AI/ML engineers develop machine learning models and AI systems that learn from data to make predictions or decisions. They work on model architecture, training, optimization, and deployment to production systems.

AI / ML Engineer Salary in San Diego

The median salary for a AI / ML Engineer in San Diego is $120,982 per year. The range is $91K - $159K (P10: $68,331, P90: $206,718). (BLS OEWS 2025) Typical US salary range: $110K - $180K. In Europe: €75K - €120K. Cost of living in San Diego is very high compared to other cities.

Most In-Demand Skills

Python TensorFlow/PyTorch Machine Learning Theory NLP/Computer Vision Model Optimization LLM Fine-tuning

The San Diego Job Market

Defense, life sciences, tourism, and a large services and trades economy. Defense and life sciences lead, alongside a large tourism, healthcare, and trades economy.

Top industries: Defense & Aerospace, Life Sciences, Tourism & Hospitality, Healthcare & Trades.

Mix of public transit and sprawl; remote biotech and aerospace roles are expanding rapidly.

Career Path & 2026 Trends

AI/ML engineers advance to senior ML engineer, research engineer, or ML platform architect; many pursue specialization in specific domains like NLP or computer vision. AI/ML engineering in 2026 is dominated by generative AI, with massive demand for engineers who can fine-tune and deploy LLMs in production environments.

Interview Tip

Walk through your model development lifecycle—discuss data preparation, model selection, hyperparameter tuning, and evaluation metrics that matter for the business.

How to Find a AI / ML Engineer Job in San Diego?

iampro.io aggregates listings from 40+ sources (Indeed, LinkedIn, and more) and uses AI to analyze each posting against your profile. With 30 current AI / ML Engineer listings in San Diego, you get honest match scores, red flag detection, and personalized CV advice — all for free.

Get Started Free