Salaries at Google: how much engineers and key specialists earn due to the AI boom
As the battle for AI talent heats up, Google continues to offer some of the highest salaries in the industry to attract and retain top talent. The company, known for its generous compensation packages, is heavily investing in teams developing AI, hardware, and its core search business.
The latest data from public U.S. work visa applications, compiled by Business Insider, gives a glimpse into the salary ranges at Google for key roles. The figures show only base salaries and don't include stock options or bonuses that employees receive. But they confirm Google's status as one of the most attractive employers: programmers here can earn up to $340,000 a year.
The data, which covers about 6,800 applications for the first quarter of 2025, comes as Google and competitors including Meta and Microsoft are stepping up their performance reviews. In April, Google changed its approach to annual performance reviews, with its compensation chief writing in a letter that “high performance is more important than ever.”
Below are Google salaries by major:
Analytical and business roles:
• Account manager: $85,500 – $166,000
• Business systems analyst: $141,000 – $201,885
• Financial analyst: $102,000 – $225,230
• Search quality analyst: $120,000 - $235,000
Engineering roles:
• Application engineer: $138,000 - $199,000
• Customer engineer: $85,009 - $228,000
• Customer solutions engineer: $108,000 - $228,000
• Data engineer: $111,000 – $175,000
• Electrical engineer: $119,000 – $203,000
• Hardware engineer: $130,000 – $284,000
• Network engineer: $108,000 - $195,000
• Research engineer: $153,000 - $265,000
• Security engineer: $97,000 - $233,000
• Senior software engineer: $187,000 - $253,000
• Silicon design verification engineer: $126,000 - $207,050
• Silicon engineer: $146,000 - $252,000
• Silicon generalist: $144,000 - $223,000
• Software engineer: $109,180 – $340,000
• Software engineer (Waymo): $150,000 – $282,000
• Software engineer manager: $199,000 - $316,000
• Site reliability engineer: $133,000 - $258,000
• Staff software engineer: $220,000 - $323,000
Scientific positions:
• Data scientist: $133,000 - $260,000
• Research scientist: $155,000 – $303,000
Management roles:
• Product manager: $136,000 – $280,000
• Program manager: $125,000 – $236,000
• Technical program manager: $116,000 – $270,000
Consulting roles:
• Solutions consultant: $100,000 – $282,000
• Technical solutions consultant: $110,000 – $253,000
Design roles:
• UX designer: $124,000 – $230,000
• UX researcher: $124,000 - $224,000
In 2023, Business Insider obtained an internal spreadsheet in which thousands of Google employees self-reported their 2022 salaries, including some details about stock options and bonuses. Despite the relatively high amounts, many of them still felt they were being paid too little. It’s likely that there will still be some dissatisfaction now, given the rising cost of living in tech hubs and the explosive demand for AI specialists. Google has not yet commented on the published data.