A machine learning engineer's salary can be many times more than the median income in the United States. Learn how much you can expect to earn from this in-demand career.
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Machine learning (ML) engineers research, design, and develop critical artificial intelligence on data science teams. As a result, they're well-compensated for their in-depth knowledge and ability to make decisions that drive profits. Here's what you need to know about this impactful career:
Machine learning engineers earn a higher-than-average salary, earning anywhere between $116,416 to $140,180.
Whether they鈥檙e working on algorithms to power your Spotify recommendations or creating algorithms to make real-time stock predictions, machine learning engineers are in high demand in many industries.
Gaining experience can increase how much you can expect to earn as a machine learning engineer.
In this article, we'll discuss what machine learning engineers do and the average salaries by experience and location. Afterward, if you're interested in pursuing a career in machine learning, consider enrolling in the AI Foundations for Everyone Specialization to learn how to build, deploy, and innovate with advanced techniques and real-world machine learning projects.
The average salary of a machine learning engineer is impacted by many factors, including experience, industry, and geographic location. However, according to various salary aggregate sites, the average US salary for a machine learning engineer ranges from $116,416 to $140,180, which is significantly more than the median salary in the US [, , , , 闭.听
| Payscale | ZipRecruiter | Salary.com | Glassdoor |
|---|---|---|---|
| $128,769 | $128,769 | $112,161 | $123,734 |
Experience has a big impact on what machine learning engineers can expect to make. Generally, the more experience a machine learning engineer has, the more they can expect to make in their role. According to Glassdoor, the base pay by experience breaks down as follows []:
0鈥1 years: $98,945聽
1鈥3 years: $112,424
4鈥6 years: $123,128
7鈥9 years: $134,037
10鈥14 years: $154,016
15+ years: $167,496
Those in more senior positions can typically expect to make even more. For example, according to Glassdoor, the average annual base salary that a senior machine learning engineer makes is $156,993 across all years of experience [].
Senior machine learning engineers start out with an average base salary of $131,568. With experience, this raises significantly鈥搒enior machine learning engineers with over 15 years of experience typically bring in around $177,416 at baseline [].
Master advanced machine learning techniques with the Machine Learning Specialization. Through hands-on projects, you'll explore core techniques, including how to build ML models with NumPy & sci-kit-learn, build & train supervised models for prediction and binary classification tasks (linear, logistic regression), apply best practices for ML development, and more.
As data becomes increasingly more valuable, so too do machine learning engineers capable of manipulating it with artificial intelligence. Applying your expertise in an area of rapid growth may lead to more job opportunities and advancement. Consider the five top innovations in machine learning, according to AI magazine [闭:听
Improved cybersecurity
No-code AI
Machine learning operationalization management
Hyperautomation
Typically, salaries vary from region to region. Every location has its own cost of living and market competition, which inevitably impacts the salary that a machine learning engineer can expect to make.听
Here are the average base salaries for machine learning engineers across the country鈥攆rom the West Coast to the East, the Midwest to the South鈥攃ourtesy of Glassdoor:聽
| City | Average base salary (Glassdoor) |
|---|---|
| San Francisco, CA | $149,995 |
| New York City, NY | $125,458 |
| Seattle, WA | $140,082 |
| Los Angeles, CA | $130,528 |
| Austin, TX | $115,989 |
| Washington, DC | $127,951 |
| Madison, WI | $103,821 |
| Saint Louis, MO | $110,901 |
| Chicago, IL | $110,703 |
The job outlook for machine learning engineers is positive. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, computer and information research scientists 鈥 the group under which machine learning engineers typically fall 鈥 are projected to grow by 26 percent between 2023 and 2033 [闭.听
In 2023, meanwhile, Indeed ranked machine learning engineers as one of the top 10 jobs in the United States, noting its high salary and the 53 percent job growth seen between 2020 and 2023 as key reasons [闭.听
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FRED St.Louis. 鈥,聽https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/MEPAINUSA672N.鈥 Accessed March 5, 2025.
Payscale. 鈥, https://www.ziprecruiter.com/Salaries/Machine-Learning-Engineer-Salary.鈥 Accessed March 10, 2025.
ZipRecruiter. 鈥, https://www.ziprecruiter.com/Salaries/Full-Time-Machine-Learning-Engineer-Salary.鈥 Accessed March 10, 2025.
Salary.com. 鈥, https://www.salary.com/research/salary/posting/machine-learning-engineer-salary.鈥 Accessed March 10, 2025.
Glassdoor. 鈥, https://www.glassdoor.com/Salaries/machine-learning-engineer-salary-SRCH_KO0,25.htm.鈥 Accessed March 10, 2025.
Glassdoor. 鈥, https://www.glassdoor.com/Salaries/senior-machine-learning-engineer-salary-SRCH_KO0,32.htm.鈥 Accessed March 10, 2025.
AI Magazine. 鈥, https://aimagazine.com/top10/top-10-machine-learning-innovations.鈥 Accessed March 10, 2025.
BLS. 鈥, https://www.bls.gov/ooh/computer-and-information-technology/computer-and-information-research-scientists.htm.鈥 Accessed March 10, 2025.
Indeed. 鈥, https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/news/best-jobs-of-2023.鈥 Accessed March 10, 2025.
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