Recommendation Systems Engineer.
Portland.
$140,000
median salary, 5% above the national average
$109,000 to $178,000. Last updated August 2026.
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Data points to own the conversation.
The median Recommendation Systems Engineer salary in Portland is $140,000, 5% above the national average. Entry level starts near $109,000. Experienced professionals push past $178,000. Portland's tech scene is anchored by Intel's semiconductor campus and a strong cluster of sportswear and creative companies including Nike and Adidas. That spread is your negotiation window. 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.
Salary range.
Where do you fall?
Orbyt estimate for Recommendation Systems Engineer in Portland, modelled from national occupation wages adjusted for local cost of living. The published government benchmark for this occupation is below.
Government benchmark for this occupation
The US Bureau of Labor Statistics reports a median annual wage of $156,000 for Software Developers (SOC 15-1252) in the Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA metropolitan area, based on 18,260 employed workers (May 2025 release).
10th percentile
$94,040
25th percentile
$126,220
Median
$156,000
75th percentile
$174,050
90th percentile
$213,540
Workers surveyed
18,260
BLS publishes wages by occupation code, not by job title, so this figure covers every role mapped to Software Developers (SOC 15-1252) rather than Recommendation Systems Engineer specifically. The Portlandrange 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 15-1252Salary by experience.
The gap between entry and lead level is typically $126,000. Where you land depends on years of experience and what you bring to the table.
Entry (0-2 yrs)
$91,000
to $112,000
Mid (3-5 yrs)
$119,000
to $147,000
Senior (6-9 yrs)
$154,000
to $182,000
Lead (10+ yrs)
$175,000
to $217,000
Total compensation.
Base salary is not the full picture. Equity, bonus, and signing can add $29,000 to the total package.
Base
$140,000
Equity
$15,000
Bonus
$11,000
Signing
$3,000
Estimated total: $169,000
How Portland compares.
Portland, OR
$140,000
Cost of living: 10% above average
National Average
$133,000
Portland is $7,000 above
Recommendation Systems Engineer salary by city.
Salary by role in Portland.
What you should know.
If you are interviewing for Recommendation Systems Engineer roles in Portland, here is what you are walking into. Portland's tech scene is anchored by Intel's semiconductor campus and a strong cluster of sportswear and creative companies including Nike and Adidas. The city attracts professionals who value work life balance and sustainability. Salaries are moderate compared to Seattle, but the lower cost of living makes Portland a solid value proposition. Compensation for Recommendation Systems Engineers is driven by depth of technical specialization, open-source or published work, and the specific technology stack. Base salary carries most of the total compensation, with bonuses adding roughly 10% in a typical year. Within tech-sector Recommendation Systems Engineers specifically, employer tier (FAANG and frontier-AI labs vs mid-stage startups vs traditional enterprise) drives 66%+ variance across the compensation band.
Recommendation Systems Engineers typically progress Junior → Mid → Senior → Staff → Principal over 8 to 12 years, with the Staff+ levels carrying significant technical scope and cross-team influence. The director/VP track diverges around year 8 for those who choose management; IC staff-plus roles keep building technical depth. In Portland, 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. Total compensation for Recommendation Systems Engineers runs roughly $176K at median when factoring base + typical bonus (~10% of base). Base salary carries most of the compensation; benefits (healthcare, 401(k) match, PTO) add an estimated 15–25% in imputed value on top. At tech companies specifically, equity and sign-on are often the largest delta between offers — two roles with matching base can differ by $100K+ at total when equity is included. And on the tax side: oregon has no sales tax, but state income tax rates climb to 9.9%. Portland adds a local arts tax and metro supportive housing tax. Factor these into your net pay calculations. When someone quotes you $140,000, ask what the total package looks like. The gap between base and total comp is where real money hides.
On negotiation: Highlight your willingness to work hybrid in Portland's tech campuses. Intel, Nike, and other major employers reward in person collaboration with higher compensation bands. The range for Recommendation Systems Engineers in Portland runs from $109,000 to $178,000. That is not a narrow window. Where you land inside it depends almost entirely on whether you negotiate and how well you prepare.
Sources: BLS OES, H-1B LCA (DOL). COL: BEA Regional Price Parities (2025). Data verified by Justin Bartak, Founder & Chief AI Officer. Last verified July 1, 2026. Full methodology
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Common questions.
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