Research Engineer salary
7 market ranges · employer-stated pay · updated Oct 22, 2026
The best-evidenced figure here is for research engineer roles at mid level across the United States: 98 postings where the employer stated pay put the middle half between $145,688 and $260,000, with a median of $200,000.
By level across the United States, the medians run mid-level $200,000 and senior $179,050.
Every range here is counted from real postings, never modelled. 3 of the 7 ranges in the table rest on fewer than 10 postings and are marked hint: treat those as hints rather than benchmarks.
Research Engineer pay by specialization
AI Research 395ML Platform & Ops 2
Live research engineer roles by AI and machine learning function. A title spans functions; each link opens that function's own benchmark.
Every measured range
7 by market and level| Market | Level | Market range | Median | Sample |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States · country-wide | Entry | $102,500 – $106,450 | $102,500 | 5hint |
| United States · country-wide | Mid | $145,688 – $260,000 | $200,000 | 98 |
| United States · country-wide | Senior | $137,919 – $275,000 | $179,050 | 53 |
| Remote · United States | Mid | $142,300 – $320,000 | $185,000 | 9hint |
| New York | Mid | $235,625 – $300,000 | $255,000 | 14 |
| San Francisco | Mid | $221,250 – $296,375 | $260,000 | 30 |
| San Francisco | Senior | $207,500 – $300,000 | $275,000 | 9hint |
Entry is junior titles. Mid is mid-level and manager titles. Senior is senior titles. Lead is director, VP and above. Rows marked hint rest on fewer than 10 postings: read them as a hint, not a benchmark.
Ranges span the 25th to 75th percentile of employer-stated base pay for the market and level. Median is the 50th percentile. Sample is the number of postings measured.
Pay by market
3 pagesOpen research engineer roles · 183 with stated pay
this job's paywhere most pay sits here, $100,000–$250,000scale $60,000–$350,000
60 of 397 open roles. All research engineer jobs