Data Pipeline Engineer (ML).
Richmond.
$164,000
median salary, 4% above the national average
$125,000 to $216,000. Last updated April 2026.
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Data points to own the conversation.
Data Pipeline Engineer (ML) pay in Richmond ranges from $125,000 to $216,000 in 2026. The median is $164,000, 4% above the national average. Richmond combines a strong government and defense sector with growing technology and financial services industries. Every dollar in that range is negotiable if you come prepared.
Salary range
Where do you fall?
Salary by experience
The gap between entry and lead level is typically $147,000. Where you land depends on years of experience and what you bring to the table.
Entry (0-2 yrs)
$107,000
to $131,000
Mid (3-5 yrs)
$139,000
to $172,000
Senior (6-9 yrs)
$180,000
to $213,000
Lead (10+ yrs)
$205,000
to $254,000
Salary trend
+4% YoYTotal compensation
Base salary is not the full picture. Equity, bonus, and signing can add $44,000 to the total package.
Base
$164,000
Equity
$25,000
Bonus
$16,000
Signing
$3,000
Estimated total: $208,000
How Richmond compares
Richmond, VA
$164,000
Cost of living: 1% above average
National Average
$158,000
Richmond is $6,000 above
Data Pipeline Engineer (ML) salary by city
Salary by role in Richmond
What you should know
If you are interviewing for Data Pipeline Engineer (ML) roles in Richmond, here is what you are walking into. Richmond combines a strong government and defense sector with growing technology and financial services industries. Capital One's headquarters drives significant fintech employment. The city's proximity to Washington DC creates spillover demand for federal contractors and tech workers seeking lower living costs. ML data pipeline engineers earn salaries based on the scale and complexity of data systems they build and maintain. Engineers handling petabyte-scale training data pipelines for large model training earn 15 to 25% more than those working with smaller datasets. Experience with both batch and streaming architectures is a consistent salary booster across employers.
Junior ML pipeline engineers start at $120,000 to $142,000. Mid-level engineers managing production ML data flows earn $158,000 to $208,000. Senior engineers and infrastructure leads reach $215,000 to $280,000, while staff engineers designing organization-wide ML data platforms can command $290,000 to $370,000. In Richmond, cost of living sits near the national average, so the numbers you see are roughly what you keep.
Base salary is not the full picture. Tech companies offer equity grants of 15 to 25% of base salary with standard four-year vesting schedules. Annual performance bonuses range from 10 to 18%. On-call compensation for production pipeline maintenance adds $8,000 to $18,000 annually at some organizations. And on the tax side: virginia's top income tax rate is 5.75%. Richmond has no city income tax. The moderate rate and reasonable cost of living create solid net compensation. When someone quotes you $164,000, ask what the total package looks like. The gap between base and total comp is where real money hides.
On negotiation: Leverage DC corridor salary benchmarks. Richmond employers compete with Northern Virginia and DC for talent, especially in fintech and government contracting. The range for Data Pipeline Engineer (ML)s in Richmond runs from $125,000 to $216,000. That is not a narrow window. Where you land inside it depends almost entirely on whether you negotiate and how well you prepare.
Sources: SEC filings, H-1B LCA (DOL), BLS OES, 50+ job posting platforms. COL: BEA Regional Price Parities (2025). Data verified by Justin Bartak, Founder & Chief AI Officer. Last verified April 8, 2026. Full methodology
Considering a related role?
- A Machine Learning Engineer in Richmond earns $163,000 (1% less)
- The highest-paying role in Richmond is Chief AI Officer at $316,000
Common questions.
Data Pipeline Engineer (ML) salary in other cities
Other salaries in Richmond
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