Machine Learning Engineer.
Indianapolis.
$138,000
median salary, 11% below the national average
$107,000 to $178,000. Last updated July 2026.
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Data points to own the conversation.
Here is what Machine Learning Engineers actually make in Indianapolis: $107,000 at the 25th percentile, $138,000 at the median, and $178,000 at the 75th. That is 11% below the national average. Indianapolis has a diversified economy led by healthcare, life sciences, and motorsports engineering. The number on your offer letter will depend on what you bring and how you ask.
Salary range.
Where do you fall?
Salary by experience.
The gap between entry and lead level is typically $124,000. Where you land depends on years of experience and what you bring to the table.
Entry (0-2 yrs)
$90,000
to $110,000
Mid (3-5 yrs)
$117,000
to $145,000
Senior (6-9 yrs)
$152,000
to $179,000
Lead (10+ yrs)
$173,000
to $214,000
Salary trend.
+9% YoYTotal compensation.
Base salary is not the full picture. Equity, bonus, and signing can add $61,000 to the total package.
Base
$138,000
Equity
$37,000
Bonus
$16,000
Signing
$8,000
Estimated total: $199,000
Machine Learning Engineer salary by company.
Total compensation estimates include base, equity, bonus, and signing. Ranges reflect mid to senior level. Derived from public H-1B LCA filings, state pay-transparency job postings, and community-submitted compensation data.
How Indianapolis compares.
Indianapolis, IN
$138,000
Cost of living: 9% below average
National Average
$155,000
Indianapolis is $17,000 below
Machine Learning Engineer salary by city.
Salary by role in Indianapolis.
What you should know.
Before you negotiate a Machine Learning Engineer offer in Indianapolis, understand the terrain. Indianapolis has a diversified economy led by healthcare, life sciences, and motorsports engineering. Eli Lilly's headquarters drives a major pharmaceutical and biotech cluster. The city's extremely affordable cost of living means that even moderate salaries deliver strong purchasing power, making it an underrated destination for professionals seeking financial stability. Production ML experience, deep learning framework fluency, and ability to optimize models for scale are the strongest differentiators. Engineers who bridge research and production by deploying models that serve millions of predictions per day command significant premiums. Specialization in recommendation systems, search ranking, or fraud detection adds further value.
Entry level ML engineers start at $110,000 to $140,000, reaching mid level at $145,000 to $190,000 in two to three years. Senior ML engineers earn $190,000 to $260,000. Staff ML engineers at top companies exceed $350,000 in total compensation, with research oriented roles paying even more. In Indianapolis, 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. Equity at AI focused companies adds $30,000 to $150,000+ annually. Bonuses of 10 to 20% are standard. Signing bonuses of $25,000 to $75,000 are common at well funded firms. Benefits frequently include GPU compute budgets, conference sponsorship, and research publication support. And on the tax side: indiana has a flat 3.05% state income tax, one of the lowest in the country. Marion County adds about 2.02% in local taxes. The combined rate remains well below most major metros. When someone quotes you $138,000, ask what the total package looks like. The gap between base and total comp is where real money hides.
On negotiation: Benchmark against pharmaceutical industry pay scales. Eli Lilly and the biotech cluster set high compensation floors that ripple across all professional roles in Indianapolis. The range for Machine Learning Engineers in Indianapolis runs from $107,000 to $178,000. That is not a narrow window. Where you land inside it depends almost entirely on whether you negotiate and how well you prepare.
Sources: BLS OES, H-1B LCA (DOL), state pay-transparency job postings, and community submissions. COL: BEA Regional Price Parities (2025). Data verified by Justin Bartak, Founder & Chief AI Officer. Last verified July 1, 2026. Full methodology
Considering a related role?
- A Data Engineer in Indianapolis earns $137,000 (1% less)
- The highest-paying role in Indianapolis is Senior VP of Security at $315,000
- See all ai engineering roles tracked in Orbyt Intelligence
Common questions.
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