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Computer Vision Applications Engineer.

Los Angeles.

$159,000

median salary, 20% above the national average

$118,000 to $207,000. Last updated August 2026.

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Data points to own the conversation.

Computer Vision Applications Engineer pay in Los Angeles ranges from $118,000 to $207,000 in 2026. The median is $159,000, 20% above the national average. Los Angeles blends a thriving entertainment industry with a growing tech and startup ecosystem, often called Silicon Beach. Every dollar in that range is negotiable if you come prepared. 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.

25th Percentile

$118,000

per year

Median

$159,000

per year

75th Percentile

$207,000

per year

Where do you fall?

$118,000$207,000

Orbyt estimate for Computer Vision Applications Engineer in Los Angeles, 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 $160,920 for Software Developers (SOC 15-1252) in the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA metropolitan area, based on 55,540 employed workers (May 2025 release).

10th percentile

$98,270

25th percentile

$127,530

Median

$160,920

75th percentile

$191,540

90th percentile

$223,150

Workers surveyed

55,540

BLS publishes wages by occupation code, not by job title, so this figure covers every role mapped to Software Developers (SOC 15-1252) rather than Computer Vision Applications Engineer specifically. The Los Angeles 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 15-1252

Salary by experience.

The gap between entry and lead level is typically $143,000. Where you land depends on years of experience and what you bring to the table.

Entry (0-2 yrs)

$103,000

to $127,000

Mid (3-5 yrs)

$135,000

to $167,000

Senior (6-9 yrs)

$175,000

to $207,000

Lead (10+ yrs)

$199,000

to $246,000

Total compensation.

Base salary is not the full picture. Equity, bonus, and signing can add $71,000 to the total package.

Base

$159,000

Equity

$43,000

Bonus

$18,000

Signing

$10,000

Estimated total: $230,000

How Los Angeles compares.

Los Angeles, CA

$159,000

Cost of living: 18% above average

National Average

$133,000

Los Angeles is $26,000 above

Computer Vision Applications Engineer salary by city.

Computer Vision Applications Engineer salary comparison across 10 cities
CityMedianRangeCOLAdjusted
San Jose, CA$191,000$142,000 to $250,0001.38x$138,000
San Francisco, CA$180,000$134,000 to $235,0001.35x$133,000
Honolulu, HI$180,000$134,000 to $235,0001.30x$138,000
Washington DC, DC$170,000$126,000 to $222,0001.25x$136,000
New York, NY$163,000$122,000 to $214,0001.28x$127,000
Seattle, WA$162,000$120,000 to $211,0001.24x$131,000
San Diego, CA$162,000$120,000 to $212,0001.17x$138,000
Newark, NJ$162,000$120,000 to $211,0001.18x$137,000
Los Angeles, CA$159,000$118,000 to $207,0001.18x$135,000
Boston, MA$159,000$118,000 to $208,0001.22x$130,000

See all 81 cities for Computer Vision Applications Engineer →

Salary by role in Los Angeles.

Salary comparison by role in Los Angeles
RoleMedianRange
CTO$368,000$287,000 to $479,000
General Counsel$327,000$255,000 to $425,000
CEO$321,000$234,000 to $444,000
Computer Vision Applications Engineer$159,000$118,000 to $207,000
AI Platform Engineer$159,000$118,000 to $207,000
RAG Engineer$159,000$118,000 to $207,000
Recommendation Systems Engineer$159,000$123,000 to $201,000
Frontend Developer$159,000$123,000 to $201,000

What you should know.

Before you negotiate a Computer Vision Applications Engineer offer in Los Angeles, understand the terrain. Los Angeles blends a thriving entertainment industry with a growing tech and startup ecosystem, often called Silicon Beach. The city's diverse economy spans aerospace, healthcare, fashion, and gaming. LA offers strong salaries that, while below San Francisco levels, pair with a broader lifestyle appeal and lower housing costs relative to the Bay Area. Compensation reflects practical expertise in deploying computer vision from research to production. Engineers who can optimize models for edge deployment, build real-time processing pipelines, and integrate CV into domain-specific workflows earn premiums. Experience with specific applications (industrial inspection, medical imaging, retail analytics) adds domain-specific value.

Junior CV application engineers start at $95,000 to $115,000. Mid-level engineers building production CV systems reach $135,000 to $165,000. Senior engineers designing multi-camera analytics platforms earn $170,000 to $210,000. Directors of computer vision at applied AI companies can reach $230,000 to $280,000. In Los Angeles, 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. Equity at CV startups adds $20,000 to $70,000 annually. Bonuses of 10% to 15% are standard. Hardware allowances for high-performance workstations with GPUs are common. Conference travel and publication incentives support career development. And on the tax side: california's 13.3% top state income tax rate applies to LA earners as well. There is no city income tax, but the high state rate makes take home pay lower than cities in no income tax states. When someone quotes you $159,000, ask what the total package looks like. The gap between base and total comp is where real money hides.

On negotiation: Highlight cross industry skills. LA employers value candidates who bridge entertainment and tech, so framing your experience across verticals can unlock higher offers. The range for Computer Vision Applications Engineers in Los Angeles runs from $118,000 to $207,000. 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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$

25th

$118,000

Median

$159,000

75th

$207,000

Considering a related role?

Common questions.

Research scientists develop new algorithms and architectures, publishing at venues like CVPR and ICCV. Applications engineers take existing and custom models and deploy them in production environments with real-world constraints: varying lighting, hardware limitations, latency requirements, and integration with business systems. Applications engineers focus on reliability, efficiency, and domain adaptation.

Industrial quality inspection and autonomous vehicles remain the largest markets. Medical imaging AI is growing rapidly with increasing FDA clearances. Retail analytics (shopper behavior, inventory management) is accelerating post-pandemic. Augmented reality applications are emerging with new hardware platforms. Document understanding (OCR, layout analysis) is expanding with LLM integration.

Lead with data: Computer Vision Applications Engineers in Los Angeles earn $118,000 to $207,000, so anchoring your ask near $207,000 gives room to land at the median. Highlight cross industry skills. LA employers value candidates who bridge entertainment and tech, so framing your experience across verticals can unlock higher offers. Never accept the first number without a conversation.

California's 13.3% top state income tax rate applies to LA earners as well. There is no city income tax, but the high state rate makes take home pay lower than cities in no income tax states. When comparing offers across states, your take home pay matters more than the number on the offer letter. A lower salary in a no income tax state can net more than a higher one elsewhere.

Remote work has compressed geographic salary premiums for Computer Vision Applications Engineers. Some Los Angeles employers offer location adjusted pay, while others maintain local rates to attract in office talent. In a high cost market like Los Angeles, remote roles may pay 10 to 20% less than local positions. The $118,000 to $207,000 range reflects both arrangements.

Relevant certifications can add 5 to 15% to a Computer Vision Applications Engineer's base salary in Los Angeles. Specifically, compensation reflects practical expertise in deploying computer vision from research to production. In a market where the range spans $118,000 to $207,000, certifications often bridge the gap between the median and the top of the range.

Los Angeles's economy is driven by Entertainment & Media, Aerospace & Defense, Technology, and Healthcare. Computer Vision Applications Engineers are hired across these sectors, though compensation can vary 15 to 25% between industries. Company size and funding stage also influence total packages significantly.

Computer Vision Applications Engineer salary in other cities.

Other salaries in Los Angeles.

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"Computer Vision Applications Engineer Salary in Los Angeles, CA." Orbyt Salary Explorer, August 2026. https://www.orbytlabs.ai/orbyt-jobs/salaries/computer-vision-applications-engineer/los-angeles

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