Data Pipeline Engineer (ML).
Houston.
$153,000
median salary, 3% below the national average
$116,000 to $202,000. Updated for 2026.
The numbers.
Everything you need to negotiate with confidence.
A Data Pipeline Engineer (ML) in Houston earns a median of $153,000 in 2026. That is 3% below the national average. The range runs from $116,000 to $202,000, and where you land depends on your experience, your skills, and how well you negotiate. ML data pipeline engineers earn salaries based on the scale and complexity of data systems they build and maintain.
Salary range
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How Houston compares
Houston, TX
$153,000
Cost of living: 3% below average
National Average
$158,000
Houston is $5,000 below
What you should know
The Data Pipeline Engineer (ML) landscape in Houston is not what most salary sites will tell you. Houston's economy is deeply rooted in energy, with a growing presence in healthcare, aerospace, and technology. The Texas Medical Center is the world's largest, driving massive demand for clinical and research roles. Houston's low cost of living and no state income tax make it an attractive destination for professionals seeking strong purchasing power. 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 Houston, 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: texas has no state income tax, giving Houston workers strong take home pay. The city's overall cost of living is below the national average, further stretching your salary. When someone quotes you $153,000, ask what the total package looks like. The gap between base and total comp is where real money hides.
On negotiation: Emphasize industry specialization in energy or healthcare. Houston employers pay significant premiums for domain expertise in these sectors over generalist candidates. The range for Data Pipeline Engineer (ML)s in Houston runs from $116,000 to $202,000. That is not a narrow window. Where you land inside it depends almost entirely on whether you negotiate and how well you prepare.
Top industries in Houston
Negotiating in Houston
Emphasize industry specialization in energy or healthcare. Houston employers pay significant premiums for domain expertise in these sectors over generalist candidates.