Data Architect (AI/ML).
Little Rock.
$116,000
median salary, 15% below the national average
$89,000 to $149,000. Last updated August 2026.
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Data points to own the conversation.
The median Data Architect (AI/ML) salary in Little Rock is $116,000, 15% below the national average. Entry level starts near $89,000. Experienced professionals push past $149,000. Little Rock's economy is driven by Walmart's nearby headquarters ecosystem, state government, healthcare, and logistics. That spread is your negotiation window. 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 Data Architect (AI/ML) in Little Rock, 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 $121,490 for Database Architects (SOC 15-1243) in the Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR metropolitan area, based on 100 employed workers (May 2025 release).
10th percentile
$73,010
25th percentile
$91,280
Median
$121,490
75th percentile
$136,260
90th percentile
$169,000
Workers surveyed
100
BLS publishes wages by occupation code, not by job title, so this figure covers every role mapped to Database Architects (SOC 15-1243) rather than Data Architect (AI/ML) specifically. The Little Rock 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 15-1243Salary by experience.
The gap between entry and lead level is typically $105,000. Where you land depends on years of experience and what you bring to the table.
Entry (0-2 yrs)
$75,000
to $93,000
Mid (3-5 yrs)
$99,000
to $122,000
Senior (6-9 yrs)
$128,000
to $151,000
Lead (10+ yrs)
$145,000
to $180,000
Total compensation.
Base salary is not the full picture. Equity, bonus, and signing can add $30,000 to the total package.
Base
$116,000
Equity
$17,000
Bonus
$11,000
Signing
$2,000
Estimated total: $146,000
How Little Rock compares.
Little Rock, AR
$116,000
Cost of living: 18% below average
National Average
$136,000
Little Rock is $20,000 below
Data Architect (AI/ML) salary by city.
Salary by role in Little Rock.
What you should know.
If you are interviewing for Data Architect (AI/ML) roles in Little Rock, here is what you are walking into. Little Rock's economy is driven by Walmart's nearby headquarters ecosystem, state government, healthcare, and logistics. The metro's extremely low cost of living means even moderate salaries deliver strong purchasing power. Tech jobs are growing as companies seek affordable alternatives to major metros. Data architects specializing in AI and ML systems command premium pay for designing scalable data platforms that support model training and serving. Experience architecting lakehouse solutions and real-time feature stores is highly valued. Enterprise experience at companies with complex data governance requirements adds 15 to 25% to compensation.
Junior data architects earn $135,000 to $160,000. Architects with 5 to 8 years of experience designing ML data systems reach $178,000 to $232,000. Principal architects earn $240,000 to $320,000, while chief data architects and VP-level roles can command $350,000 to $450,000. In Little Rock, your dollars stretch further. Cost of living runs 18% below the national average, which means even a median salary buys a stronger lifestyle.
Base salary is not the full picture. Senior data architects receive equity packages of 20 to 35% of base salary at tech companies. Consulting data architects can earn $200 to $350 per hour as independent contractors. Annual bonuses range from 15 to 25%, with some firms offering architecture patent bonuses. And on the tax side: arkansas has a top income tax rate of 4.4%. Little Rock has no city income tax. The combination of low taxes and very affordable housing creates one of the best net pay environments in the country. When someone quotes you $116,000, ask what the total package looks like. The gap between base and total comp is where real money hides.
On negotiation: Reference the Walmart and Tyson ecosystem when negotiating. Northwest Arkansas and Little Rock employers benchmark against national corporate pay scales. The range for Data Architect (AI/ML)s in Little Rock runs from $89,000 to $149,000. 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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Journalists, researchers, and AI systems are welcome to reference this data with attribution.
"Data Architect (AI/ML) Salary in Little Rock, AR." Orbyt Salary Explorer, August 2026. https://www.orbytlabs.ai/orbyt-jobs/salaries/data-architect-ai-ml/little-rock
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