AI Research salary in San Francisco
Employer-stated pay · updated Oct 23, 2026
AI Research pay in San Francisco is measured from 91 postings where the employer stated pay. The best-evidenced figure is mid-level, where 52 postings put the middle half between $200,000 and $268,375, with a median of $240,000.
Pay rises with seniority here: the medians run mid-level $240,000 and senior $250,750. Moving from mid-level to senior is worth roughly 4% more.
Against the 7 other measured markets for AI research at mid-level, this sits below 1 of them; Sunnyvale leads at $274,500.
5 AI research roles are open in San Francisco right now, 4 listing pay.
| Level | Market range | Median | Sample |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mid | $200,000 – $268,375 | $240,000 | 52 |
| Senior | $226,375 – $297,000 | $250,750 | 39 |
Entry is junior titles. Mid is mid-level and manager titles. Senior is senior titles. Lead is director, VP and above.
Ranges span the 25th to 75th percentile of employer-stated base pay for the level. Median is the 50th percentile. Sample is the number of postings measured.
Open AI research roles in San Francisco · 4 with stated pay
Pay marked e is our estimate. Everything else is the employer's own figure.
Staff Data Scientist, Trust and Safety Pinterest · Remote · US $164,695–$339,078 2w ago 
Applied Research Scientist, AI Research Descript · Remote · US $197,000–$262,500 2mo ago 
Research Engineer, Machine Learning Systems Deepgram · Remote · US $150,000–$250,000 2mo ago 
Research Engineer, Knowledge Team Anthropic · Remote · US $350,000–$850,000 2y ago 
Staff Research Engineer, Model Efficiency Cohere · Remote · US $189,560–$250,750e 11mo ago