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Monthly report · October 2026

State of AI training pay

What 1,094 live roles on Mercor, micro1, Handshake AI and Alignerr paid, by field, platform, credential and language. Data as of October 19, 2026.

Median hourly
$75
Top quarter from
$90
Roles at $100+/hr
19.3%
Highest listed
$450

Key findings

  1. 01

    The typical role pays $75 an hour

    Half of the 1,058 hourly listings pay more than $75 and half pay less. 19.3% pay $100 an hour or more, and 8.8% pay under $25.

  2. 02

    Field matters far more than platform

    Humanities & policy roles have the highest median at $120 an hour; voice & audio roles have the lowest at $26, a 4.6x spread. Between platforms, medians only range from $60 to $90.

  3. 03

    A medical license is the biggest pay premium

    Roles that require an MD have a median of $135, 93% above roles with no stated credential ($70). A PhD requirement adds less than you might expect: $83, 18% above.

  4. 04

    The biggest platform isn't the best-paying one

    Alignerr posts the most roles (528) at a $60 median. micro1 has the highest median, $90, across 24 roles.

  5. 05

    Language work pays about 40% of the typical role

    Roles that ask for a native speaker have a median of $30 an hour, against $75 overall. Language skills pay best when combined with a professional field, such as medical or legal review in a second language.

How pay is spread

Hourly roles by the midpoint of their listed range, in $25 bands.

By credential

Median hourly by what the listing requires. Small number is the role count.

  • MD / licensed physician$135 20
  • PhD$83 206
  • Master's degree$80 188
  • No stated credential$70 774
  • Native speaker$30 71

By platform

Line marks the overall median.

  • m1micro1$90 24
  • MMercor$80 300
  • HHandshake AI$80 242
  • AAlignerr$60 528

By field

Fields with at least five hourly roles. Line marks the overall median.

By language

Languages with at least three hourly roles.

  • Spanish$60 38
  • Chinese$30 15
  • Japanese$30 13
  • Arabic$30 3
  • Tamil$30 3
  • German$26 29
  • Korean$26 14
  • Portuguese$23 14
  • Italian$23 10
  • Dutch$23 8
  • French$23 17
  • Bengali$23 3
  • Hindi$23 5

Best-paying roles this month

  1. 1MOncologistMercor · Medicine & health$350-$450/hr
  2. 2AMachine Learning Evaluation SpecialistAlignerr · Machine learning$200-$400/hr
  3. 3HNeurologists AI TrainerHandshake AI · Medicine & health$300/hr
  4. 4HAnesthesiologists AI TrainerHandshake AI · Medicine & health$300/hr
  5. 5HOphthalmologistsHandshake AI · Medicine & health$300/hr
  6. 6HMedical ProfessionalHandshake AI · Medicine & health$300/hr
  7. 7HRadiology ProfessionalHandshake AI · Medicine & health$300/hr
  8. 8HNuclear ProfessionalHandshake AI · Energy & earth sciences$300/hr
  9. 9AGerman - Generalist Voice ActorAlignerr · Voice & audio$250-$280/hr
  10. 10AProfessional Voice Actor - GermanAlignerr · Voice & audio$250-$280/hr

Roles listed as of October 19, 2026; many have since closed. See what's open now.

How we built this

  • Every live listing on the public job boards of Mercor, micro1 (hand-captured), Handshake AI and Alignerr as of October 19, 2026. Alignerr postings that differ only by location are counted once.
  • Each role counts once, at the midpoint of its listed hourly range. Per-task and one-time pay are excluded: there's no honest hourly figure for them.
  • Listed rates are what platforms advertise, before tax and before any time limits. What people actually earn can differ.
  • This edition's numbers were frozen on October 19, 2026 and won't change.
Full methodology →

Cite or reuse this report

Free to quote, chart and republish under CC BY 4.0. Please credit AI Training Pay and link to this page.

AI Training Pay, "State of AI training pay: October 2026," October 19, 2026, https://www.aitrainingpay.com/reports/2026-10

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