Engineering · National (US)
Machine Learning Engineer Salary
The highest-paid mainstream engineering specialisation, with a widening gap between applied roles integrating existing models and research-adjacent roles training them.
- 25th percentile
- $158k
- Median
- $202k
- 75th percentile
- $258k
- 90th percentile
- $328k
By level
Compensation by level
| Level | Experience | P25 | Median | P90 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Entry | 0–2 yrs | $118k | $142k | $195k |
| Mid | 2–5 yrs | $158k | $192k | $268k |
| Senior | 5–8 yrs | $212k | $258k | $378k |
| Staff | 8+ yrs | $278k | $342k | $552k |
Core skills
Python and PyTorchModel evaluationDistributed training or servingFeature and data pipelinesLatency and cost optimisation
Typical responsibilities
- Ship models into production systems
- Build evaluation harnesses
- Own inference cost and latency
- Monitor model quality in production
Equity
Equity is the largest variable component; senior offers at frontier labs are equity-dominant.
Bonus
Bonus targets of 10–20%, with retention grants common mid-cycle.
By city
Machine Learning Engineer salary by market
National band adjusted for local market conditions.