ML Pipeline Engineer.
Richmond.
$175,000
median salary, 4% above the national average
$133,000 to $229,000. Last updated April 2026.
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Data points to own the conversation.
Here is what ML Pipeline Engineers actually make in Richmond: $133,000 at the 25th percentile, $175,000 at the median, and $229,000 at the 75th. That is 4% above the national average. Richmond combines a strong government and defense sector with growing technology and financial services industries. 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 $157,000. Where you land depends on years of experience and what you bring to the table.
Entry (0-2 yrs)
$114,000
to $140,000
Mid (3-5 yrs)
$149,000
to $184,000
Senior (6-9 yrs)
$193,000
to $228,000
Lead (10+ yrs)
$219,000
to $271,000
Salary trend
+7% YoYTotal compensation
Base salary is not the full picture. Equity, bonus, and signing can add $84,000 to the total package.
Base
$175,000
Equity
$51,000
Bonus
$22,000
Signing
$11,000
Estimated total: $259,000
How Richmond compares
Richmond, VA
$175,000
Cost of living: 1% above average
National Average
$168,000
Richmond is $7,000 above
ML Pipeline Engineer salary by city
Salary by role in Richmond
What you should know
Before you negotiate a ML Pipeline Engineer offer in Richmond, understand the terrain. 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. Compensation scales with pipeline complexity, data volume handled, and the number of production models supported. Engineers building end-to-end orchestration for training, validation, and deployment earn top salaries. Expertise in tools like Kubeflow, Airflow, or Vertex AI Pipelines and feature store integration drives premium offers.
Junior ML pipeline engineers earn $108,000 to $128,000 building components of existing pipelines. Mid-level roles designing full pipeline architectures pay $148,000 to $168,000. Senior engineers leading platform teams reach $195,000 to $220,000, with staff engineers exceeding $250,000. 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. Total compensation packages include 12 to 20% bonuses at established companies. Startups frequently offer equity worth 15 to 30% of base salary, with accelerated vesting for high-impact pipeline infrastructure roles. 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 $175,000, 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 ML Pipeline Engineers in Richmond runs from $133,000 to $229,000. 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 LLMOps Engineer in Richmond earns $174,000 (1% less)
- The highest-paying role in Richmond is Chief AI Officer at $316,000
Common questions.
ML Pipeline Engineer salary in other cities
Other salaries in Richmond
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