Principal AI researcher salary

The median posted base pay for principal AI research jobs is $240K a year, from 67 open jobs at 32 companies. The middle half of the jobs is from $225K to $270K. One job in ten has posted pay above $343K.

Data of Nov 11, 2026. This is posted base pay, not total pay. It does not include stock or a bonus.

Median posted base pay: $240K
Middle half of the jobs: $225K to $270K
10th to 90th percentile: $211K to $343K
Open jobs with posted pay: 67
Companies: 32

AI researcher pay by level

Posted base pay for AI research jobs, by the level in the job title. This page is about the principal level. A level needs 20 or more jobs with posted pay.

Entry level27 jobs$190K$144K to $216K
Level not stated1,013 jobs$216K$179K to $275K
Senior265 jobs$213K$197K to $238K
Staff94 jobs$255K$220K to $292K
Principal67 jobs$240K$225K to $270K
Director+28 jobs$279K$209K to $325K

Each band goes from the 10th to the 90th percentile. The darker part is the middle half of the jobs. The line is the median. This is posted base pay, not total pay.

Pay bands by level, research. Posted base pay in US dollars for each year.
Level	10th	25th	Median	75th	90th	Jobs with pay
Entry level	$92K	$144K	$190K	$216K	$216K	27
Level not stated	$161K	$179K	$216K	$275K	$353K	1,013
Senior	$170K	$197K	$213K	$238K	$288K	265
Staff	$195K	$220K	$255K	$292K	$339K	94
Principal	$211K	$225K	$240K	$270K	$343K	67
Director+	$166K	$209K	$279K	$325K	$409K	28

Top-paying companies for principal AI research jobs

The companies with the highest median posted base pay for principal AI research jobs. A company name opens its levels in the pay explorer.

1Amazon.com Services LLC$251K16 jobs
2Amazon Development Center U.S., Inc.$244K6 jobs
3Palo Alto Networks$225K8 jobs

The median posted base pay of each company for principal AI research jobs. We use the middle point of each posted range. A company needs 5 or more jobs with posted pay. This is posted base pay, not total pay.

Principal AI researcher pay by US region

The median posted base pay for principal AI research jobs in each US region, compared with the median of all US jobs.

Bay Area33 jobs+6%$254K
Other US cities35 jobs−2%$235K

The median posted base pay for principal research in each US region, compared with the median of all US jobs ($241K). A job that lists two regions counts in each region. A region needs 20 or more jobs. This is posted base pay, not total pay.

Pay by region, principal research. Posted base pay in US dollars for each year.
Region	Median posted base pay	Against the US median	Jobs with pay
Bay Area	$254K	+6%	33
Other US cities	$235K	−2%	35
All US jobs	$241K	0%	64

Open jobs

Other levels

By place

Principal AI researcher salary in the San Francisco Bay Area

Other job types

How we compute these numbers

We read each job from the job board of the company and check it every day. We use only open jobs that state a yearly pay range in US dollars. One job counts with the middle point of its posted range. The median is the middle value of these amounts: half of the jobs are above it and half are below it.

We do not use a range with a bottom below $15,000, a top above $1,000,000, or a top that is more than four times the bottom. A role page needs 20 or more open jobs with posted pay. In the bar chart, a company needs 5 or more jobs with posted pay.

The numbers are base pay as the company posted it. They are not the pay of a person, and they do not include stock, a bonus or benefits. For the stock and the bonus that people reported, see Reported pay.