AI Data Quality Engineer Salary.
Across 81 U.S. cities.
$136,000
estimated national base salary
$104,000 to $175,000. Last updated September 2026.
Orbyt prices 7 titles at this same figure, including AI Data Engineer, Data Architect (AI/ML), and AI Analytics Engineer. Orbyt does not hold title-level wage data that would separate them.
Government benchmark for this occupation
The US Bureau of Labor Statistics reports a median annual wage of $139,500 for Database Architects (SOC 15-1243) across the United States, based on 67,140 employed workers (May 2025 release).
10th percentile
$86,240
25th percentile
$109,370
Median
$139,500
75th percentile
$169,290
90th percentile
$204,000
Workers surveyed
67,140
What BLS published in each release
May 2024 release
$135,980
May 2025 release
$139,500
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.
BLS publishes wages by occupation code, not by job title, so this figure covers every role mapped to Database Architects (SOC 15-1243) rather than AI Data Quality Engineer specifically. 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 15-1243Highest Paying
$186,000
San Jose, CA
Best Purchasing Power
$142,000
Boulder, CO
Lowest Paying
$108,000
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 September 2026. This role maps to BLS occupation code 15-1243. Full methodology.
Orbyt estimates the average AI Data Quality Engineer salary in the United States at $136,000 in 2026, within a range of $104,000 to $175,000. 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. This figure is not specific to this title: Orbyt prices 7 titles at the same estimate. San Jose is the highest of the 81 cities at $186,000, while Boulder offers the best purchasing power after cost-of-living adjustments. AI data quality engineers ensure training and serving data meets standards for ML model reliability.
AI Data Quality Engineer salary by city.
Skills that increase AI Data Quality Engineer pay.
The premiums below are Orbyt's modelled scenarios for AI Data Quality Engineers, not effects measured from job postings: each is a fixed percentage applied to the estimated base. At the top premium that works out to $19,040 a year.
≈ +$19,040 per year
≈ +$17,680 per year
≈ +$16,320 per year
≈ +$14,960 per year
≈ +$13,600 per year
≈ +$13,600 per year
≈ +$13,600 per year
≈ +$12,240 per year
What you should know.
AI data quality engineers ensure training and serving data meets standards for ML model reliability. Salary is driven by experience with data validation frameworks, drift detection systems, and automated quality monitoring at scale. Engineers working in regulated industries like healthcare and finance earn 12 to 20% premiums due to compliance requirements.
Junior AI data quality engineers earn $105,000 to $125,000. Engineers with 3 to 5 years of ML data quality experience reach $140,000 to $185,000. Senior engineers and quality team leads earn $190,000 to $248,000, while directors of data quality at enterprise AI companies can command $255,000 to $330,000.
Tech companies provide equity grants of 12 to 22% of base salary. Bonuses range from 10 to 15% annually. Some firms offer additional compensation for maintaining critical data quality SLAs, adding $5,000 to $12,000 for on-call responsibilities.
Total compensation breakdown.
Salary by company size
Remote salary adjustment
Remote AI Data Quality Engineers typically earn $126,000 (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 Data Quality Engineer pay.
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