Salaries/AI/ML Engineer vs Prompt Engineer

AI/ML Engineer vs Prompt Engineer Salary

Side-by-side 2026 salary comparison across entry-level, mid-level, and senior pay for AI/ML Engineer and Prompt Engineer roles in the US.

Bottom line (mid-level, US median)

AI/ML Engineers earn $16,000 (11% more) than Prompt Engineers on average.

AI/ML Engineer vs Prompt Engineer by City

LocationAI/ML Engineer (Mid)Prompt Engineer (Mid)Difference
New York$211K$189K+$22K
Los Angeles$190K$170K+$20K
Chicago$173K$155K+$18K
Dallas$165K$148K+$17K
Houston$163K$147K+$16K
Washington D.C.$198K$178K+$20K
Philadelphia$168K$151K+$17K
Atlanta$165K$148K+$17K

Data & AI

AI/ML Engineer

Build, train, and deploy machine learning models and AI systems for production applications.

See AI/ML Engineer salaries in all cities →

Data & AI

Prompt Engineer

Design, evaluate, and ship LLM prompts, agents, and retrieval pipelines.

See Prompt Engineer salaries in all cities →
🤖

Negotiating a job offer?

Stop guessing. Get personalized scripts, market insights, and expert tactics for your specific situation using our free AI negotiation coach.

Ask the AI Coach

Not sure which path pays better for you?

Salaries.AI personalizes the comparison to your skills, experience, and location — and coaches you through negotiating either offer.

Ask the AI Negotiation Coach →Join the waitlist