What is the average AI & Machine Learning salary in SF Bay Area?

The median midpoint of 418 live AI & Machine Learning postings in SF Bay Area is $243k a year. Half of them fall between $207k and $296k.

How does AI & Machine Learning pay change with seniority?

senior postings $231k. Staff, principal and director roles usually pay more and often add equity.

Which companies pay AI & Machine Learning roles the most?

Among companies with at least two postings, the highest medians are at Arc Institute ($400k), Anthropic ($353k), Perplexity ($313k), Sunday Robotics ($313k).

Where do these numbers come from?

From the pay ranges employers publish in their own job postings (required in states such as California, Colorado, New York, Washington and Illinois). We take the midpoint of each range, convert hourly pay at 2,080 hours a year, and update the figures daily as postings open and close. They show base pay, not bonus or equity.

AI & Machine Learning salary in SF Bay Area

What employers are offering right now, from 418 live AI & Machine Learning postings in SF Bay Area that publish a pay range. Updated October 2026.

Median

$243k

a year, base pay

Middle half

$207k–$296k

25th to 75th percentile

Highest posted

$675k

range midpoint

How the offers are spread

$145k

$183k

$222k

$260k

$298k

$336k

$375k

$413k

AI & Machine Learning pay by level

Level	Median	Postings
Mid level	$212k	5
Senior	$231k	73
Staff & principal	$280k	101
Director & executive	$400k	8

Top-paying companies for AI & Machine Learning roles

Company	Median	Postings
Arc Institute	$400k	2
Anthropic	$353k	35
Perplexity	$313k	11
Sunday Robotics	$313k	2
Sentry	$310k	5
Suno	$307k	4
Pinterest	$306k	22
Discord	$306k	3
Generalist	$305k	2
Zoox	$296k	23
Altos Labs	$284k	2
Ramp	$278k	2

Highest-paying open AI & Machine Learning jobs

All 511 open jobs →

Anthropic

Research Engineer, Chip Design RL (Reinforcement Learning)

San Francisco, CA | New York City, NY $500k – $850k/yr

visa sponsorshipexcelrecruitingDirect from employer Jul 13

Anthropic

Research Engineer, Code RL (Reinforcement Learning)

San Francisco, CA | New York City, NY $500k – $850k/yr

visa sponsorshippythonpytorchllmDirect from employer Jun 11

AnthropicRemote

Research Engineer, Machine Learning (RL Velocity)

Remote-Friendly (Travel-Required) | San Francisco, CA | New York City, NY $500k – $850k/yr

visa sponsorshipmachine learningpytorchrecruitingDirect from employer Apr 23

Anthropic

Research Engineer, Cybersecurity RL (Reinforcement Learning)

San Francisco, CA | New York City, NY $500k – $850k/yr

visa sponsorshipmachine learningllmrecruitingDirect from employer Dec 9

Anthropic

Research Engineer, Machine Learning (Reinforcement Learning)

San Francisco, CA | New York City, NY $500k – $850k/yr

visa sponsorshippythonrustc++Direct from employer Apr 1

Anthropic

Software Engineer, ML Networking

San Francisco, CA | New York City, NY | Seattle, WA $280k – $850k/yr

visa sponsorshiprustrecruitingnetworkingDirect from employer Sep 23

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AI & Machine Learning salary: common questions

What is the average AI & Machine Learning salary in SF Bay Area?: The median midpoint of 418 live AI & Machine Learning postings in SF Bay Area is $243k a year. Half of them fall between $207k and $296k.
How does AI & Machine Learning pay change with seniority?: senior postings $231k. Staff, principal and director roles usually pay more and often add equity.
Which companies pay AI & Machine Learning roles the most?: Among companies with at least two postings, the highest medians are at Arc Institute ($400k), Anthropic ($353k), Perplexity ($313k), Sunday Robotics ($313k).
Where do these numbers come from?: From the pay ranges employers publish in their own job postings (required in states such as California, Colorado, New York, Washington and Illinois). We take the midpoint of each range, convert hourly pay at 2,080 hours a year, and update the figures daily as postings open and close. They show base pay, not bonus or equity.

JobApplyPilot reads employers' own job postings. Pay shown is base salary from published ranges, not total compensation.

AI & Machine Learning salary in SF Bay Area

How the offers are spread

AI & Machine Learning pay by level

Top-paying companies for AI & Machine Learning roles

Highest-paying open AI & Machine Learning jobs

Research Engineer, Chip Design RL (Reinforcement Learning)

Research Engineer, Code RL (Reinforcement Learning)

Research Engineer, Machine Learning (RL Velocity)

Research Engineer, Cybersecurity RL (Reinforcement Learning)

Research Engineer, Machine Learning (Reinforcement Learning)

Software Engineer, ML Networking

AI & Machine Learning salary: common questions

Other salaries in SF Bay Area

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