Machine Learning Engineer Salary.
Across 81 U.S. cities.
$133,000
national median salary
$99,000 to $174,000. Last updated July 2026.
Highest Paying
$185,000
San Jose, CA
Best Purchasing Power
$139,000
Philadelphia, PA
Lowest Paying
$100,000
Charleston, WV
Salary data sourced from Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, H-1B Labor Condition Applications (DOL), state pay-transparency job postings, and community submissions. Most ranges are anchored to BLS OES occupation wage percentiles and placed by seniority level (entry near the 25th, mid at the median, senior at the 75th); a minority of emerging roles retain a modeled estimate where BLS has no matching series. Cost-of-living adjustments use Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional Price Parities (2025 index). Last updated July 2026. Baseline derived from BLS SOC 15-1252. Full methodology.
The average Machine Learning Engineer salary in the United States is $133,000 in 2026, with the full range spanning $99,000 at the 25th percentile to $174,000 at the 75th. San Jose pays the most at $185,000, while Philadelphia offers the best purchasing power after cost-of-living adjustments. Production ML experience, deep learning framework fluency, and ability to optimize models for scale are the strongest differentiators.
Machine Learning Engineer salary by city.
Skills that increase Machine Learning Engineer pay.
The skills below command measurable salary premiums for Machine Learning Engineers based on job posting data. Learning the top skill here could add $18,620 to your annual compensation.
≈ +$18,620 per year
≈ +$17,290 per year
≈ +$15,960 per year
≈ +$14,630 per year
≈ +$13,300 per year
≈ +$13,300 per year
≈ +$13,300 per year
≈ +$11,970 per year
What you should know.
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.
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.
Total compensation breakdown.
Salary by company size
Remote salary adjustment
Remote Machine Learning Engineers typically earn $124,000 (7% less than on-site). This reflects location-adjusted pay policies at companies using geographic salary bands. Some companies pay flat national rates regardless of location.
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Common questions about Machine Learning Engineer pay.
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