15 Highest-Paying Tech Jobs in 2024 (With Real Salary Data)

Despite 2023 layoffs making headlines, tech salaries remain the highest across all industries. Here are the roles paying the most in 2024.

1. AI Engineer — $152,000/yr median

AI Engineers design and integrate large language models, RAG pipelines, and AI features into products. With every company racing to add AI, demand is up 45% YoY. Companies like OpenAI, Anthropic, and Google pay $250k–$500k total compensation.

2. Machine Learning Engineer — $145,000/yr median

ML Engineers build and deploy AI models at scale. Demand is up 40% YoY. Top companies like Google, Meta, and Amazon pay $200k–$400k total comp.

3. Cloud Architect — $155,000/yr median

Cloud Architects design enterprise infrastructure on AWS, GCP, and Azure. As every company migrates to cloud, demand remains extremely high with very few qualified candidates.

4. Quantitative Analyst — $145,000/yr median

"Quants" apply mathematical modeling to financial markets. Hedge funds and investment banks pay enormous bonuses on top of base, pushing total comp well above $300k.

5. Site Reliability Engineer — $140,000/yr median

SREs keep production systems running. As software scales, reliability is non-negotiable — and SREs with Kubernetes and observability experience are in huge demand.

6. Data Scientist — $122,000/yr median

Data Scientists build predictive models and extract insights from large datasets. Still one of the most in-demand roles, particularly in finance, healthcare, and e-commerce.

7. DevOps Engineer — $118,000/yr median

DevOps Engineers manage CI/CD pipelines and infrastructure automation. As software delivery speeds up, demand has grown 28% YoY.

How to Break Into Six-Figure Tech

The fastest path into six-figure tech in 2024: start with Software Engineering or Data Analysis via bootcamp or self-study, then specialize into ML or cloud after 2–3 years. Use platforms like Coursera, freeCodeCamp, and LeetCode to build skills and a portfolio.