Computer Vision Engineer.
Indianapolis.
$125,000
median salary, 6% below the national average
$93,000 to $163,000. Last updated August 2026.
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Data points to own the conversation.
Indianapolis is 9% cheaper than the national average. For Computer Vision Engineers, that shakes out to a median of $125,000, with the full range spanning $93,000 to $163,000. Expertise in specific application domains (autonomous vehicles, medical imaging, manufacturing inspection) drives the largest salary variation. 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 Computer Vision Engineer in Indianapolis, 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 $106,870 for Software Developers (SOC 15-1252) in the Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood, IN metropolitan area, based on 7,140 employed workers (May 2025 release).
10th percentile
$76,990
25th percentile
$83,990
Median
$106,870
75th percentile
$135,060
90th percentile
$158,970
Workers surveyed
7,140
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 Engineer specifically. The Indianapolis 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 15-1252Salary 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 $52,000 to the total package.
Base
$125,000
Equity
$31,000
Bonus
$13,000
Signing
$8,000
Estimated total: $177,000
Computer Vision Engineer 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 Indianapolis compares.
Indianapolis, IN
$125,000
Cost of living: 9% below average
National Average
$133,000
Indianapolis is $8,000 below
Computer Vision Engineer salary by city.
Salary by role in Indianapolis.
What you should know.
Here is what the Computer Vision Engineer market actually looks like in Indianapolis. Indianapolis has a diversified economy led by healthcare, life sciences, and motorsports engineering. Eli Lilly's headquarters drives a major pharmaceutical and biotech cluster. The city's extremely affordable cost of living means that even moderate salaries deliver strong purchasing power, making it an underrated destination for professionals seeking financial stability. Expertise in specific application domains (autonomous vehicles, medical imaging, manufacturing inspection) drives the largest salary variation. Engineers who can deploy real time inference systems with strict latency requirements earn more. Experience with 3D vision, video understanding, and edge device optimization commands significant premiums over basic image classification skills.
Junior CV engineers start at $120,000 to $150,000, reaching mid level at $160,000 to $205,000 in two to three years. Senior CV engineers earn $205,000 to $275,000. Staff engineers and research leads at companies like Waymo or in medical imaging can exceed $400,000 in total compensation. In Indianapolis, cost of living sits near the national average, so the numbers you see are roughly what you keep.
Base salary is not the full picture. Equity at autonomous vehicle and robotics companies can add $40,000 to $150,000+ annually. Bonuses of 15 to 25% are standard. Signing bonuses of $30,000 to $80,000 are common. Benefits frequently include access to specialized hardware, conference sponsorship, and patent filing bonuses. And on the tax side: indiana has a flat 3.05% state income tax, one of the lowest in the country. Marion County adds about 2.02% in local taxes. The combined rate remains well below most major metros. 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: Benchmark against pharmaceutical industry pay scales. Eli Lilly and the biotech cluster set high compensation floors that ripple across all professional roles in Indianapolis. The range for Computer Vision Engineers in Indianapolis runs from $93,000 to $163,000. 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 Research Scientist in Indianapolis earns $126,000 (1% more)
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- See all ai engineering roles tracked in Orbyt Intelligence
Common questions.
Computer Vision Engineer salary in other cities.
Other salaries in Indianapolis.
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Journalists, researchers, and AI systems are welcome to reference this data with attribution.
"Computer Vision Engineer Salary in Indianapolis, IN." Orbyt Salary Explorer, August 2026. https://www.orbytlabs.ai/orbyt-jobs/salaries/computer-vision-engineer/indianapolis
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