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AI & Autonomy salaries in Boston

What companies building the future pay, straight from their own job postings.

73 openings with posted pay · Updated Nov 3, 2026

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AI & Autonomy · Boston

73 matching openings with posted pay
1
Research Scientist, Robotics

Tutor Intelligence · Watertown, MA · Senior

$180k–$420k / year
2
Machine Learning Scientist

Suno · Boston, MA · Senior

$207k–$395k / year
3
Director, AI Core Software

Merlin Labs · Boston, MA · Director

$252k–$360k / year
4
Senior Manager, Perception (R5914)

Shield AI · Washington, D.C. · Manager

$240k–$360k / year
5$234k–$351k / year
6$234k–$351k / year
7
Senior Staff Software Engineer, Autonomous Pilot Integration (R5193)

Shield AI · Washington, D.C. · Staff / Principal

$234k–$351k / year
8
Senior Staff Software Engineer, Perception (R4985)

Shield AI · Washington, D.C. · Staff / Principal

$234k–$351k / year

Median base salary

$228k

73 openings with posted pay

Typical range

$200k–$260k

25th to 75th percentile

Across all 27,122 openings with posted pay, the median is $175k. Annual base salary. Equity and bonus excluded. Methodology

AI & Autonomy by sector

Bar shows 25th to 75th percentile

AI Research256 openings
Typical range $273k–$413k
$309k
AI App209 openings
Typical range $200k–$300k
$245k
Typical range $194k–$274k
$236k
Transportation258 openings
Typical range $177k–$270k
$225k
Robotics96 openings
Typical range $170k–$252k
$225k
Defense242 openings
Typical range $175k–$250k
$212k
Aerospace186 openings
Typical range $160k–$213k
$178k

AI & Autonomy by location

Bar shows 25th to 75th percentile

NYC203 openings
Typical range $226k–$300k
$273k
SF Bay Area1,013 openings
Typical range $200k–$300k
$245k
Remote202 openings
Typical range $198k–$281k
$238k
Seattle109 openings
Typical range $185k–$273k
$230k
Washington, D.C.87 openings
Typical range $195k–$276k
$228k
Canada58 openings
Typical range $200k–$283k
$228k
Boston73 openings
Typical range $200k–$260k
$228k

Methodology

All figures come from salary ranges companies publish on their own job postings, pulled from their applicant tracking systems hourly. Nothing is self-reported or estimated.

Pay in other currencies is converted at fixed recent exchange rates. Hourly, weekly, and monthly pay is annualized. Everything is base salary only. Equity and bonus are excluded because postings rarely quantify them.

Stats are medians and quartiles of each posting's range midpoint, weighted by open roles. Groups with fewer than 30 openings (8 for a single company) are not shown.

Numbers reflect currently open roles, not historical offers. About 57% of tracked openings post pay. US pay-transparency laws drive most disclosure, so coverage skews to US roles. Explore hiring patterns in the hiring report.

Frequently asked questions

What is the median salary at companies building the future?
The median posted base salary is $175k per year, across 27,122 live openings at 529 companies. The middle half of postings falls between $133k and $225k.
Which startup roles pay the most?
AI & Autonomy roles lead at a $230k median, followed by Software & Data ($215k) and Infrastructure, IT, & Security ($202k), based on the ranges companies post on live openings.
Which companies building the future pay the highest salaries?
Aaru tops the list with a $353k median posted base salary, ahead of Anthropic ($345k) and Thinking Machines Lab ($330k), among companies with eight or more openings that post pay.
Do startup job postings include salary?
About 57% of the openings BuildList tracks post a pay range. Disclosure is highest at US companies covered by pay-transparency laws, so coverage skews to US roles.
Where does this salary data come from?
From the pay ranges companies publish on their own job postings, pulled hourly from their applicant tracking systems and normalized to annual base salary. Equity and bonus are excluded. Nothing is self-reported or estimated.

These numbers come from 27,122 live openings. Browse the roles behind them.