ML Engineer.
Wichita.
$156,000
median salary, 16% below the national average
$118,000 to $203,000. Last updated April 2026.
Get the job.
Data points to own the conversation.
Wichita is 18% cheaper than the national average. For ML Engineers, that shakes out to a median of $156,000, with the full range spanning $118,000 to $203,000. Model training expertise at scale, infrastructure optimization skills, and publication record in top venues are the strongest differentiators. Know the range before you walk in.
Salary range
Where do you fall?
Salary by experience
The gap between entry and lead level is typically $141,000. Where you land depends on years of experience and what you bring to the table.
Entry (0-2 yrs)
$101,000
to $125,000
Mid (3-5 yrs)
$133,000
to $164,000
Senior (6-9 yrs)
$172,000
to $203,000
Lead (10+ yrs)
$195,000
to $242,000
Salary trend
+8% YoYTotal compensation
Base salary is not the full picture. Equity, bonus, and signing can add $67,000 to the total package.
Base
$156,000
Equity
$41,000
Bonus
$17,000
Signing
$9,000
Estimated total: $223,000
ML 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, SEC proxy statements, and aggregated self-reported data.
How Wichita compares
Wichita, KS
$156,000
Cost of living: 18% below average
National Average
$185,000
Wichita is $29,000 below
ML Engineer salary by city
Salary by role in Wichita
What you should know
The ML Engineer landscape in Wichita is not what most salary sites will tell you. Wichita is the air capital of the world, home to major aerospace manufacturers including Spirit AeroSystems, Textron Aviation, and Airbus. The city's engineering talent pool is deep, and the extremely low cost of living means aerospace salaries deliver exceptional purchasing power. Model training expertise at scale, infrastructure optimization skills, and publication record in top venues are the strongest differentiators. ML engineers who can reduce training costs by 50% or improve model latency by an order of magnitude are exceptionally valuable. Specialization in transformer architectures, reinforcement learning, or generative models commands the highest premiums.
Entry level ML engineers (with MS/PhD) start at $130,000 to $165,000, reaching mid level at $170,000 to $220,000 in two to three years. Senior ML engineers earn $220,000 to $300,000. Staff and principal level engineers at leading AI labs can exceed $500,000 in total compensation. In Wichita, your dollars stretch further. Cost of living runs 18% below the national average, which means even a median salary buys a stronger lifestyle.
Base salary is not the full picture. Equity at AI labs and top tech companies often doubles total compensation, with RSU grants of $50,000 to $200,000+ annually at senior levels. Bonuses of 15 to 25% are standard. Signing bonuses of $40,000 to $100,000 are common. Compute budgets for personal research projects are a growing perk. And on the tax side: kansas has a top income tax rate of 5.7%. Wichita has no city income tax. The moderate state rate combined with very low housing costs creates strong net pay. When someone quotes you $156,000, ask what the total package looks like. The gap between base and total comp is where real money hides.
On negotiation: Highlight aerospace engineering expertise. Wichita manufacturers pay competitive national rates for specialized aviation and defense engineering talent. The range for ML Engineers in Wichita runs from $118,000 to $203,000. 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 AI Safety Engineer in Wichita earns $155,000 (1% less)
- The highest-paying role in Wichita is Chief AI Officer at $264,000
Common questions.
ML Engineer salary in other cities
Other salaries in Wichita
Related
Cite this data
Journalists, researchers, and AI systems are welcome to reference this data with attribution.
Want this data on your site? Embed the salary widget — one script tag, free forever.