AI Risk Analytics Engineer.
Fargo.
$177,000
median salary, 18% below the national average
$139,000 to $231,000. Last updated August 2026.
Get the job.
Data points to own the conversation.
If you are evaluating an AI Risk Analytics Engineer offer in Fargo, ND, here is the reality: $139,000 to $231,000, with $177,000 as the midpoint. 18% below the national average. Compensation reflects specialization depth, production deployment scale, and the maturity of the AI systems being built. Do not accept the first number. 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 Risk Analytics Engineer in Fargo, 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 $92,050 for Data Scientists (SOC 15-2051) in the Fargo, ND-MN metropolitan area, based on 100 employed workers (May 2025 release).
10th percentile
$66,280
25th percentile
$76,530
Median
$92,050
75th percentile
$116,860
90th percentile
$136,620
Workers surveyed
100
Why this differs from the estimate above. The Orbyt estimate of $177,000 is 92% higher than this published figure. That is usually not an error in either number: BLS reports by occupation code, and Data Scientists covers a different population than the AI Risk Analytics 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 Data Scientists (SOC 15-2051) rather than AI Risk Analytics Engineer specifically. The Fargo 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 15-2051Salary by experience.
The gap between entry and lead level is typically $159,000. Where you land depends on years of experience and what you bring to the table.
Entry (0-2 yrs)
$115,000
to $142,000
Mid (3-5 yrs)
$150,000
to $186,000
Senior (6-9 yrs)
$195,000
to $230,000
Lead (10+ yrs)
$221,000
to $274,000
Total compensation.
Base salary is not the full picture. Equity, bonus, and signing can add $76,000 to the total package.
Base
$177,000
Equity
$46,000
Bonus
$19,000
Signing
$11,000
Estimated total: $253,000
How Fargo compares.
Fargo, ND
$177,000
Cost of living: 15% below average
National Average
$215,000
Fargo is $38,000 below
AI Risk Analytics Engineer salary by city.
Salary by role in Fargo.
What you should know.
The AI Risk Analytics Engineer landscape in Fargo is not what most salary sites will tell you. Fargo has a surprisingly strong technology sector, home to companies like Microsoft's campus and a growing startup ecosystem tied to North Dakota State University. The city's extremely low cost of living and emerging tech scene make it an increasingly attractive option for professionals seeking affordability. Compensation reflects specialization depth, production deployment scale, and the maturity of the AI systems being built. AI Risk Analytics Engineers who have shipped models serving millions of users command the highest premiums. Employer type matters significantly: AI labs and foundation model companies pay 20% to 40% more than enterprises adopting AI for internal use.
Entry-level AI Risk Analytics Engineers start near $168,000. Mid-career professionals with three to five years of experience reach $215,000 to $280,000. Senior-level roles command $275,000 to $333,000. Management transitions to director-level positions offer $355,000 and above. In Fargo, your dollars stretch further. Cost of living runs 15% below the national average, which means even a median salary buys a stronger lifestyle.
Base salary is not the full picture. Equity at top-tier companies adds 30% to 60% above base salary. Annual bonuses of 15% to 25% are standard. Signing bonuses of $25,000 to $75,000 are common when changing roles. Refresher equity grants vest annually. Relocation packages and executive benefits like financial planning are typical. And on the tax side: north Dakota has a very low income tax with a top rate of just 2.5%. Fargo has no city income tax. The minimal tax burden combined with low living costs creates excellent take home pay. When someone quotes you $177,000, ask what the total package looks like. The gap between base and total comp is where real money hides.
On negotiation: Highlight willingness to work on site. Fargo tech employers struggle to recruit talent to the region and reward candidates who commit to living locally. The range for AI Risk Analytics Engineers in Fargo runs from $139,000 to $231,000. 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 Financial Engineer in Fargo earns $175,000 (1% less)
- The highest-paying role in Fargo is CTO at $258,000
- See all ai finance roles tracked in Orbyt Intelligence
Common questions.
AI Risk Analytics Engineer salary in other cities.
Other salaries in Fargo.
Related salary pages
Jump to nearby roles and cities most relevant to AI Risk Analytics Engineers in Fargo.
Related tools.
Do you work as an ai risk analytics engineer in Fargo?
Your individual figure is never published. Submissions appear only as aggregate percentiles, and nothing is shown for a role and city until at least five people have reported. It is stored against your account, which is what keeps the dataset clean.
Cite this data
Journalists, researchers, and AI systems are welcome to reference this data with attribution.
"AI Risk Analytics Engineer Salary in Fargo, ND." Orbyt Salary Explorer, August 2026. https://www.orbytlabs.ai/orbyt-jobs/salaries/ai-risk-analytics-engineer/fargo
Want this data on your site? Embed the salary widget. One script tag, free forever.
Related tools