How much does AI cost for government and public sector teams?
The typical AI build for government and public sector teams costs $2,650, and half of 38 priced posts fall between $1,460 and $4,700. That ranks 18th of 36 industries on median cost.
What stands out
Public sector builds carry procurement, accessibility and data residency rules. Allow for documentation and sign-off as well as the build.
- 34% of posts ask for expert-level talent, against 43% across industries.
- The median build in government is $2,650, 1.1 times the $2,500 market median.
- The most common specific request is back-office automation, at 19.3% of posts.
- The United States is the largest market, with 47% of posts.
How Government ranks
How government ranks
Each tick is a ranked industry, lowest on the left. Pink is this one.
- Posts56#35 of 36
- Median cost$2,650#18 of 36
- Hourly rate$25/hr#27 of 36
- Applicants11#26 of 36
- Expert requests34%#28 of 36
- Compliance3.5%#28 of 36
- Production15.8%#22 of 36
- Seasoned buyers38%#19 of 36
What a build costs
Half of priced posts fall between $1,460 and $4,700, and one in ten reaches $10,000.
Against the closest sectors
Median build for Government and the sectors nearest in price.
- Healthcare$4,000
- Financial services$3,000
- Legal$3,000
- Technology and IT$2,700
- Government$2,650
- Agriculture$2,650
- Accounting and tax$2,000
How buyers structure the work
Fixed-price and hourly posts, by count.
$2,000median fixed budget
$3,600median hourly estimate
Posted rates: $22.50/hr to $30/hr, median $25/hr.
What is being built
Compared with other sectors, this shows what is distinctive here, not only what is common.
Most requested builds
Share of posts here against all sectors.
- AI SaaS and MVPs19.3%
- Back-office automation19.3%
- n8n workflows8.8%
See the numbers
| Build | Posts | Share here | Across industries |
|---|---|---|---|
| AI SaaS and MVPs | 11 | 19.3% | 21.4% |
| Back-office automation | 11 | 19.3% | 14.2% |
| n8n workflows | 5 | 8.8% | 6.2% |
Where the buyers are
Buyers around the world
Countries with five or more posts. Click a country to open it.
Top countries
Share of this sector's posts.
- United States47.4%
- United Kingdom12.3%
- Canada8.8%
If you are buying
Plan around the range
Half of priced posts fall between $1,460 and $4,700, and one in ten reaches $10,000. Scope decides where you land.
Start where peers start
After general products and back-office work, n8n workflows is the most common request here. A narrow first build lets you prove value before you widen scope.
Invite, do not wait
Posts here reach a smaller field. Inviting people with sector experience will do more than waiting for applicants.
Compare with similar sectors
Also in regulated and public
Price your own build
See the median, range and scope for your use case. If you would rather talk it through, VIZIO AI builds and runs these systems.
Questions
How much does an AI build cost for government and public sector teams?
The median across 38 priced posts is $2,650. Half fall between $1,460 and $4,700, and one in ten reaches $10,000 or more. That ranks 18th of 36 industries on median cost.
What are government and public sector teams building with AI?
The most common requests are AI SaaS and MVPs, back-office automation, n8n workflows.
What do AI developers charge in government?
Posted rates centre on $25 an hour, with most between $22.50 and $30. These are open-market rates; agencies usually charge more.
Where are the buyers in government?
The United States is the largest market, with 47% of posts.
How do you decide a post's industry?
From the post title where it names a sector, otherwise from the buyer's stated industry. About 45% of posts can be placed, so this describes those posts, not every buyer in the sector.
How to read this
A post's industry comes from its title where that names a sector, otherwise from the buyer's stated industry. About 45% of posts can be placed. Figures come from public job posts from December 2025 to November 2026 and show what posts offered, not what was paid. Hourly posts are estimated from rate, length and workload. Industries need 30 priced posts to be ranked, and are left out of rankings when one account makes up over a quarter of posts. Counts under 5 are hidden. Momentum compares January to March with May to July, before collection widened, and is left out where one account is over 12% of posts. Read the method
Cite this page. The AI Build Index. "How much does AI cost for government and public sector teams?" Published by VIZIO AI. Updated 2026-11-04. https://aibuildindex.com/industries/government
Get the data as JSON or the page as Markdown. See all industries.
| Measure | Value | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| AI build posts | 56 | 35 of 36 |
| Median build cost | $2,650 | 18 of 36 |
| Median hourly rate | $25/hr | 27 of 36 |
| Applicants per post | 11 | 26 of 36 |
| Expert-level requests | 34% | 28 of 36 |
| Compliance named | 3.5% | 28 of 36 |
| Production named | 15.8% | 22 of 36 |
| Buyers with $10k+ past spend | 38% | 19 of 36 |