Pay rates in AI training work span an unusually wide range. We collect monthly self-reported rates from contributors and combine them with platform job postings to build this picture.
General / entry tasks: $15–25/hr
Text rating, image labeling, simple comparisons. Easy to get into; useful as a baseline. DataAnnotation.tech and Outlier (general queue) are the typical homes.
Coding: $40–85/hr
Software engineers with 3+ years experience typically land at $40–60/hr. Seniors with strong language depth or systems experience reach $60–85/hr. Surge AI and Outlier coding tracks are highest.
Medical & life sciences: $50–150/hr
Licensed MDs reach the top of this range; RNs, NPs, and PAs sit lower. Pharma and clinical research backgrounds also command premium rates. Mercor is the leader; Surge runs medical projects intermittently.
Legal: $80–140/hr
Practicing attorneys with active bar admission. Mercor and a small number of specialist platforms recruit here. Rates approach what private-practice contract work pays.
Translation: $15–60/hr
High-resource language pairs (English ↔ Spanish/French/German) pay $15–30/hr. Low-resource and rare languages can clear $40–60/hr because supply is so thin.