – $278,000 |
| 32 | Transformer Architecture Engineer | $210,000 | $156,000 – $274,000 |
| 33 | Foundation Model Engineer | $209,000 | $155,000 – $272,000 |
| 34 | AI World Model Engineer | $207,000 | $153,000 – $272,000 |
| 35 | AI Cloud Architect | $203,000 | $153,000 – $257,000 |
| 36 | AI Research Scientist | $202,000 | $151,000 – $262,000 |
| 37 | AI Financial Engineer | $202,000 | $149,000 – $259,000 |
| 38 | AI Hardware/Chip Design Engineer | $202,000 | $150,000 – $267,000 |
| 39 | Multi-Agent Systems Architect | $202,000 | $149,000 – $267,000 |
| 40 | AI Agent Architect | $199,000 | $150,000 – $257,000 |
| 41 | AI Systems Architect | $199,000 | $150,000 – $260,000 |
| 42 | Privacy / Data Counsel | $196,000 | $150,000 – $255,000 |
| 43 | Multimodal AI Researcher | $196,000 | $146,000 – $260,000 |
| 44 | Neurosymbolic AI Researcher | $195,000 | $145,000 – $258,000 |
| 45 | Neuro AI Engineer | $195,000 | $145,000 – $258,000 |
| 46 | AI Compiler Engineer | $194,000 | $146,000 – $254,000 |
| 47 | Autonomous Vehicle AI Engineer | $193,000 | $143,000 – $255,000 |
| 48 | Deep Learning Engineer | $192,000 | $149,000 – $245,000 |
| 49 | Director of Product | $192,000 | $149,000 – $250,000 |
| 50 | AI Orchestration Platform Engineer | $192,000 | $142,000 – $252,000 |
Tax considerations
Texas has no state income tax, giving Houston workers strong take home pay. The city's overall cost of living is below the national average, further stretching your salary.
Negotiating in Houston
Emphasize industry specialization in energy or healthcare. Houston employers pay significant premiums for domain expertise in these sectors over generalist candidates.
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