Data annotation jobs can be checked. Level tracks 38 live annotation and AI training postings, led by xAI (27) and Cohere (4). Check that the employer is named with its own careers site, the posting states a pay rate (median $35 to $45 an hour on 27 postings), and nothing is paid to apply. Measured September 2026.
Also asked as: Is data annotation legit?
Every figure above is computed from the live postings on Level at the time of measurement, September 2026. Each posting is read for how much of the daily work is AI, then rated Level 1 to 4. Salaries use the posting's own range, in US dollars only. Numbers are recomputed monthly and the page is updated when they move by more than 10 percent.
The live figures on this page count postings whose title mentions annotation, labeling, rating, AI trainer or AI tutor, or model and response evaluation. They were read from the database on September 2026 and are refreshed every ten minutes. A posting that describes the work under another title is not counted. Pay figures appear only above ten postings, with hourly rates and annual salaries kept apart. These counts describe postings, not the companies behind them.
Most requested skills: speech (21), speech recognition (11), audio annotation (10), localization (8), AI data labeling (6)
Most named tools: Audio Annotation Software (3), Annotation Tools (2), Llms (2), Runway (2), Sora (2)
Top employers: xAI (27), Cohere (4), Anthropic (1), Benchling (1), Canva (1)
| Pay type | Median | Range | Postings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hourly rate | $40/hr | $40/hr to $48/hr (p25 to p75) | 27 |
Measured on 19 September 2026. Method: live data annotation and ai training postings that publish a pay range, using the midpoint of each range and the most common currency, with no conversion. Hourly rates and annual salaries are counted separately; amounts whose period is unclear are excluded. No figure is shown below 10 postings. How we measure.
LabelboxSan Francisco Bay Area$200k-$300k
CohereRemote · LondonCAD 250k-CAD 535k
Scale AISan Francisco, CA; New York, NY
FigmaSan Francisco, CA • New York, NY • United States$153k-$376k
