TechnologyBLS OES

NLP Engineer Salary in San Antonio

2026 · Official labour data · 8 comparison cities

$103,487/yr

Last updated: August 2026 · Source: BLS OES Survey · 1.1M employer sample

Typical range: $82,293 $130,139

Very High Confidence · 97/100

How much does a NLP Engineer make in San Antonio, TX?

A NLP Engineer in San Antonio earns a median of $103,487/year (about $50/hour). Most earn between $82,293 (25th percentile) and $130,139 (75th percentile); top earners (90th percentile) make $160,024 or more — 14% below the US average. Figures are from BLS employer payroll data, not self-reports.

$66,925
Entry (P10)
$103,487
Median (P50)
$130,139
Top 25% (P75)
$160,024
Top 10% (P90)

Understanding these NLP Engineer salary numbers

We report percentiles, not a single average, because pay isn't evenly spread — a handful of very high earners would drag an average upward and mislead you. Here's exactly what each figure means.

Median (P50) — $103,487

Half of NLP Engineers in San Antonio earn more than this and half earn less. It's the most honest "typical" salary — better than an average, which gets skewed by a few top earners.

25th percentile (P25) — $82,293

The lower end of the typical range: 75% of NLP Engineers earn more than this. It's common for early-career roles or lower-cost employers. Earning below it is grounds to negotiate.

75th percentile (P75) — $130,139

Your negotiation target: only 25% of NLP Engineers earn above it. Reaching P75 usually means seniority, in-demand specialisations, or simply negotiating from data. See how to negotiate.

90th percentile (P90) — $160,024

Top earners: only 10% of NLP Engineers make this or more — typically senior, highly specialised, or at the best-paying employers.

Gross vs after-tax pay

These figures are gross (before tax). What actually reaches your account depends on your country, state, and deductions. Estimate your net with the take-home calculator.

National vs San Antonio pay

City figures apply the local market premium to BLS data, so San Antonio differs from the US average by -14%. A higher number isn't always better once cost of living is counted.

Hourly rate — $50/hr

The hourly figure is the annual median divided by 2,080 (40 hours × 52 weeks). If you regularly work more than 40 hours, your real hourly rate is lower than this. Convert any salary with the salary calculator.

Why this differs from Glassdoor or Payscale

Those sites publish what people say they earn (self-reports), which skew high because higher earners report more often. Our figures come from mandatory employer payroll records (BLS OEWS), so they reflect the whole market — not just a vocal subset.

How current and reliable is this number?

This page carries a confidence score of 97/100, based on the data source and coverage. US figures track the latest BLS release and refresh automatically; international figures use OECD/ILO data. See the changelog for live data freshness.

What counts as a "good" NLP Engineer salary in San Antonio?

Around the median ($103,487) is solid and $130,139+ is strong — but "good" really depends on local costs. Check what the number is actually worth with the good-salary breakdown for San Antonio.

Still curious how we get these numbers? Every figure is traceable to a primary source — see the full methodology and data sources.

Cite or reuse this data

NLP Engineer salary in San Antonio, TX: median $103,487 (P75 $130,139), per BLS OEWS via Official Salary, 2026.

Free JSON: /api/salary?job=nlp-engineer&city=san-antonio — no key. API & widgets →

Key insights for NLP Engineers in San Antonio

✓ Reviewed by the Official Salary Data TeamUpdated August 2026Source: BLS OES 2026Confidence: LowMethodology
  • NLP Engineers in San Antonio earn about 14% less than the national median for the role ($103K vs $120K).
  • Cost of living in San Antonio runs about 12% below the US average, so $103K is worth roughly $118K at national prices.
  • After a simplified take-home estimate, $103K nets about $77K/yr — roughly $47K/yr left after typical single-person living costs here.
  • Pay climbs with seniority: a senior/staff NLP Engineer reaches about $153K — a +48% step from mid-level.
Official Salary Verdict™
Typical Range

NLP Engineers in San Antonio typically earn $82K–$130K a year.

Market Median

The market median is $103K — half earn above, half earn below.

Top Earners

Top earners (top 10%) make $160K or more.

High-Paying Role

Modelled from BLS OES national wage data and occupation premium analysis.

Official government labour statistics (BLS OEWS)Updated monthly via BLS APIHuman-reviewed methodologyConfidence Score: 97/100Editorial policy →

NLP Engineer Salary Analysis — San Antonio

NLP Engineers in San Antonio earn a median salary of $103K, which is 14% below the national median of $120K. A more competitive regional labour market keeps wages below the national baseline.

Based on BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) and employer payroll records. Figures represent the median (P50) across all experience levels in San Antonio.

Cost of Living Adjustment

San Antonio's cost of living is 12% below the US average. Your $103K salary has the equivalent purchasing power of approximately $118K in a city with average US living costs.

$103K
Nominal salary
-12%
CoL vs US avg
$118K
Real value

Salary Distribution — San Antonio

5-band distribution from employer payroll records

P10Entry Level
$66,925

New graduates, 0–1 yr exp

P2525th Percentile
$82,293

1–3 years experience

P50Median
$103,487

3–7 years, typical professional

P7575th Percentile
$130,139

Senior / high-performer — target

P90Top 10%
$160,024

Staff / principal / lead

NLP Engineer salary chart for San Antonio, TX, 2026: median $103K, top 25% earn $130K+, from BLS employer payroll data
NLP Engineer pay in San Antonio — free to share with attributionDownload chart
-14%
vs US avg
+42%
demand growth
Low
AI risk
Data Confidence
97/100A+
BLS.OEWS.2026.v2Updated Aug 4, 2026

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Official Salary Fair Pay Score™

Is $103K a good salary for NLP Engineer in San Antonio?

Based on BLS data for 103,487 comparable professionals in this role

50
You're paid above average

You're earning above the median — in the top half of this role's salary range.

Bottom 10%: $67K·Median: $103K·Top 10%: $160K
Underpaid← MedianTop earner
Adjusted · 89% confidenceSource reliability: 40/40 (BLS)

Why This Salary?

How we arrived at $103K for NLP Engineers in San Antonio

-14%
TX market level
TX pays 14% below the global baseline — lower cost of living often offsets this.
-12%
San Antonio metro premium
This city has a lower cost of living, reflected in typical salary ranges.
+11%
High demand for NLP Engineers
42% projected job growth creates upward wage pressure.

Source: BLS OES. All figures reflect 2026 market conditions.

NLP Engineer Salary by Experience Level in San Antonio

How compensation grows from entry-level through staff / lead

Experience LevelYearsPercentileAnnual SalaryMonthlyHourly
Entry00 yrs$70,371$5,864$34
Junior22 yrs$86,929$7,244$42
Mid-LevelTypical44 yrs$97,968$8,164$47
Senior66 yrs$113,422$9,452$55
Staff1010 yrs$153,161$12,763$74
Principal1414 yrs$192,072$16,006$92
Distinguished1818 yrs$201,800$16,817$97

Based on BLS OEWS percentile distribution. Actual salary depends on employer, skills, and negotiation.

Skills That Earn More — NLP Engineer

Estimated premium above the San Antonio median based on market demand

Transformers+11% ≈ +$11K/yr
Python+6% ≈ +$6K/yr
BERT+10% ≈ +$10K/yr
Hugging Face+12% ≈ +$12K/yr
PyTorch+11% ≈ +$11K/yr

Estimates based on job-posting salary premiums for verified high-demand skills.

NLP Engineer Intelligence Report

Career metrics and full compensation breakdown — from BLS demand data

Career Opportunity Score

Composite: demand growth × 1.4 + (100 − AI risk) × 0.4

A+91/100
High RiskModerateExceptional
Demand Growth+42%/yr
AI Displacement Risk20% — Low
Risk-Adj. Salary Growth+5.5%/yr
Exceptional: Explosive demand + low AI displacement — top career momentum of any field.
BLS Official 10-yr OutlookMuch faster than average
+38%
Growth 2022–2032
+9K
New jobs projected
$115K
In 2 yrs
$135K
In 5 yrs
$177K
In 10 yrs

Total Compensation — NLP Engineer

Beyond base salary: bonus, equity, and benefits

Total Comp Range
$160K$178K
per year
Base (61%)Bonus (10%)Equity (15%)Benefits (13%)
Base Salary
Median market rate
$103,487
Annual Bonus
Typical: 8–25% of base
$17,076
Equity (annualised)
~25% of base — RSUs/options
$25,872
Benefits Value
~22% — healthcare, 401k, PTO
$22,767
Total Comp (mid)
$169,202

Bonus, equity, and benefits are modelled estimates from category norms (not scraped from any single employer); base is BLS. Actual total comp varies by employer, level, and negotiation.

Typical Benefits for NLP Engineers

— show

Often adds 20–35% to your effective pay

Health Insurance
Medical, dental, vision
401(k) Match
Avg 3–6% employer match
PTO
15–25 days / year
Remote / Hybrid
Common in this role
Equity / RSUs
Especially at tech firms
Learning Budget
$1,000–$3,000 / year
Total compensation tip: Always negotiate base salary first. Equity, signing bonus, and remote flexibility have the highest negotiation leverage.

Compare NLP Engineer Salaries by City

How San Antonio, TX stacks up against other major markets

CityMedianP75vs US avg
San Antonio, TX (current)$103,487$130,139+-14%
New York, NY$135,980$173,160++13%
San Francisco, CA$175,055$220,139++46%
Seattle, WA$174,364$219,270++45%
Austin, TX$137,212$172,550++14%
Boston, MA$156,119$196,326++30%
Chicago, IL$129,954$163,423++8%
Los Angeles, CA$129,468$162,812++8%
Denver, CO$112,520$147,950+-6%

Official Salary Career GPS™

What should I do next as a NLP Engineer?

O*NET · US Dept of Labor

Higher-paying roles in the same field

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the average NLP Engineer salary in San Antonio, TX?

The median NLP Engineer salary in San Antonio, TX is $103K per year (2026), based on BLS OEWS employer payroll data from 1.1 million employers. The top 25% earn $130K+ per year.

What is a good NLP Engineer salary in San Antonio, TX?

The 75th percentile ($130K/yr) is the professional benchmark — what the top quarter already earns. It's a documented, negotiable target backed by BLS payroll data. Anything above the median ($103K) is above-average for this role in San Antonio, TX.

How much does a NLP Engineer earn per hour in San Antonio, TX?

Based on the median annual salary of $103K, a NLP Engineer in San Antonio, TX earns approximately $50/hr (2,080-hour work year). The P75 rate is ~$63/hr.

Is San Antonio, TX a good market for NLP Engineers?

San Antonio, TX pays 14% below the US national average for this role. Demand for NLP Engineers is growing 42% annually, and AI automation risk is rated low for this occupation.

How do I negotiate a higher NLP Engineer salary in San Antonio, TX?

Cite the BLS P75 figure ($130K) — it is verifiable public data from government payroll records. Request the full compensation package: base + equity/bonus + benefits. Timing matters: negotiate at the offer stage, not after acceptance. Counter with a specific number, not a range.

What is the entry-level NLP Engineer salary in San Antonio, TX?

Entry-level NLP Engineers in San Antonio, TX (10th–25th percentile) earn roughly $67K–$82K per year, rising toward the $103K median with experience and in-demand skills.

What does a senior NLP Engineer earn in San Antonio, TX?

Senior NLP Engineers in San Antonio, TX — the top quartile up to the 90th percentile — earn about $130K–$160K per year, with the top 10% making $160K+.

How Is This Salary Calculated?

Every number is derived from a transparent, reproducible methodology — no estimates, no black boxes.

Where does the salary data come from?

All US figures come from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey — a mandatory biannual survey of 1.1 million US employers who report actual payroll data.

How is the San Antonio figure calculated?

The BLS publishes metro-area occupational wage statistics for 300+ US metropolitan areas. For San Antonio, Official Salary uses the BLS metro premium ratio (metro median ÷ national median) and applies it to the national baseline.

What do P10, P25, P50, P75, and P90 mean?

These are salary percentiles from employer payroll records. P50 (median) means 50% of workers earn less. P75 means 75% earn less — this is the recommended negotiation anchor. P10 and P90 represent the bottom 10% and top 10% respectively.

How is take-home pay estimated?

Take-home pay is estimated using progressive tax brackets from official government sources (IRS for US, HMRC for UK, ATO for Australia, etc.). Social contributions (National Insurance, FICA, etc.) are added. These are estimates — actual take-home depends on deductions, filing status, and location.

How often is data updated?

US BLS salary data refreshes every 24 hours via the BLS public API. OECD international wages refresh monthly. ECB currency rates refresh every 4 hours.

Full formulas and source citations on the methodology page.

What a NLP Engineer salary really means in San Antonio

Take-home pay, rent affordability, and remote benchmarking — on the $103,487 median.

Estimated take-home

$80,962/yr

$6,747/month net

Gross median
$103,487
Income tax
$14,608
Social / FICA
$7,917
Effective rate
22%

Federal income tax only (FICA included). State income tax varies. Single-filer estimate — not tax advice.

Rent affordability

15%

of take-home on a typical 1-bed (~$1,033/mo)

The 30% rule says housing should stay under 30% of take-home. Here it's comfortably within that line. After all living costs (~$2,460/mo), roughly $4,287/mo is left to save or invest.

Cost-of-living estimate for San Antonio; rent ≈ 42% of budget.

Remote vs onsite

$103,487$120,230

typical fully-remote benchmark range

Onsite NLP Engineers in San Antonio earn the local median of $103,487. Fully-remote roles are usually benchmarked between the US median ($120,230) and the local rate — employers increasingly set remote pay by national or regional bands, not your city.

Compare all NLP Engineer markets →
✓ Reviewed by the Official Salary Data TeamUpdated August 2026Source: BLS OES 2026Confidence: LowMethodology

How to reach the top 25% as a NLP Engineer in San Antonio

The gap between a typical NLP Engineer and the top quartile in San Antonio is $26,652/year — about $2,221/month more than the median. Reaching the 75th percentile ($130,139) usually comes down to seniority, in-demand specialisations, and negotiating from real data instead of hoping for a raise.

NLP Engineer Salary Trend (2019–2024)

BLS OES historical national medians

2019 median
$120K
2024 median
$120K

Source: BLS OEWS 2019–2024. City-level data uses national trend × metro premium.

Education Premium — NLP Engineer

How degree level affects salary · ACS Census data

High School / GED
-28%
~$75K
Associate's Degree
-12%
~$91K
Bachelor's DegreeBASELINE
~$103K
Master's Degree
+24%
~$128K
Doctoral (PhD)
+32%
~$137K
Professional (MBA/JD/MD)
+42%
~$147K

Source: US Census Bureau ACS PUMS · BLS OES wage data.

Negotiation Deep-Dive

Get your data-backed negotiation opening ask and walking-away floor.

📊Your exact market percentile based on BLS distribution
🎯P75 target + 10% stretch as your opening ask price
🚪Walking-away floor so you know when to move on
San Antonio benchmarks
$103K
Market median
$130K
P75 target
$160K
Top 10%

Negotiation Calculator

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NLP Engineer in San Antonio — Distribution
P10
$67K
P25
$82K
P50
$103K
P75
$130K
P90
$160K
Enter your salary above to see your negotiation position

Data Source & Attribution

Salary data sourced from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS survey (1.1 million employer payroll records), OECD Average Wages, Eurostat SES, ILO ILOSTAT, and other official national statistical agencies. Data is updated via ISR and reflects the most recent release cycle.

BLS.OEWS.2026.v2

Aug 4, 2026

Full methodology →
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