Diffusion models salary: $238K median
The median advertised Diffusion models salary is $238K a year, and the middle half of postings offer $200K to $280K: counted from 39 open roles that publish a yearly US-dollar range: about $114 an hour or $19,833 a month. A tenth of the postings offer $301K or more. Advertised ranges, not verified pay.
Check an offer against these figuresAll Diffusion models jobs
$238Kmedian advertised salary
$200K – $280Kmiddle half of roles
$240Kaverage advertised salary
39roles counted
Diffusion models salary by location
| Name | Median salary | Roles counted |
|---|---|---|
| 🇺🇸United States | $242K | 33 |
| 🇺🇸California | $242K | 29 |
| 🇺🇸San Francisco Bay Area | $240K | 26 |
Skills that pay more for Diffusion models roles
| Skill | Median with it | Above the median | Postings |
|---|---|---|---|
| JAX | $280K | +$42K | 7 |
| CUDA | $280K | +$42K | 5 |
| PyTorch | $254K | +$16K | 16 |
| Reinforcement learning | $246K | +$8K | 9 |
| C++ | $242K | +$4K | 9 |
Top-paying companies
| Name | Median salary | Roles counted |
|---|---|---|
| Nuro | $242K | 5 |
| Waymo | $235K | 6 |
| Black Forest Labs | $232K | 5 |
Highest-paying open Diffusion models roles
All Diffusion models jobs- Research Engineer / Research ScientistRiver AI Inc. · 🇺🇸Palo Alto, CA$200K - $420KMachine LearningPyTorchReinforcement learning
- Helix AI Engineer, PerceptionFigure · 🇺🇸San Jose, CA$200K - $400KAICUDAComputer Vision
- Member of Technical Staff, InferenceInferact · 🇺🇸San Francisco$200K - $400KPythonLLMPyTorch
- Machine Learning ScientistSuno · 🇺🇸Boston$207K - $395KMachine LearningLLMPyTorch
- Manager, Onboard Behavior EncoderZoox · 🇺🇸Foster City, CA$254K - $366KMachine LearningLLMReinforcement learning
- Staff / Senior Software Engineer, Product TeamsSuno · 🇺🇸NYC$228K - $363KLead and abovePythonTypeScriptReact
- Senior/Staff Machine Learning Research Scientist: Generative Modeling for PlanningNuro · 🇺🇸Mountain View, California (HQ)$194K - $352KLead and abovePythonC++Machine Learning
- Staff/Lead Machine Learning Research Scientist, Behavior & PlanningNuro · 🇺🇸Mountain View, California (HQ)$235K - $352KLead and abovePythonC++Machine Learning
- Director / Senior Director, Machine Learning for BiologyAltos Labs · 🇺🇸San Diego, CA; San Francisco Bay Area, CA$274K - $351KLead and aboveMachine LearningLLMAI
- Member of Technical Staff - ML PerformanceModal · 🇺🇸New York$200K - $350KLinuxCUDAFine-tuning
- AI Researcher1X · 🇺🇸San Carlos, CA$250K - $350KPythonMachine LearningPyTorch
- Researcher, ModelsCartesia · 🇺🇸*HQ - San Francisco, CA$180K - $350KPyTorchTensorFlowDatabricks
- Sr. Machine Learning Engineer, Applied SciencePinterest · 🇺🇸San Francisco, CA, US; Remote, US$161K - $332KRemoteSeniorSQLMachine LearningLLM
- Staff ML Engineer, Generative Model Performance & EfficiencyWaymo · 🇺🇸Mountain View, California, United States; New York City…$251K - $310KLead and abovePythonC++Machine Learning
- Staff/Sr. Staff Machine Learning Engineer - World Modeling, SimulationWaymo · 🇺🇸Mountain View, CA, USA$251K - $310KLead and abovePythonC++Machine Learning
- Member of Technical Staff - Product (Backend)Modal · 🇺🇸San Francisco$150K - $300KPythonTypeScriptLLM
- Solutions EngineerBlack Forest Labs · 🇺🇸San Francisco (United States)$180K - $285KPythonGenerative AIDiffusion models
- Member of Technical Staff - Infrastructure SecurityBlack Forest Labs · Remote$220K - $280KRemoteLLMKubernetesGenerative AI
- Senior Systems Engineer, Workers AICloudflare · In-Office$194K - $266KSeniorRustLLMKubernetes
- Senior Machine Learning Engineer - Generative ModelsApplied · 🇺🇸Sunnyvale$185K - $260KSeniorPythonC++Machine Learning
Questions about Diffusion models pay
- What is the average Diffusion models salary?
- $240K a year on average and $238K at the median, across 39 open Diffusion models postings at companies that state pay (November 2026). The median is the better guide: a few very high offers pull the average up.
- What is the typical range?
- The middle half of the postings offer $200K to $280K a year. A quarter offer less and a quarter offer more.
- Which companies advertise the highest Diffusion models pay?
- Nuro ($242K), Waymo ($235K), Black Forest Labs ($232K), by the median of their open postings that state pay (three postings or more).
- Is a diffusion models a high-paying job?
- The median Diffusion models posting advertises $238K a year, more than the median of all 55,899 job postings with pay on Jobs Every Hour ($174K). That is 37% above the middle of the market.
- How much can you earn as a diffusion models?
- A tenth of the postings offer $301K a year or more; the highest open Diffusion models role advertises up to $420K. Pay rises with level: see the table by level.
- What is the Diffusion models salary per hour and per month?
- The median of $238K a year is about $114 an hour (2,080 working hours) and $19,833 a month before tax. The middle half of postings: $96 to $135 an hour.
- Which skills pay more for Diffusion models roles?
- Postings that ask for JAX (+$42K, 7 postings), CUDA (+$42K, 5 postings), PyTorch (+$16K, 16 postings) advertise more than the $238K median of all Diffusion models postings with pay.
- Where do these figures come from?
- From the pay ranges employers print in their own job postings, read from their careers pages every hour. The midpoint of each range is counted. These are advertised ranges for open roles, mostly in the United States and in US dollars, not what people are actually paid.
Writing about this? A sentence you can quote
The median advertised salary for Diffusion models roles at companies is $238K a year, and the middle half of postings offer $200K to $280K. Counted from 39 open job postings that state pay, November 2026. Source: Jobs Every Hour, https://jobseveryhour.com/salaries/diffusion-models/
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