Complete 2026 breakdown by level. Data compiled from Levels.fyi, Glassdoor US Tech Salaries, LinkedIn Salary Insights, Built In San Francisco, Payscale.
Get AI Engineer roles matched to you →Base salary ranges + averages across all levels in San Francisco.
| Level | Range | Average |
|---|---|---|
Junior / Entry New grads with ML/LLM projects. AI Engineer base runs above generic SWE from day one in SF. | $150,000–$190,000 | $170,000 |
Mid-level Ships production LLM/agent systems independently. The most in-demand band in the Bay Area right now. | $180,000–$240,000 | $210,000 |
Senior Owns ML system architecture and applied AI product surface. Total comp with equity often $400K+. | $230,000–$300,000 | $265,000 |
Staff / Principal Org-level AI strategy and multi-team technical leadership. | $290,000–$380,000 | $335,000 |
Foundation Labs OpenAI, Anthropic, xAI. The highest base salaries in software; equity can dwarf base. | $350,000–$550,000 | $450,000 |
SF AI Engineer comp is base + heavy equity. At foundation labs, equity often exceeds base entirely. A $265K senior base commonly totals $400K-$600K with equity; foundation-lab total comp can reach seven figures.
AI Engineer pay in SF is sharply bimodal. Foundation model labs and top-funded AI startups cluster at $300K+ base; applied-AI roles at traditional companies cluster at $170K-$240K. The gap is the widest of any engineering specialty.
Companies actively hiring AI Engineers in San Francisco + their typical salary bands.
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