Comp by archetype and level.
Ranges are realistic mid-points for federal AI roles in 2026. Pay varies by skill, location, clearance, and how hard you negotiate.
| Archetype | Level | Base low | Base high | Total low | Total high | TS/SCI premium | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Government civilian (GS-13/14/15) | Entry (0-2 yr) | $95K | $120K | $95K | $120K | negligible | GS-12 in DC locality. No equity, modest step raises. Clearance does not change base pay. |
| Government civilian (GS-13/14/15) | Mid (3-7 yr) | $120K | $150K | $120K | $150K | negligible | GS-13 in DC locality. Recruitment incentives exist at NSA, NGA, CYBERCOM but are inconsistent. status as of 2026-06, verify with the program before relying on it. |
| Government civilian (GS-13/14/15) | Senior (8-15 yr) | $145K | $180K | $145K | $180K | negligible | GS-14 in DC locality. Cyber excepted service (CES) at DoD pays similar to GS plus modest premium in some pay bands. |
| Government civilian (GS-13/14/15) | Principal (15+ yr) | $170K | $210K | $170K | $210K | negligible | GS-15 cap or SES entry in DC locality. SES adds performance bonus up to ~$30K. Real ceiling is the federal pay cap. |
| Federal prime | Entry (0-2 yr) | $80K | $110K | $82K | $118K | $5-15K | Booz Allen, Leidos, SAIC, CACI, ManTech tier. Small annual bonus (2-5%). Clearance premium real but smaller at entry. |
| Federal prime | Mid (3-7 yr) | $115K | $160K | $120K | $175K | $15-30K | TS/SCI with poly is where the prime market separates from the GS market. Negotiate hard at this level. |
| Federal prime | Senior (8-15 yr) | $160K | $210K | $170K | $235K | $25-50K | Senior cleared engineers and PMs. Bonus 5-10%. Some primes have small RSU programs but equity is minor. |
| Federal prime | Principal (15+ yr) | $200K | $260K | $220K | $295K | $30-60K | Technical fellow, chief engineer, capture lead tracks. Bonuses 10-15%. Above this, you're in BD/exec territory not engineering. |
| FFRDC/UARC | Entry (0-2 yr) | $90K | $120K | $92K | $125K | $5-15K | MITRE, APL, Lincoln Lab, IDA, RAND, Aerospace Corp. Better benefits than primes. Pay slightly lower than primes at entry, catches up at mid. |
| FFRDC/UARC | Mid (3-7 yr) | $125K | $165K | $130K | $175K | $15-30K | Strong research culture, real publication freedom on unclassified work. Bonus 3-7%. Pension or strong 401k match common. |
| FFRDC/UARC | Senior (8-15 yr) | $165K | $215K | $175K | $235K | $25-50K | Lead engineer or research staff. Pay tracks primes closely now. Lifestyle and mission depth are the draw, not max comp. |
| FFRDC/UARC | Principal (15+ yr) | $210K | $280K | $225K | $305K | $30-60K | Principal staff, fellows. APL and Lincoln Lab top this range. Aerospace and MITRE slightly lower. |
| Big Tech federal | Entry (0-2 yr) | $130K | $170K | $160K | $220K | $10-25K | AWS GovCloud, Azure Gov, Google Public Sector, Palantir, Anduril, Scale federal. Real RSU grants. Higher floor than primes. |
| Big Tech federal | Mid (3-7 yr) | $170K | $220K | $230K | $330K | $20-40K | L5/L6 equivalent. Equity is the big lever. Palantir, Anduril, and Scale pay aggressively for cleared mid-level AI talent. |
| Big Tech federal | Senior (8-15 yr) | $220K | $290K | $320K | $480K | $30-60K | Senior/staff. RSU stack at hire is often $300-600K vesting over 4 years. Refresh grants matter. Ask explicitly. |
| Big Tech federal | Principal (15+ yr) | $280K | $380K | $450K | $750K | $40-80K | Principal/distinguished. Volatile by employer and equity timing. Anduril, Palantir, and Scale produce the high end. unverified at the top of the range, depends heavily on grant timing. |
| Cleared independent | Entry (0-2 yr) | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | n/a | Independent contracting at entry level is rare and not recommended. Build 3+ years inside a prime or FFRDC first. |
| Cleared independent | Mid (3-7 yr) | $150/hr | $200/hr | $250K | $340K | $15-30K equivalent in rate | 1099 or corp-to-corp through a small body shop. No benefits, no PTO, no equity. Bench risk is real between contracts. |
| Cleared independent | Senior (8-15 yr) | $200/hr | $275/hr | $340K | $475K | $25-50K equivalent in rate | Senior cleared SMEs on TS/SCI with full-scope poly hit the top of this range. Negotiate vacation as unpaid days off, not benefits. |
| Cleared independent | Principal (15+ yr) | $275/hr | $400/hr | $450K | $700K | $30-60K equivalent in rate | Few seats. Usually direct-bill to NSA/NGA/CIA via a 2-3 person LLC or trusted small business. unverified at the top, depends entirely on the specific contract vehicle. |