Deep Learning Engineer.
Phoenix.
$192,000
median salary, 4% below the national average
$149,000 to $245,000. Updated for 2026.
The numbers.
Everything you need to negotiate with confidence.
The median Deep Learning Engineer salary in Phoenix is $192,000, 4% below the national average. Entry level starts near $149,000. Experienced professionals push past $245,000. Phoenix is one of the fastest growing metros in the U. That spread is your negotiation window.
Salary range
Tap to place your salary
How Phoenix compares
Phoenix, AZ
$192,000
Cost of living: 4% below average
National Average
$200,000
Phoenix is $8,000 below
What you should know
If you are interviewing for Deep Learning Engineer 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. Pay hinges on expertise with transformer architectures, large-scale training pipelines, and GPU optimization. Engineers who have shipped production models at scale earn top-band salaries. Publications at NeurIPS or ICML and familiarity with distributed training frameworks like DeepSpeed further boost compensation.
Junior deep learning roles start at $120,000 to $145,000. Mid-level engineers earn $155,000 to $200,000. Senior and staff-level positions reach $220,000 to $300,000 base, with principal engineers at top labs exceeding $400,000 in total compensation. 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. Equity is a major component at AI-focused companies, often representing 30 to 50% of total compensation. Annual bonuses range from 10 to 20% of base, with signing bonuses of $30,000 to $75,000 common for experienced hires. 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 $192,000, 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 Deep Learning Engineers in Phoenix runs from $149,000 to $245,000. 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.