Salaries/Data Scientist vs AI/ML Engineer

Data Scientist vs AI/ML Engineer Salary

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

Bottom line (mid-level, US median)

AI/ML Engineers earn $29,000 (18% more) than Data Scientists on average.

Data Scientist vs AI/ML Engineer by City

LocationData Scientist (Mid)AI/ML Engineer (Mid)Difference
New York$173K$211K$-38K
Los Angeles$155K$190K$-35K
Chicago$142K$173K$-31K
Dallas$135K$165K$-30K
Houston$134K$163K$-29K
Washington D.C.$162K$198K$-36K
Philadelphia$138K$168K$-30K
Atlanta$135K$165K$-30K

Data & AI

Data Scientist

Analyze complex datasets, build ML models, and derive business insights.

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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 →
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