Table of Contents
Quick Answer
Computer vision engineers earn a median total compensation of $240,000 in the US in 2026. Top roles at Tesla, Waymo, and Apple Vision reach $450K+.
- Entry-level US: $160K–$200K
- Senior US: $300K–$420K
- Staff at top AV companies: $550K+
Job Market Overview
CV engineer demand grew 41% YoY in 2025 driven by autonomous vehicles, robotics, AR/VR, and medical imaging.
| Metric | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|
| US Open Roles | 11,000 | 15,500 | 22,000 |
| Median Total Comp | $205K | $225K | $240K |
Salary Ranges
United States (Levels.fyi, Dec 2025)
| Level | Base | Bonus | Equity | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Entry | $155K | $18K | $30K | $203K |
| Mid | $180K | $28K | $65K | $273K |
| Senior | $215K | $45K | $140K | $400K |
| Staff | $255K | $65K | $270K | $590K |
Europe
| Country | Total Comp |
|---|---|
| UK | £95K (~$120K) |
| Germany | €88K (~$96K) |
India
| Level | Package |
|---|---|
| Entry | ₹14–22 LPA |
| Mid | ₹28–48 LPA |
| Senior | ₹55–1 Cr |
Required Skills
- PyTorch (dominant in CV)
- OpenCV
- 3D geometry (camera calibration, SLAM)
- Deep learning architectures — ViT, DETR, Segment Anything, YOLO
- CUDA (for high-performance work)
- Dataset tooling — Roboflow, CVAT, Label Studio
- Edge deployment — TensorRT, Core ML, ONNX
Top Companies Hiring
- Tesla Autopilot — $360K median
- Waymo — $395K median
- Apple Vision — $380K median
- Meta Reality Labs — $370K median
- Cruise — $340K median
- NVIDIA — $355K median
- Boston Dynamics — $310K median
- Figure AI — $385K median
- Snap — $285K median
- Niantic — $265K median
Top Courses
- Stanford CS231n: CNNs for Visual Recognition (free, YouTube)
- PyImageSearch University ($49/mo)
- Coursera — Deep Learning Specialization (Course 4) ($49/mo)
- Computer Vision: Algorithms and Applications by Richard Szeliski (free online book)
Conclusion
Computer vision is the highest-paid ML specialization in 2026 at $240K median. Master PyTorch + Stanford CS231n + ship one real-time CV project.
Next step: Finish CS231n and deploy a real-time object detection project on an edge device.