Machine learning engineer salary
$214K to $320K is the typical yearly range AI companies are posting for machine learning engineers right now, from 34 postings at 15 companies, read from their own job boards on November 15, 2026.
Real posted ranges34 postingsUpdated hourly
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Machine learning engineers build and run the systems that train, test and serve machine learning models. At AI companies the title also covers training infrastructure, inference speed and model evaluation, so the work sits close to research.
The figures here are the ranges AI companies publish in their own job postings, so they show what employers offer today rather than a survey average. Right now most machine learning engineer postings with a range are in California ($230K to $367K across 26 postings).
Machine learning engineer pay by state
Where AI companies are hiring machine learning engineers with a posted range. A posting that names several states counts in each one.
| State | Postings | Typical posted range | |
|---|---|---|---|
| California | 26 | $230K to $367K | |
| New York | 5 | $190K to $315K | |
| 7 postings in other states, remote or with no state named (states need at least 5 postings for a row) | |||
Machine learning engineer pay by level
The level comes from words in the job title. Many titles name no level, so that row mixes levels.
| Level in the title | Postings | Typical posted range |
|---|---|---|
| No level in the title | 17 | $200K to $350K |
| Senior and above (senior, staff, principal, lead) | 17 | $220K to $302K |
Machine learning engineer pay by company
Companies with at least 3 machine learning engineer postings that show a range.
| Company | Postings | Typical posted range | |
|---|---|---|---|
| OpenAI | 8 | $345K to $485K | |
| Databricks | 5 | $166K to $220K | |
| Anthropic | 3 | $320K to $485K | |
| Character.AI | 3 | $150K to $300K | |
| Scale AI | 3 | $196K to $245K | |
| 12 postings at companies with fewer than 3 such postings | |||
For comparison: the US Bureau of Labor Statistics put the national median pay for computer and information research scientists at $140,300 in May 2025, across employers of every kind. The ranges above come from AI companies, many in high-cost cities, so they run higher. Compare BLS and posted pay by role and city.
Newest machine learning engineer postings with pay
Straight from each company's own job board. Read the full posting and apply on their site.
$150K–$189KPosted Nov 10
$175K–$325KPosted Nov 6
$190K–$253KPosted Oct 29
$318K–$485KPosted Oct 19- $381K–$510KPosted Oct 13
$241K–$383KPosted Oct 2
$320K–$485KPosted Sep 28
$208K–$315KPosted Sep 25
More roles, filtered by team and location: remote AI jobs and every AI company we track.
How we count
- Source: the public job boards of the 65 AI companies on our AI jobs board, read hourly. Last update: November 15, 2026.
- What counts as a machine learning engineer: engineering job titles that name machine learning, ML or MLOps, such as Machine Learning Engineer, ML Infrastructure Engineer and Software Engineer, ML. Research, sales and management titles are left out.
- Only posted yearly ranges in US dollars, from roles that are not international only. A role listed in several cities with the same range counts once.
- Typical posted range runs from the median posted minimum to the median posted maximum. The median midpoint is the middle of all the range midpoints.
- Posted ranges are usually base pay. Bonus, equity and commission can add more. They show what employers offer today, not what any one person will be paid.
Getting into machine learning engineering
Employers look for shipped work first: a model you trained, evaluated and put into production says more than a list of courses. A certification can still help you get interviews when you are switching in. Our study guides cover the two vendor exams built for this role, the AWS Certified Machine Learning Engineer Associate and the Google Professional Machine Learning Engineer.
Keep going
- AI engineer salary$211K to $321K typical posted range
- AI product manager salary$200K to $300K typical posted range
- Forward deployed engineer salary$185K to $300K typical posted range
- AWS Machine Learning Engineer Associate study guideCertification guide
- How to pass the Google Professional ML Engineer examCertification guide
- Is the AWS ML Engineer cert worth it?Certification guide
- HOW TO // AI CERTPractice questions for AI certification exams
- Do AI certifications raise pay?What the evidence says
Please note: these are pay ranges employers publish in their own job postings, summarized by HOW TO // AI. They are not offers, and they are not financial or career advice. HOW TO // AI is not affiliated with the companies listed, and company names are trademarks of their owners.
Frequently asked questions
How much do machine learning engineers make at AI companies?
AI companies are posting a typical range of $214K to $320K a year for machine learning engineers, from 34 postings at 15 companies (November 15, 2026). That runs from the median posted minimum to the median posted maximum, and it is usually base pay.
Where are machine learning engineer jobs with posted pay?
Most are in California ($230K to $367K across 26 postings). A state needs at least 5 postings to get its own row in the table, and a posting that names several states counts in each one.
Is this what I would be paid?
Not necessarily. These are the ranges employers publish when they post a job. An offer depends on the level, the location, the interviews and negotiation, and many offers add bonus or equity on top of base pay.
How does this compare with BLS salary data?
The Bureau of Labor Statistics surveys employers of every kind. Its closest occupation, computer and information research scientists, had a national median of $140,300 in May 2025. Postings from AI companies run higher because many are in high-cost cities and compete for scarce skills.