AI Financial Engineer Salary.
Across 81 U.S. cities.
$210,000
national median salary
$155,000 to $270,000. Last updated August 2026.
Government benchmark for this occupation
The US Bureau of Labor Statistics reports a median annual wage of $102,740 for Financial and Investment Analysts (SOC 13-2051) across the United States, based on 361,980 employed workers (May 2025 release).
10th percentile
$63,720
25th percentile
$79,290
Median
$102,740
75th percentile
$133,340
90th percentile
$180,860
Workers surveyed
361,980
What BLS published in each release
May 2024 release
$101,350
May 2025 release
$102,740
These are two separate published estimates, not a time series. The Bureau of Labor Statistics does not encourage the use of OEWS data for time-series analysis. Differences between releases reflect changes in occupational classification, survey methodology, and the three-year pooled sample as well as any change in pay, so the two figures should not be read as a rate of wage growth.
Why this differs from the estimate above. The Orbyt estimate of $210,000 is 104% higher than this published figure. That is usually not an error in either number: BLS reports by occupation code, and Financial and Investment Analysts covers a different population than the AI Financial Engineer title as it is typically advertised. Both are shown, unreconciled, so you can judge which one describes the job you mean.
BLS publishes wages by occupation code, not by job title, so this figure covers every role mapped to Financial and Investment Analysts (SOC 13-2051) rather than AI Financial Engineerspecifically. The national range at the top of this page is Orbyt’s role-level estimate, which is a different thing and is labelled as such.
View the BLS source for SOC 13-2051Highest Paying
$298,000
San Jose, CA
Best Purchasing Power
$219,000
New York, NY
Lowest Paying
$165,000
Wichita, KS
The salary figures on this page are computed estimates, not observed wages. Each one is a national role baseline scaled by a Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional Price Parity cost-of-living multiplier (2025 index) and rounded to the nearest $1,000. No published wage percentile is consulted and no wage survey response enters the calculation, so an Orbyt estimate must not be cited as a Bureau of Labor Statistics figure or as measured pay. The published wage data Orbyt holds is Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, and Department of Labor H-1B Labor Condition Application filings, which record a filed minimum visa base wage rather than market pay. Where BLS publishes a wage for the occupation a role maps to, it is shown on that role's page as a separate benchmark, labelled with its occupation code, metro area and the number of employed workers it covers. Last updated August 2026. This role maps to BLS occupation code 13-2051. Full methodology.
Orbyt estimates the average AI Financial Engineer salary in the United States at $210,000 in 2026, within a range of $155,000 to $270,000. These figures are Orbyt estimates, computed rather than measured, and must not be cited as Bureau of Labor Statistics figures; the published BLS wage for the occupation this role maps to is shown separately on this page. San Jose is the highest of the 81 cities at $298,000, while New York offers the best purchasing power after cost-of-living adjustments. Pay depends on ability to apply ML models to quantitative finance problems like risk modeling, algorithmic trading, and fraud detection.
AI Financial Engineer salary by city.
Skills that increase AI Financial Engineer pay.
The skills below command measurable salary premiums for AI Financial Engineers based on job posting data. Learning the top skill here could add $29,400 to your annual compensation.
≈ +$29,400 per year
≈ +$27,300 per year
≈ +$25,200 per year
≈ +$23,100 per year
≈ +$21,000 per year
≈ +$21,000 per year
≈ +$21,000 per year
≈ +$18,900 per year
What you should know.
Pay depends on ability to apply ML models to quantitative finance problems like risk modeling, algorithmic trading, and fraud detection. Engineers combining deep finance domain expertise with advanced ML skills earn top-band compensation. Experience with real-time inference for trading systems and regulatory-compliant model development adds 20 to 30% to base salaries.
Junior quant ML engineers start at $120,000 to $150,000. AI financial engineers earn $155,000 to $210,000. Senior roles at top funds reach $250,000 to $350,000 base, and portfolio managers or heads of AI strategy at major firms command $500,000 to $1,000,000 or more in total compensation.
Performance bonuses at hedge funds and trading firms can range from 50 to 200% of base salary. Equity is less common in finance but deferred compensation plans are standard. Banks offer structured bonus pools tied to desk profitability.
Total compensation breakdown.
Salary by company size
Remote salary adjustment
Remote AI Financial Engineers typically earn $195,000 (7% less than on-site). This reflects location-adjusted pay policies at companies using geographic salary bands. Some companies pay flat national rates regardless of location.
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Common questions about AI Financial Engineer pay.
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