AI Consulting Hourly Rates in 2026: 267 Published Federal AI/ML Ceiling Rates

The GSA Multiple Award Schedule publishes the maximum hourly rate each contractor may charge for every labor category. We pulled every AI and machine learning category and compared them with data science, data engineering and software development rates.

Published October 2026

Key findings

The median ceiling rate across 267 AI and machine learning labor categories is $183.05 an hour; the middle half runs from $147.04 to $234.28.
AI/ML categories are priced above data scientists ($168.35), data engineers ($149.75) and software developers ($136.75).
Seniority drives price: the median rises from $153.81 for categories requiring 0 to 4 years of experience to $221.78 for 10 to 14 years.
Large contractors' AI/ML ceilings have a median of $215.08, against $173.70 for small businesses.
Billed ceilings run 2.09 to 2.91 times the median hourly wage the Bureau of Labor Statistics reports for the matching occupation.

Most firms that sell AI development do not publish rate cards. The largest public exception is the U.S. General Services Administration’s Multiple Award Schedule, where each contractor’s negotiated ceiling rate for every labor category is public and searchable through the CALC+ tool. A ceiling rate is the most an agency can be charged per hour for that category. It is fully burdened, meaning it includes overhead and profit on top of salary.

On October 10, 2026, we exported every CALC+ rate whose labor category names artificial intelligence, machine learning, AI or ML. After removing duplicate rows for the same contract, category and worksite, 267 rates remained from 96 vendors on 97 contracts. We ran the same export for data scientist, data engineer and software developer categories to give a baseline.

AI/ML rates compared with neighboring roles

Chart of median GSA ceiling rates and interquartile ranges for AI/ML, data scientist, data engineer and software developer labor categories — Source: GSA CALC+ Quick Rate export, October 10, 2026.

GSA hourly ceiling rates by role group, current contract year
Role group	Rates	Vendors	25th percentile	Median	75th percentile
AI / machine learning	267	96	$147.04	$183.05	$234.28
Data scientist	1,374	464	$137.13	$168.35	$203.90
Data engineer	781	299	$125.38	$149.75	$182.86
Software developer	2,696	807	$110.26	$136.75	$167.61

The AI/ML median of $183.05 is $46.30 above the software developer median and $14.70 above the data scientist median. The spread inside the AI/ML group is wide: the lowest rate is $55.60 an hour, for a junior AI/ML engineer, and the highest is $485.47, for an artificial intelligence subject matter expert. Twelve of the 267 rates are below $100 and 18 are $300 or more.

Rates by experience

Bar chart of median AI/ML ceiling rates rising from $153.81 at 0 to 4 years of experience to $322.04 at 15 or more years — Source: GSA CALC+ Quick Rate export, October 10, 2026.

AI/ML ceiling rates by minimum years of experience
Minimum experience	Rates	25th percentile	Median	75th percentile	Median next contract year
0 to 4 years	111	$126.01	$153.81	$194.94	$158.55
5 to 9 years	108	$161.62	$193.65	$237.42	$199.97
10 to 14 years	40	$187.90	$221.78	$261.76	$231.11
15 years or more	8	$275.08	$322.04	$379.79	$334.92

Each step up in required experience adds roughly $28 to $40 to the median until the 15-year band, which jumps to $322.04. That top band contains only eight rates, so treat it as indicative. Contract escalation is modest: the median rate scheduled for the next contract year is $187.41, 2.38% above the current-year median.

Rates by contractor size, worksite and education

AI/ML ceiling rates by contractor and labor-category attributes
Group	Rates	Median	Middle half
Small business	192	$173.70	$142.45 to $219.32
Other than small business	75	$215.08	$159.24 to $263.82
Work at customer facility	117	$185.33	$142.65 to $229.23
Work at contractor facility	124	$174.78	$143.58 to $236.01
Virtual	26	$209.06	$171.03 to $233.60
Bachelor's degree required	230	$178.23	$142.25 to $233.45
Master's degree required	25	$223.09	$189.52 to $237.42

Small businesses hold 192 of the 267 rates and price lower, with a median $41.38 below larger contractors. Categories that require a master’s degree carry a median of $223.09, against $178.23 for a bachelor’s degree. Consultant, subject matter expert and strategist titles have a median of $227.28 across 28 rates, above the $177.83 median for engineer and developer titles (214 rates). Some titles match more than one group.

How far billed rates run above salaries

Paired bar chart comparing median GSA ceiling rates with median BLS hourly wages for three occupations — Sources: GSA CALC+, October 10, 2026; BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025.

Median ceiling rate compared with median employee wage
GSA role group	Median ceiling	BLS occupation	Median hourly wage, May 2025	Ratio
AI / machine learning	$183.05	Computer and information research scientists (15-1221)	$67.45	2.71x
Data scientist	$168.35	Data scientists (15-2051)	$57.80	2.91x
Software developer	$136.75	Software developers (15-1252)	$65.38	2.09x

BLS has no separate occupation for AI or machine learning engineers, so we matched the AI/ML group to computer and information research scientists, the closest published occupation. The ratios show what a contractor’s hourly price covers beyond pay: benefits, payroll taxes, bench time, overhead and profit. A buyer seeing a quote of three times an engineer’s salary rate is in line with how these contracts are priced.

What these rates do and do not show

GSA ceilings are maximums. Agencies can and do negotiate below them on individual task orders, and the CALC+ data does not show what was billed. Commercial rates for private-sector AI work are not published in a comparable way, so this data set is a floor of transparency, not a full picture of the market. Labor category titles are set by each vendor, and our keyword filter may include some general data roles labeled as AI or miss AI roles with other names.

Sources (6)