Salaries across key roles at Meta

AI Research Scientist: $163,800 – $328,000

Machine Learning Engineer: $165,000 – $250,602

Research Engineer: $124,000 – $400,000

Software Engineer: $124,000 – $450,000

UX Researcher: $163,000 – $292,160

Data Scientist: $122,760 – $295,703

Product Designer: $132,991 – $279,594

Here’s a look at the salary range of H-1B employees at Meta

Role

Salary Range (USD)

Software Engineer

$124,000 – $450,000

Research Engineer

$124,000 – $400,000

Product Manager

$165,485 – $348,101

Vice President of AI

$650,000

AI Research Scientist

$163,800 – $328,000

Machine Learning Engineer

$165,000 – $250,602

Machine Learning Systems Engineer

$250,000

ML Engineer

$193,000 – $287,042

Product Manager, Machine Learning

$252,000

Product Policy Manager, GenAI

$198,000

Software Engineer, Machine Learning

$144,096 – $293,118

Software Engineer – ML Generalist

$221,024

Software Engineering Manager, ML

$258,524

Software Systems ML Engineer

$270,732

Applied Research Scientist

$181,786 – $265,129

Research Engineer Manager

$289,144

Research Engineering Manager

$276,678

Research Scientist

$135,516 – $302,134

Research Scientist, Central Applied Science

$263,803

Research Scientist Manager

$258,524 – $263,803

Thermal Research Engineer

$254,000

User Experience Researcher

$170,000 – $242,050

UX Researcher

$163,000 – $292,160

UX Research Science Manager

$302,134

ASIC & FPGA Engineer

$299,880

ASIC Manager, Design Verification

$258,940 – $299,880

Director, Production Engineering

$354,123

Embedded Software Engineer

$169,313 – $269,081

Front End Engineer

$178,000 – $282,461

Production Engineer

$108,098 – $317,242

Production Engineering Manager

$258,524 – $309,797

Senior Staff Software Engineer

$311,029

Software Engineer (Leadership) – Infrastructure

$317,797

Software Engineering Manager

$200,907 – $328,000

Software Engineer Manager

$277,837 – $318,000

Sr Staff Hardware Engineer

$294,520

Staff Software Engineer

$258,524 – $263,803

Database Engineering Manager

$287,470

Data Engineer

$125,068 – $270,000

Data Engineering Director

$336,606

Data Engineer Manager

$224,028 – $305,406

Data Engineering Manager, Analytics

$234,781 – $289,786

Data Science Manager

$230,498 – $305,000

Data Science Manager, Analytics

$260,000

Data Scientist

$122,760 – $295,703

Data Scientist, Analytics

$171,000 – $267,703

Data Scientist Manager

$248,920 – $264,461

Data Scientist, Product Analytics

$162,000 – $260,516

Tech Lead, Data Science

$259,085

Business API Product Marketing Manager

$269,719

IDC Program Manager

$211,934 – $285,564

Product Design Director

$328,103 – $344,171

Product Designer

$132,991 – $279,594

Product Design Manager

$234,706 – $279,594

Product Marketing Manager

$195,000 – $248,000

Program Manager, Performance

$258,950

Technical Program Management Manager

$266,429

Technical Program Manager

$164,131 – $289,397

Trust Compliance & Operations Program Manager

$258,774

Director

$359,940

Director, Product Management

$333,200 – $348,902

Director, Product Strategy

$347,214

Director, Regulatory Escalations

$295,862

Director of Security, Integrity & Investigations Data

$294,000

HR Director, GBG & International HR

$352,416

Product Management Director

$346,240

Technical Lead Manager

$308,566

VP, FoA, Marketing

$476,600

Visa trends and workforce shifts

Meta went on a hiring spree in 2025, paying extraordinary salaries to secure top engineering and AI talent. According to a report by Business Insider, more than 5,800 federal H-1B and other work visa applications, the company offered base salaries that rival Silicon Valley’s highest pay scales. As per the H-1B visa data one software engineer earned $450,000 a year, a research engineer took home $400,000, and a product manager received $348,000 all the before stock options, bonuses and perks. A vice president of AI commanded a base salary of $650,000, underscoring Meta’s willingness to pay premiums for specialized roles.The filings show that most new hires earned between $150,000 and $250,000, but senior technical and AI-focused positions were compensated far higher. Examples include:These figures reflect base salaries only, excluding stock options and bonuses that can double or triple total compensation. For high-level researchers, Meta reportedly offered total packages exceeding $100 million.As per the data about half of Meta’s visa hires in 2025 were software engineers, this figure highlight the dependence of the company on international talent. However, the filings also suggest that the fillings in the last quarter of 2025 halved compared to the previous year because of the changes made to the H-1B visa program by the Trump government. During the same period, Meta continued with its restructuring and aggressive expansion of its AI workforce. By year’s end, Meta reported 78,865 employees in its 10-K filing.