AI Training Pay Index · October 19, 2026
What AI trainers earn
Computed from all 1,094 live listings on four platforms. The median hourly role pays $75. Math & statistics tops the table at $100; voice & audio sits at $26. Roles asking for a PhD pay a median $83, against $70 for roles that name no degree.
Citing these numbers? Use the frozen October 2026 report →Every role, plotted
Swipe the chart sideways to see higher pay.
By field
| Median | 75th pct | Top | Listings | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Math & statistics | $100 | $185 | $200 | 32 | |
| Humanities & policy | $100 | $150 | $250 | 10 | |
| Law | $95 | $110 | $150 | 19 | |
| Chemistry | $83 | $85 | $150 | 33 | |
| Mental health | $80 | $150 | $200 | 8 | |
| Finance & accounting | $80 | $90 | $250 | 105 | |
| Energy & earth sciences | $80 | $85 | $300 | 31 | |
| Engineering | $80 | $100 | $200 | 91 | |
| Data & analytics | $80 | $85 | $125 | 16 | |
| Writing & editing | $80 | $80 | $120 | 10 | |
| Medicine & health | $78 | $135 | $450 | 74 | |
| Machine learning | $75 | $105 | $400 | 28 | |
| Design & media | $75 | $95 | $125 | 21 | |
| Teaching | $75 | $75 | $150 | 6 | |
| Biology & life sciences | $73 | $105 | $210 | 22 | |
| Generalist | $73 | $80 | $192 | 44 | |
| Physics | $70 | $95 | $125 | 30 | |
| Business & operations | $65 | $80 | $200 | 77 | |
| Software & coding | $65 | $75 | $240 | 122 | |
| Cybersecurity | $60 | $90 | $250 | 38 | |
| General STEM | $50 | $50 | $120 | 15 | |
| Languages & translation | $31 | $80 | $120 | 52 | |
| Voice & audio | $26 | $75 | $280 | 174 |
By platform
| Median | 75th pct | Top | Listings | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercor | $80 | $100 | $450 | 264 | |
| micro1 | $90 | $103 | $240 | 24 | |
| Handshake AI | $80 | $100 | $300 | 242 | |
| Alignerr | $60 | $80 | $400 | 528 |
By degree asked for
| Median | 75th pct | Top | Listings | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Asks for a PhD | $83 | $95 | $200 | 205 | |
| Asks for a master's | $55 | $55 | $300 | 30 | |
| No degree named | $70 | $90 | $450 | 823 |
By language
Method
Median of the midpoint of each listed hourly range. Salaried roles converted at 2,080 hours a year. Per-task and one-time pay excluded. Listings are read from each platform's public pages once a day. Alignerr posts many near-identical country versions of one role; we count each role once.
This measures what platforms advertise, not what lands in people's accounts. For that, see the worker reports on each platform page, and add yours.
Use this data
Free to cite and reuse with a link back to this page. Machine-readable version: /api/v1/pay-index. Full method: methodology.