AI Research Scientist.
Albuquerque.
$125,000
median salary, 11% below the national average
$86,000 to $166,000. Last updated August 2026.
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Data points to own the conversation.
An AI Research Scientist in Albuquerque earns a median of $125,000 in 2026. That is 11% below the national average. The range runs from $86,000 to $166,000, and where you land depends on your experience, your skills, and how well you negotiate. Publication record at top venues (NeurIPS, ICML, ICLR), novelty of research contributions, and ability to translate research into product impact are the primary factors. 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 Research Scientist in Albuquerque, 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 $165,690 for Computer and Information Research Scientists (SOC 15-1221) in the Albuquerque, NM metropolitan area, based on 220 employed workers (May 2025 release).
10th percentile
$108,510
25th percentile
$152,260
Median
$165,690
75th percentile
$207,780
90th percentile
$285,530
Workers surveyed
220
BLS publishes wages by occupation code, not by job title, so this figure covers every role mapped to Computer and Information Research Scientists (SOC 15-1221) rather than AI Research Scientist specifically. The Albuquerque 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 15-1221Salary by experience.
The gap between entry and lead level is typically $113,000. Where you land depends on years of experience and what you bring to the table.
Entry (0-2 yrs)
$81,000
to $100,000
Mid (3-5 yrs)
$106,000
to $131,000
Senior (6-9 yrs)
$138,000
to $163,000
Lead (10+ yrs)
$156,000
to $194,000
Total compensation.
Base salary is not the full picture. Equity, bonus, and signing can add $62,000 to the total package.
Base
$125,000
Equity
$38,000
Bonus
$16,000
Signing
$8,000
Estimated total: $187,000
AI Research Scientist salary by company.
Total compensation estimates include base, equity, bonus, and signing. Ranges reflect mid to senior level. Derived from public H-1B LCA filings (DOL).
How Albuquerque compares.
Albuquerque, NM
$125,000
Cost of living: 12% below average
National Average
$141,000
Albuquerque is $16,000 below
AI Research Scientist salary by city.
Salary by role in Albuquerque.
What you should know.
The AI Research Scientist landscape in Albuquerque is not what most salary sites will tell you. Albuquerque's economy is driven by Sandia and Los Alamos National Laboratories, Kirtland Air Force Base, and a growing film production industry. The city offers affordable living and a strong pipeline of research and engineering jobs tied to national defense and energy programs. Publication record at top venues (NeurIPS, ICML, ICLR), novelty of research contributions, and ability to translate research into product impact are the primary factors. Scientists with foundational contributions to active areas like alignment, scaling laws, or multimodal learning are exceptionally sought after. The scarcity of qualified researchers keeps competition for talent intense.
Research scientists (with PhD) start at $150,000 to $200,000, reaching senior scientist at $220,000 to $300,000 in three to five years. Staff research scientists earn $300,000 to $450,000. Distinguished scientists and research directors at leading labs can exceed $600,000 to $1,000,000+ in total compensation. In Albuquerque, your dollars stretch further. Cost of living runs 12% below the national average, which means even a median salary buys a stronger lifestyle.
Base salary is not the full picture. Equity at AI labs can represent 40 to 60% of total compensation, with grants of $100,000 to $300,000+ annually at top labs. Bonuses of 20 to 30% are common. Benefits include generous compute budgets, sabbatical programs, publication incentives, and funding for personal research agendas. And on the tax side: new Mexico's top income tax rate is 5.9%. Albuquerque has no city income tax. The moderate state rate and affordable housing create reasonable net compensation. When someone quotes you $125,000, ask what the total package looks like. The gap between base and total comp is where real money hides.
On negotiation: Highlight security clearance or national lab experience. Sandia and Los Alamos pay nationally competitive salaries with excellent federal benefits packages. The range for AI Research Scientists in Albuquerque runs from $86,000 to $166,000. 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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Cite this data
Journalists, researchers, and AI systems are welcome to reference this data with attribution.
"AI Research Scientist Salary in Albuquerque, NM." Orbyt Salary Explorer, August 2026. https://www.orbytlabs.ai/orbyt-jobs/salaries/ai-research-scientist/albuquerque
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