Salaries in Detroit.

3,445 roles. One city.

Cost-of-living index: 0.90x national average. Last updated August 2026.

3,445 roles tracked

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Highest Paying

$303,000

SVP of Data

Median of All Roles

$124,000

AI Content Moderator Lead

Entry Level

$30,000

Hotel Clerk / Front Desk

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 August 2026.

Detroit, MI has a cost-of-living index of 0.90x the national average. The highest-paying role is SVP of Data at $303,000, while the median across all 3,445 roles is $124,000. Detroit's economy is transforming as the automotive industry pivots to electric vehicles and autonomous driving technology.

About the Detroit market

Detroit's economy is transforming as the automotive industry pivots to electric vehicles and autonomous driving technology. Ford, GM, and a growing cluster of mobility startups are investing billions in the region. The city's low cost of living paired with rising tech salaries makes it one of the highest purchasing power metros for engineering roles.

Automotive & EVMobility & Autonomous VehiclesHealthcareManufacturingDefense

Top 50 salaries in Detroit

#	Role	Median	Range
1	SVP of Data	$303,000	$257,000 – $394,000
2	SVP of Product	$300,000	$255,000 – $390,000
3	SVP of Technology	$300,000	$255,000 – $390,000
4	SVP of Finance	$295,000	$251,000 – $383,000
5	Senior VP of Product	$291,000	$227,000 – $378,000
6	Chief Security Officer	$291,000	$227,000 – $378,000
7	Senior VP of Security	$288,000	$245,000 – $374,000
8	Chief AI Officer	$287,000	$213,000 – $371,000
9	VP of AI Research	$284,000	$241,000 – $369,000
10	VP of Mobile	$284,000	$241,000 – $369,000
11	VP of Analytics	$284,000	$241,000 – $369,000
12	VP of Information Technology	$284,000	$241,000 – $369,000
13	VP of Security Engineering	$284,000	$241,000 – $369,000
14	VP of Network Engineering	$284,000	$241,000 – $369,000
15	SVP of Engineering	$283,000	$240,000 – $368,000
16	VP of Finance	$281,000	$239,000 – $365,000
17	VP of Data	$281,000	$239,000 – $365,000
18	VP of Database Engineering	$281,000	$239,000 – $365,000
19	SVP of Sales	$281,000	$219,000 – $365,000
20	SVP of AI Innovation	$280,000	$238,000 – $364,000
21	Chief Science Officer	$279,000	$218,000 – $363,000
22	VP of Risk	$278,000	$236,000 – $362,000
23	Chief Architect	$278,000	$236,000 – $362,000
24	VP of Application Engineering	$278,000	$237,000 – $362,000
25	VP of Cybersecurity	$278,000	$237,000 – $362,000
26	VP of Machine Learning	$275,000	$235,000 – $358,000
27	VP of Data Science	$275,000	$235,000 – $358,000
28	VP of Privacy	$275,000	$235,000 – $358,000
29	SVP of Strategy	$275,000	$215,000 – $358,000
30	VP of Cloud	$273,000	$232,000 – $355,000
31	VP of Developer Experience	$273,000	$232,000 – $355,000
32	VP of Partner Engineering	$273,000	$232,000 – $355,000
33	Chief Design Officer	$271,000	$211,000 – $353,000
34	Chief Strategy Officer	$271,000	$211,000 – $352,000
35	Chief Transformation Officer	$271,000	$212,000 – $353,000
36	SVP of Marketing	$271,000	$212,000 – $353,000
37	VP of IT	$270,000	$230,000 – $351,000
38	VP of Information Security	$270,000	$230,000 – $351,000
39	VP of Site Reliability Engineering	$270,000	$230,000 – $351,000
40	Chief Risk Officer	$269,000	$210,000 – $349,000
41	VP of Engineering	$267,000	$228,000 – $348,000
42	VP of Data Engineering	$267,000	$228,000 – $348,000
43	VP of Platform Engineering	$267,000	$228,000 – $348,000
44	VP of Security	$267,000	$228,000 – $348,000
45	Chief Legal Officer	$267,000	$208,000 – $347,000
46	VP of Solutions Engineering	$267,000	$228,000 – $348,000
47	VP of Field Engineering	$267,000	$228,000 – $348,000
48	SVP of Design	$267,000	$208,000 – $347,000
49	SVP of Business Development	$267,000	$208,000 – $347,000
50	VP of Quality	$267,000	$228,000 – $348,000

Tax considerations

Michigan has a flat 4.25% state income tax. Detroit adds a city income tax of 2.4% for residents. Factor the city tax into your calculations if living within city limits.

Negotiating in Detroit

Highlight EV and autonomous vehicle expertise. Detroit employers are paying significant premiums for talent with electric vehicle, battery tech, or self driving experience.

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