AI/ML Engineer

💰 $95K–$140K salary range

Median: $110K  ·  Based on 47 public job postings  ·  Updated August 22, 2026

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At high-growth companies, AI/ML Engineers are pivotal in transforming cutting-edge research into scalable, production-ready AI systems that drive the core product. Compensation for this role at high-growth companies typically ranges from $131K to $172K, with a median salary of $137K, derived from an analysis of 15 recent job postings. Professionals demonstrating strong expertise in deep learning frameworks like PyTorch or TensorFlow, alongside proficiency in MLOps tools such as Kubeflow or MLflow for deployment and monitoring, command the highest salaries. Additionally, a solid grasp of distributed computing principles and technologies like Spark or Ray for handling large-scale data and models is a key differentiator for top earners within this specialized field.

📊 Salary breakdown

AI/ML Engineer salary by location

• All locations: $110K median ($95K–$140K typical range)
• San Francisco: $139K median, $100K–$151K range (+26% vs. national)
• New York: $120K median, $100K–$140K range (+9% vs. national)

Highest paying companies

San Francisco

• Financial Technology Partners: $140K median
• Atlas Data Storage: $95K median

New York

• Btig27: $130K median

Based on companies with 3+ active postings. Median of publicly advertised salary range.

What's typically included

• Health insurance: 45% of postings
• Equity (RSU/options): 57% of postings
• Flexible PTO: 36% of postings
• Parental leave: 15% of postings
• Learning/education budget: 11% of postings
• Visa sponsorship: 2% of postings

Typical experience required: 3–4 years.

AI/ML salaries by seniority

• AI/ML Engineer: $110K
• ML Engineering Manager: $141K
• Senior ML Engineer: $178K
• ML Tech Lead: $181K
• ML / AI Engineer: $195K
• Forward Deployed Engineer: $200K
• Head of AI: $233K
• Staff ML Engineer: $236K

What does a AI/ML Engineer do?

AI/ML Engineers are machine-learning and AI engineers who build, train, and ship models into production. This benchmark reflects Junior-level base compensation at high-growth and AI-native companies.

Government wage data

For corroboration, U.S. Department of Labor certified wage filings (FY2026) show a median of $105K for AI/ML Engineer roles, ranging $88K–$135K, across 159 filings. This is reported separately from — never blended with — the job-posting median above.

Common questions

What is the average AI/ML Engineer salary at an AI startup?
The median pay is $110K, with a typical range of $95K–$140K, based on 47 public job postings collected in 2025–2026.

Where does this salary data come from?
It is aggregated from public job postings on company career pages — no private placement or client data. We require a minimum of 15 postings per role.

Methodology

Figures are the midpoint of each posting's advertised USD salary range, aggregated from 47 public job postings (2025–2026). The range shown is the 25th–75th percentile; the median is the 50th percentile. Equity is separate and not included; where a posting's range reflects on-target earnings (OTE) for commission roles, that is included in the midpoint. Roles require at least 15 postings to be published. Last refreshed August 22, 2026.

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