AI Financial Engineer.
Newark.
$250,000
median salary, 19% above the national average
$185,000 to $322,000. Last updated August 2026.
Get the job.
Data points to own the conversation.
Newark is 18% more expensive than the national average. For AI Financial Engineers, that shakes out to a median of $250,000, with the full range spanning $185,000 to $322,000. Pay depends on ability to apply ML models to quantitative finance problems like risk modeling, algorithmic trading, and fraud detection. Know the range before you walk in. 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 AI Financial Engineer in Newark, 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 $128,930 for Financial and Investment Analysts (SOC 13-2051) in the New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ metropolitan area, based on 53,870 employed workers (May 2025 release).
10th percentile
$79,340
25th percentile
$103,140
Median
$128,930
75th percentile
$174,990
90th percentile
$225,390
Workers surveyed
53,870
Why this differs from the estimate above. The Orbyt estimate of $250,000 is 94% 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 Engineer specifically. The Newark range at the top of this page is Orbyt’s role-level estimate, which is a different thing and is labelled as such. Newark is reported by BLS within the New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ metropolitan area.
View the BLS source for SOC 13-2051Salary by experience.
The gap between entry and lead level is typically $225,000. Where you land depends on years of experience and what you bring to the table.
Entry (0-2 yrs)
$163,000
to $200,000
Mid (3-5 yrs)
$213,000
to $263,000
Senior (6-9 yrs)
$275,000
to $325,000
Lead (10+ yrs)
$313,000
to $388,000
Total compensation.
Base salary is not the full picture. Equity, bonus, and signing can add $123,000 to the total package.
Base
$250,000
Equity
$75,000
Bonus
$33,000
Signing
$15,000
Estimated total: $373,000
How Newark compares.
Newark, NJ
$250,000
Cost of living: 18% above average
National Average
$210,000
Newark is $40,000 above
AI Financial Engineer salary by city.
Salary by role in Newark.
What you should know.
The AI Financial Engineer landscape in Newark is not what most salary sites will tell you. Newark is experiencing a major revitalization, anchored by Prudential Financial, Audible, and a growing tech and startup scene. The city's proximity to Manhattan, combined with significantly lower office costs, has attracted companies seeking New York area talent at reduced overhead. Transportation, pharmaceutical, and logistics companies also have a strong presence. 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. In Newark, those numbers run higher. The cost of living here is 18% above average, and employers adjust to compete.
Base salary is not the full picture. 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. And on the tax side: new Jersey's top income tax rate is 10.75%, one of the highest in the nation. Newark has a payroll tax but no separate city income tax. The high state rate makes salary negotiation critical. When someone quotes you $250,000, ask what the total package looks like. The gap between base and total comp is where real money hides.
On negotiation: Negotiate aggressively to account for New Jersey's high state taxes. Employers near NYC understand the tax burden and often adjust compensation upward for NJ-based talent. The range for AI Financial Engineers in Newark runs from $185,000 to $322,000. 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
Considering a related role?
- An AI Protein Structure Specialist in Newark earns $252,000 (1% more)
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- See all ai finance roles tracked in Orbyt Intelligence
Common questions.
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Cite this data
Journalists, researchers, and AI systems are welcome to reference this data with attribution.
"AI Financial Engineer Salary in Newark, NJ." Orbyt Salary Explorer, August 2026. https://www.orbytlabs.ai/orbyt-jobs/salaries/ai-financial-engineer/newark
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