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Embodied AI Engineer.

Denver.

$144,000

median salary, 8% above the national average

$107,000 to $188,000. Last updated August 2026.

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Data points to own the conversation.

Orbyt estimates Embodied AI Engineer pay in Denver at $144,000, within a range of $107,000 to $188,000. That is 8% above the national average. Denver has emerged as a secondary tech hub with strong aerospace, telecom, and outdoor industry employers. 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

$107,000

per year

Median

$144,000

per year

75th Percentile

$188,000

per year

Where do you fall?

$107,000$188,000

Orbyt estimate for Embodied AI Engineer in Denver, 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 $137,610 for Software Developers (SOC 15-1252) in the Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO metropolitan area, based on 27,010 employed workers (May 2025 release).

10th percentile

$99,700

25th percentile

$123,640

Median

$137,610

75th percentile

$171,350

90th percentile

$209,300

Workers surveyed

27,010

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 Embodied AI Engineer specifically. The Denver 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 $129,000. Where you land depends on years of experience and what you bring to the table.

Entry (0-2 yrs)

$94,000

to $115,000

Mid (3-5 yrs)

$122,000

to $151,000

Senior (6-9 yrs)

$158,000

to $187,000

Lead (10+ yrs)

$180,000

to $223,000

Total compensation.

Base salary is not the full picture. Equity, bonus, and signing can add $34,000 to the total package.

Base

$144,000

Equity

$19,000

Bonus

$12,000

Signing

$3,000

Estimated total: $178,000

How Denver compares.

Denver, CO

$144,000

Cost of living: 8% above average

National Average

$133,000

Denver is $11,000 above

Embodied AI Engineer salary by city.

Embodied AI Engineer salary comparison across 10 cities
CityMedianRangeCOLAdjusted
San Jose, CA$187,000$139,000 to $245,0001.38x$136,000
Honolulu, HI$176,000$131,000 to $231,0001.30x$135,000
New York, NY$175,000$131,000 to $229,0001.28x$137,000
San Francisco, CA$172,000$128,000 to $226,0001.35x$127,000
Seattle, WA$168,000$125,000 to $220,0001.24x$135,000
Washington DC, DC$163,000$121,000 to $213,0001.25x$130,000
Newark, NJ$163,000$121,000 to $214,0001.18x$138,000
Boston, MA$161,000$120,000 to $210,0001.22x$132,000
San Diego, CA$154,000$115,000 to $202,0001.17x$132,000
Denver, CO$144,000$107,000 to $188,0001.08x$133,000

See all 81 cities for Embodied AI Engineer →

Salary by role in Denver.

Salary comparison by role in Denver
RoleMedianRange
CTO$311,000$243,000 to $404,000
CEO$309,000$225,000 to $427,000
General Counsel$308,000$240,000 to $401,000
Embodied AI Engineer$144,000$107,000 to $188,000
NLP Engineer$144,000$107,000 to $188,000
Software Developer$144,000$111,000 to $183,000
Full Stack Developer$144,000$111,000 to $183,000
DevOps Engineer$144,000$111,000 to $183,000

What you should know.

Before you negotiate an Embodied AI Engineer offer in Denver, understand the terrain. Denver has emerged as a secondary tech hub with strong aerospace, telecom, and outdoor industry employers. The city attracts remote workers and relocating companies seeking lower costs than the coasts. Salaries have climbed steadily as national employers open satellite offices and compete for Denver's growing talent pool. Pay correlates with robotics platform complexity and real-world deployment experience. Engineers who bridge simulation-to-reality transfer for manipulation or locomotion tasks earn premiums. Hardware integration skills combined with deep learning for perception and control drive salaries toward the high end.

Junior embodied AI engineers start near $142,000 working on perception pipelines. Mid-level engineers deploying manipulation or navigation systems earn $190,000 to $215,000. Technical leads architecting full-stack embodied AI platforms reach $252,000 to $320,000. In Denver, 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. Robotics companies offer competitive equity packages, especially pre-IPO. Annual bonuses of 12% to 20% are standard, with hardware prototype completion bonuses adding $10,000 to $25,000 at some firms. And on the tax side: colorado has a flat 4.4% state income tax. Denver has no additional city income tax, making the overall tax burden lighter than most coastal metros. When someone quotes you $144,000, ask what the total package looks like. The gap between base and total comp is where real money hides.

On negotiation: Position yourself as a remote talent anchor. Many companies pay near coastal rates for Denver based employees to save on office costs while retaining top performers. The range for Embodied AI Engineers in Denver runs from $107,000 to $188,000. 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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Is your offer competitive?

Enter your Embodied AI Engineer offer to see where you stand in Denver.

$

25th

$107,000

Median

$144,000

75th

$188,000

Considering a related role?

Common questions.

Embodied AI emphasizes learning-based approaches over hand-coded control systems. Engineers use foundation models, reinforcement learning, and sim-to-real transfer rather than classical motion planning. The role requires deep ML expertise alongside robotics fundamentals, making it a hybrid discipline with higher compensation than traditional robotics.

Figure, Boston Dynamics, Tesla Optimus, Google DeepMind robotics, and several well-funded startups actively recruit. Amazon and warehouse automation companies also hire heavily. Academic spin-offs from Stanford, CMU, and MIT labs form a pipeline of specialized startups offering competitive compensation packages.

Entry level Embodied AI Engineer positions in Denver typically start near $107,000. Candidates with relevant internships, certifications, or portfolio work often negotiate closer to the median of $144,000. Junior embodied AI engineers start near $142,000 working on perception pipelines.

Ask about equity structure, vesting schedule, annual bonus targets, 401(k) match, health insurance premiums, PTO policy, and remote flexibility. Robotics companies offer competitive equity packages, especially pre-IPO. In Denver's market, these extras can add $36,000 or more on top of the base salary.

The national median for an Embodied AI Engineer is $133,333. In Denver, cost of living adjustments push the median to $144,000. That premium reflects Denver's higher housing, transportation, and everyday costs.

Denver's economy is driven by Aerospace & Defense, Technology, Energy, and Healthcare. Embodied AI 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.

Embodied AI Engineer salary in other cities.

Other salaries in Denver.

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"Embodied AI Engineer Salary in Denver, CO." Orbyt Salary Explorer, August 2026. https://www.orbytlabs.ai/orbyt-jobs/salaries/embodied-ai-engineer/denver

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