Drug Discovery AI Researcher.
Tampa.
$198,000
median salary, 8% below the national average
$155,000 to $258,000. Last updated August 2026.
Get the job.
Data points to own the conversation.
Drug Discovery AI Researcher pay in Tampa ranges from $155,000 to $258,000 in 2026. The median is $198,000, 8% below the national average. Tampa's economy combines a strong financial services sector with growing tech, healthcare, and defense industries. 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.
Where do you fall?
Orbyt estimate for Drug Discovery AI Researcher in Tampa, 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 $86,890 for Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists (SOC 19-1042) in the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL metropolitan area, based on 1,490 employed workers (May 2025 release).
10th percentile
$64,860
25th percentile
$68,550
Median
$86,890
75th percentile
$129,120
90th percentile
$166,350
Workers surveyed
1,490
Why this differs from the estimate above. The Orbyt estimate of $198,000 is 128% higher than this published figure. That is usually not an error in either number: BLS reports by occupation code, and Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists covers a different population than the Drug Discovery AI Researcher title as it is typically advertised. Both are shown, unreconciled, so you can judge which one describes the job you mean.
BLS publishes wages by occupation code, not by job title, so this figure covers every role mapped to Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists (SOC 19-1042) rather than Drug Discovery AI Researcher specifically. The Tampa 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 19-1042Salary by experience.
The gap between entry and lead level is typically $178,000. Where you land depends on years of experience and what you bring to the table.
Entry (0-2 yrs)
$129,000
to $158,000
Mid (3-5 yrs)
$168,000
to $208,000
Senior (6-9 yrs)
$218,000
to $257,000
Lead (10+ yrs)
$248,000
to $307,000
Total compensation.
Base salary is not the full picture. Equity, bonus, and signing can add $44,000 to the total package.
Base
$198,000
Equity
$24,000
Bonus
$16,000
Signing
$4,000
Estimated total: $242,000
How Tampa compares.
Tampa, FL
$198,000
Cost of living: 4% below average
National Average
$215,000
Tampa is $17,000 below
Drug Discovery AI Researcher salary by city.
Salary by role in Tampa.
What you should know.
If you are interviewing for Drug Discovery AI Researcher roles in Tampa, here is what you are walking into. Tampa's economy combines a strong financial services sector with growing tech, healthcare, and defense industries. The city has attracted remote workers and corporate relocations seeking Florida's tax advantages. Tampa offers a favorable salary to cost of living ratio, with compensation levels that have risen significantly as the metro continues to grow. The gap between theoretical knowledge and production deployment experience is the single largest salary differentiator. Drug Discovery AI Researchers who can optimize inference costs, reduce model latency, and handle scale reliably earn significantly more. Published research or open source contributions to widely adopted frameworks create additional leverage in negotiations.
Entry-level Drug Discovery AI Researchers start near $168,000. Mid-career professionals with three to five years of experience reach $215,000 to $280,000. Senior-level roles command $275,000 to $333,000. Management transitions to director-level positions offer $355,000 and above. In Tampa, 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 top-tier companies adds 30% to 60% above base salary. Annual bonuses of 15% to 25% are standard. Signing bonuses of $25,000 to $75,000 are common when changing roles. Refresher equity grants vest annually. Relocation packages and executive benefits like financial planning are typical. And on the tax side: florida has no state income tax, which is Tampa's biggest compensation advantage. There are no local income taxes either. Property taxes and insurance costs are the main financial considerations. When someone quotes you $198,000, ask what the total package looks like. The gap between base and total comp is where real money hides.
On negotiation: Frame your salary expectations against the no income tax benefit. Tampa employers know candidates are factoring in the tax savings, so be explicit about how it shapes your number. The range for Drug Discovery AI Researchers in Tampa runs from $155,000 to $258,000. 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?
- A Grid Optimization AI Specialist in Tampa earns $196,000 (1% less)
- The highest-paying role in Tampa is General Counsel at $280,000
- See all ai healthcare roles tracked in Orbyt Intelligence
Common questions.
Drug Discovery AI Researcher salary in other cities.
Other salaries in Tampa.
Related salary pages
Jump to nearby roles and cities most relevant to Drug Discovery AI Researchers in Tampa.
Related tools.
Do you work as a drug discovery ai researcher in Tampa?
Your individual figure is never published. Submissions appear only as aggregate percentiles, and nothing is shown for a role and city until at least five people have reported. It is stored against your account, which is what keeps the dataset clean.
Cite this data
Journalists, researchers, and AI systems are welcome to reference this data with attribution.
"Drug Discovery AI Researcher Salary in Tampa, FL." Orbyt Salary Explorer, August 2026. https://www.orbytlabs.ai/orbyt-jobs/salaries/drug-discovery-ai-researcher/tampa
Want this data on your site? Embed the salary widget. One script tag, free forever.
Related tools