AI Training Job Pay Report: 1,261 Listings Analysed
We pulled every one of the 1,261 AI training and data work listings live on this board and read the advertised pay off each one. 825 publish an hourly rate. This is what they actually say, not an estimate.
Across 825 listings that publish a rate, the median advertised range is $60 to $90 per hour. Legal work pays the most (median ceiling $150/hr) and language and transcription the least ($50/hr), a 3.0x gap.
Key takeaways
- Median advertised rate across the board is $60 to $90 per hour.
- Turing and Handshake AI publish an hourly rate on none of their listings, so any pay comparison involving them rests on figures they do not disclose.
- Legal is the highest paid field tracked, median ceiling $150 per hour, topping out at $400.
- Language and transcription is the lowest, median ceiling $50 per hour.
- Only 65% of all listings tracked disclose pay at all.
How this was measured
Every figure below comes from the structured job data on listings this site tracks, read directly from each posting's own advertised rate. Nothing is modelled, surveyed, or inferred. Listings that publish no rate are counted as exactly that rather than filled in with an estimate, which turns out to be the most interesting result in the dataset.
Counts as of September 12, 2026: 1,261 live listings, of which 825 (65%) publish an hourly rate.
Pay transparency varies enormously by platform
This is the finding worth leading with. The platforms in this market do not agree on whether to tell you what a role pays before you apply, and the split is not subtle.
| Platform | Listings tracked | Publishes a rate | Median advertised range |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dorado | 52 | 100% | $80 to $120 |
| Moonlight | 21 | 100% | $39 to $47 |
| Elion Health | 18 | 100% | $86 to $90 |
| Mercor | 402 | 97% | $65 to $90 |
| micro1 | 398 | 83% | $50 to $90 |
| Terac | 34 | 32% | $55 to $80 |
| Turing | 321 | 0% | Not published |
| Handshake AI | 9 | 0% | Not published |
Median ranges are computed only over listings on that platform that publish a rate. Platforms with fewer than 8 tracked listings are omitted.
Two of the largest sources here publish a rate on nothing at all. That matters for anyone comparing platforms on pay: those comparisons are built on figures the platform has never disclosed.
What each field actually pays
Advertised pay separates sharply by domain expertise. Licensed professional work sits at one end, volume annotation and language work at the other.
| Field | Listings | Median floor | Median ceiling | Highest advertised |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Legal | 79 | $100 | $150 | $400 |
| Finance | 50 | $80 | $110 | $280 |
| Engineering | 84 | $70 | $100 | $300 |
| Medicine | 37 | $75 | $100 | $270 |
| Science and research | 106 | $70 | $90 | $280 |
| Language and transcription | 89 | $38 | $50 | $120 |
The highest advertised rates on the board
| # | Role | Advertised ceiling | Platform |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Immigration Attorney (BigLaw Firms) | $400/hr | micro1 |
| 2 | Family Law Attorney (BigLaw Firms) | $400/hr | micro1 |
| 3 | Litigation Associate Attorney (BigLaw Firms) | $400/hr | micro1 |
| 4 | Corporate Attorney (BigLaw Firms) | $400/hr | micro1 |
| 5 | Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A) Attorney (BigLaw Firms) | $400/hr | micro1 |
| 6 | BigLaw lawyers | $400/hr | micro1 |
| 7 | BigLaw lawyers (Litigation/Corporate/M&A) | $400/hr | micro1 |
| 8 | Healthcare Attorney (BigLaw Firms) | $400/hr | micro1 |
| 9 | Civil Rights Attorney (BigLaw Firms) | $400/hr | micro1 |
| 10 | Criminal Lawyer (BigLaw Firms) | $400/hr | micro1 |
How to read these numbers
An advertised range is not a wage. It is the band a platform is willing to publish before it knows anything about you, and the top of a range is typically reserved for credentialed, hard to source expertise. The gap between the median floor and the median ceiling, $60 against $90, is roughly the distance between generalist and specialist work in this market.
The transparency finding is the practical one. When a platform publishes no rate, you cannot compare it against one that does, and you should not assume the number is similar. Ask before investing time in an application process.
FAQ
How much do AI training jobs pay in 2026?
Across 825 live listings that publish a rate, the median advertised range is $60 to $90 per hour. Pay varies sharply by field: legal work has a median ceiling of $150 per hour, language and transcription around $50.
Which platform pays the most?
Among platforms that publish rates, medians differ less than the fields do. The larger difference is whether a platform discloses pay at all, Turing and Handshake AI publish no rate on any tracked listing.
Is this survey data?
No. Every figure is read from the advertised rate on live job listings tracked by this site as of September 2026. No estimates or self-reported salaries are included.
Can I cite these figures?
Yes. Please link back to this page as the source. The dataset is refreshed as listings change.