Data Architect (AI/ML).
Salt Lake City.
$132,000
median salary, 3% below the national average
$101,000 to $170,000. Last updated August 2026.
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Data points to own the conversation.
Orbyt estimates Data Architect (AI/ML) pay in Salt Lake City at $132,000, within a range of $101,000 to $170,000. That is 3% below the national average. Salt Lake City anchors the Silicon Slopes tech corridor, home to companies like Qualtrics, Pluralsight, and Domo. 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 Salt Lake City, 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 $127,070 for Database Architects (SOC 15-1243) in the Provo-Orem-Lehi, UT metropolitan area, based on 170 employed workers (May 2025 release).
10th percentile
$86,440
25th percentile
$100,070
Median
$127,070
75th percentile
$157,950
90th percentile
$179,720
Workers surveyed
170
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 Salt Lake City 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 $119,000. Where you land depends on years of experience and what you bring to the table.
Entry (0-2 yrs)
$86,000
to $106,000
Mid (3-5 yrs)
$112,000
to $139,000
Senior (6-9 yrs)
$145,000
to $172,000
Lead (10+ yrs)
$165,000
to $205,000
Total compensation.
Base salary is not the full picture. Equity, bonus, and signing can add $36,000 to the total package.
Base
$132,000
Equity
$20,000
Bonus
$13,000
Signing
$3,000
Estimated total: $168,000
How Salt Lake City compares.
Salt Lake City, UT
$132,000
Cost of living: 2% below average
National Average
$136,000
Salt Lake City is $4,000 below
Data Architect (AI/ML) salary by city.
Salary by role in Salt Lake City.
What you should know.
Before you negotiate a Data Architect (AI/ML) offer in Salt Lake City, understand the terrain. Salt Lake City anchors the Silicon Slopes tech corridor, home to companies like Qualtrics, Pluralsight, and Domo. The region has attracted significant venture investment and tech relocations. Utah's business friendly environment, young educated workforce, and outdoor lifestyle make it a rising destination for tech professionals seeking affordability without sacrificing career growth. 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 Salt Lake City, 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. 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: utah has a flat 4.65% state income tax. Salt Lake City imposes no additional city income tax. The moderate rate combined with affordable living costs results in strong net compensation. When someone quotes you $132,000, ask what the total package looks like. The gap between base and total comp is where real money hides.
On negotiation: Reference Silicon Slopes growth when negotiating. Local employers are increasingly matching 85 to 95% of Seattle or Bay Area salaries to compete for tech talent. The range for Data Architect (AI/ML)s in Salt Lake City runs from $101,000 to $170,000. 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 Salt Lake City, UT." Orbyt Salary Explorer, August 2026. https://www.orbytlabs.ai/orbyt-jobs/salaries/data-architect-ai-ml/salt-lake-city
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