What Skills and States Boost AI Salaries the Most?

Looking for a job in AI? Knowing Rust or Golang can help. So does being in California, Washington, New York, or Oregon.

Those are the main takeaways from the site StoryChief.io, which analyzed 12,634 job listings on Glassdoor that mention artificial intelligence and display any salary information. The information for the study was current through March 8, 2024.

The research identified the most common keywords relating to requirements like skills, education level and experience length found across all the evaluated job openings. The model then estimates each keyword’s salary value depending on the state the job is in and identifies a weighted average. Certain keywords have negative values, which does not mean fulfilling those requirements was a disadvantage. Rather, it means that job descriptions containing those keywords tend to pay less.

The study found that the ability to program in Rust gives candidates the highest pay bump. AI job advertisements containing Rust as a requirement offer a salary increase of $29,480, on average, the study said. The second highest salary bump came from Google’s open-source programming language, called Go or Golang, at $21,080.

According to the study, other pay-boosting skills include deep learning, Python, PyTorch, Scala, JavaScript and NLP. But the study also found that some skills were associated with lower salaries, which meant lower salaries than average. The table below shows different skills and their effect on average salaries.

Related:Best Undergraduate College Programs for Artificial Intelligence

Top Salary Boosting Skills for AI Jobs

Geography Matters Too

The other major finding from the StoryChief.io study was the top-paying states for AI jobs. Not surprisingly, California has the highest salaries for AI jobs, averaging $150,110 per year. The second best-paying state for AI specialists is Washington, where average AI salaries were $143,570 per annum. These states were followed by New York, Oregon, and Nevada.

The table below lists average AI salaries by state.

Best Paying US States for AI Jobs

Experience Helps

While AI has been around for a while, it has only been in recent years where the field has boomed. Still, the study does find that experience helps.

The study found that having over 15 years of relevant experience gives AI jobs the biggest salary bump, estimated at $56,790. Those with ten through 15 years is worth an extra $41,430 above average. Applicants with five to ten years’ worth of relevant experience should expect a $19,700 salary increase compared to their state average. Those with less than five years’ experience in AI can expect to see a salary below average.

Related:What Is the 2024 Outlook for Engineering Jobs?

Skills Matter More Than Degrees

As far as education, the study found that job listings that mention a bachelor’s degree as a requirement tend to pay $8,756 less than average. Having a master’s degree earns AI specialists an extra $1,534 per year, while PhDs tend to boost average salaries by $3,951.

However, degrees mattered less than skills, according to Valeri Potchekailov, CEO of StoryChief.io. He noted that even the highest level of education is currently valued about 7.5 times less than knowing how to code in Rust, for example. “AI is an incredibly fast-paced environment. While higher education is always valuable, the fact that employers appreciate certain specific skills sometimes more than having a particular degree evens out the playing field for those who cannot access higher education or have limited experience. This is refreshing news and opens the door to AI enthusiasts from all walks of life.”