BLS SOC 15-2041 · Technology
Machine Learning Engineer Salary
Machine learning engineers build and deploy ML models and AI systems at scale. They bridge data science research and production software engineering to create reliable ML pipelines.
Data: BLS OEWS · 2026
National Median
$123,600
annual
25th Percentile
$95,172
annual
75th Percentile
$158,208
annual
90th Percentile
$197,760
annual
National Salary Distribution
P25: $95,172Median: $123,600P75: $158,208P90: $197,760
1
Top Paying Cities for Machine Learning Engineer
Ranked by median annual salary
| # | City | Median |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Francisco, CA | $170,000 |
| 2 | Seattle, WA | $165,000 |
| 3 | New York, NY | $163,000 |
| 4 | Boston, MA | $150,000 |
| 5 | Washington, DC | $147,000 |
| 6 | Los Angeles, CA | $146,000 |
| 7 | San Diego, CA | $141,000 |
| 8 | Austin, TX | $136,000 |
| 9 | Portland, OR | $136,000 |
| 10 | Denver, CO | $131,000 |
2
Best After Cost of Living
Salary adjusted for cost of living (US avg = $100k)
| # | City | COL-Adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Columbus, OH | $119,780 |
| 2 | Pittsburgh, PA | $118,889 |
| 3 | Detroit, MI | $117,978 |
| 4 | Raleigh, NC | $117,476 |
| 5 | Indianapolis, IN | $116,667 |
| 6 | Chicago, IL | $115,888 |
| 7 | Houston, TX | $115,888 |
| 8 | Phoenix, AZ | $114,563 |
| 9 | Dallas, TX | $114,286 |
| 10 | Atlanta, GA | $112,037 |
3
Machine Learning Engineer Salary — All Cities
All 30 metro areas, sorted by median salary
| City | P25 | Median | P75 | P90 | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Francisco, CA | $130,900 | $170,000 | $217,600 | $272,000 | 41,600 |
| Seattle, WA | $127,050 | $165,000 | $211,200 | $264,000 | 46,400 |
| New York, NY | $125,510 | $163,000 | $208,640 | $260,800 | 54,400 |
| Boston, MA | $115,500 | $150,000 | $192,000 | $240,000 | 33,600 |
| Washington, DC | $113,190 | $147,000 | $188,160 | $235,200 | 36,000 |
| Los Angeles, CA | $112,420 | $146,000 | $186,880 | $233,600 | 38,400 |
| San Diego, CA | $108,570 | $141,000 | $180,480 | $225,600 | 19,200 |
| Austin, TX | $104,720 | $136,000 | $174,080 | $217,600 | 30,400 |
| Portland, OR | $104,720 | $136,000 | $174,080 | $217,600 | 16,000 |
| Denver, CO | $100,870 | $131,000 | $167,680 | $209,600 | 22,400 |
| Dallas, TX | $98,560 | $128,000 | $163,840 | $204,800 | 28,000 |
| Chicago, IL | $95,480 | $124,000 | $158,720 | $198,400 | 28,000 |
| Houston, TX | $95,480 | $124,000 | $158,720 | $198,400 | 22,400 |
| Minneapolis, MN | $93,940 | $122,000 | $156,160 | $195,200 | 17,600 |
| Atlanta, GA | $93,170 | $121,000 | $154,880 | $193,600 | 24,000 |
| Raleigh, NC | $93,170 | $121,000 | $154,880 | $193,600 | 17,600 |
| Phoenix, AZ | $90,860 | $118,000 | $151,040 | $188,800 | 20,000 |
| Miami, FL | $89,320 | $116,000 | $148,480 | $185,600 | 17,600 |
| Salt Lake City, UT | $89,320 | $116,000 | $148,480 | $185,600 | 14,400 |
| Nashville, TN | $87,780 | $114,000 | $145,920 | $182,400 | 14,400 |
| Charlotte, NC | $86,240 | $112,000 | $143,360 | $179,200 | 16,000 |
| Richmond, VA | $86,240 | $112,000 | $143,360 | $179,200 | 11,200 |
| Columbus, OH | $83,930 | $109,000 | $139,520 | $174,400 | 12,800 |
| Pittsburgh, PA | $82,390 | $107,000 | $136,960 | $171,200 | 11,200 |
| Detroit, MI | $80,850 | $105,000 | $134,400 | $168,000 | 12,000 |
| Indianapolis, IN | $80,850 | $105,000 | $134,400 | $168,000 | 12,000 |
| Louisville, KY | $74,690 | $97,000 | $124,160 | $155,200 | 8,000 |
| Oklahoma City, OK | $73,150 | $95,000 | $121,600 | $152,000 | 7,200 |
| Memphis, TN | $70,840 | $92,000 | $117,760 | $147,200 | 6,400 |
| El Paso, TX | $65,450 | $85,000 | $108,800 | $136,000 | 4,800 |
Top Skills for Machine Learning Engineer
PythonTensorFlowPyTorchMLOpsDistributed Computing