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Data Engineer salary in Artificial Intelligence startups in 2026
How much does a Data Engineer expect to make in Artificial Intelligence startups? The average expected salary for Data Engineers in Artificial Intelligence startups is 181k per year, with a range from 90k to 315k. These amounts were gathered from Wellfound self-reported data and represent the median salary range. The salary range for Data Engineers in Artificial Intelligence startup varies depending on factors such as location, experience, skills, and startup stage.
180.9k
Average Salary
3 years
Average years of experience

Salary
The average salary for a Data Engineer in Artificial Intelligence startups is $180,917, which is 17.3% higher than the average salary of $154,292 in Artificial Intelligence startups. Data Engineer salaries in Artificial Intelligence are based on exclusive Wellfound data. All data is updated on a weekly basis. Factors that may influence salary include: location, years of experience, title, size of company, and skill-set.
Top of market
$251,583/yr
Range $184k - $315k
Average
$180,917/yr
Range $135k - $225k
Below Average
$133,208/yr
Range $90k - $175k
Top Locations
The highest average salary a Data Engineer in Artificial Intelligence can get in Seattle, that is $213,000. This pay is 17.7% higher than the average Data Engineer salary in Artificial Intelligence startups, which is $180,917. Salaries will vary based on your location. The top-paying markets in the US, on average, are currently: Seattle (avg $213,000 per year), Los Angeles (avg $170,000 per year), New York (avg $150,000 per year). Remote jobs often pay based on the location you reside in.
Industries
Use the filters above to discover compensation across companies similar to yours.
Tech Stack
The highest average salary a Data Engineer in Artificial Intelligence can get with Ruby on Rails, that is $190,000. This pay is 23.1% higher than the average salary in Artificial Intelligence startups, which is $154,292. Salary range for specific skills will vary based on the supply and demand in the current market.
Top Tech Stacks
The top-paying Data Engineer skills in Artificial Intelligence startups of 2026 are:
1. Ruby on Rails
$190k
2. Deep Learning
$185k
3. C++
$185k
4. PyTorch
$185k
5. Go
$166k
6. C
$160k
7. C#
$145k
8. Docker
$145k
9. Rust
$140k
10. PostgreSQL
$140k
Years of experience
Below Average
Average
Top of Market
The highest average salary a Data Engineer in Artificial Intelligence can get with 10+ years of experience, that is $215,000. This pay is 39.3% higher than the average salary in Artificial Intelligence startups, which is $154,292. The salary range varies with years of experience and depends on other factors such as skill set, size of company, and industry.
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