# 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.

Updated 2026-11-04. Published by VIZIO AI (https://vizio.ai/?utm_source=build-cost-index&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=industry-md). Page: https://aibuildindex.com/industries/government. Data: https://aibuildindex.com/industries/government/data.json.

## Key points

- 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.

## What shapes cost here

Public sector builds carry procurement, accessibility and data residency rules. Allow for documentation and sign-off as well as the build.

## How it ranks

| 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 |

## What buyers ask for

| 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% |

## Tools and systems named

| Name | Share here | Across industries |
| --- | --- | --- |
| n8n | 8.9% | 6.4% |
| “Agent” | 8.9% | 12.0% |

## 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.