Senior ML Engineer

💰 $143K–$210K salary range

Median: $176K  ·  Based on 540 public job postings  ·  Updated August 30, 2026

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At high-growth companies, the Senior Machine Learning Engineer role involves designing, building, and deploying the core machine learning systems that transform cutting-edge research into scalable, reliable, and performant AI products from ideation to production. Compensation for this pivotal role typically ranges from $170K to $260K, with a median salary of $210K, derived from an analysis of 104 recent job postings. Top remuneration is awarded to professionals demonstrating deep expertise in production-grade MLOps, distributed ML systems, and advanced deep learning frameworks such as PyTorch or JAX. These engineers also drive architectural decisions and optimize models for real-world performance, ensuring seamless integration into product pipelines.

📊 Salary breakdown

Senior ML Engineer salary by location

• All locations: $176K median ($143K–$210K typical range)
• New York: $190K median, $151K–$209K range (+8% vs. national)
• San Francisco: $210K median, $170K–$243K range (+19% vs. national)
• Boston: $168K median, $147K–$183K range (-4% vs. national)
• Chicago: $159K median, $159K–$171K range (-10% vs. national)
• Seattle: $200K median, $189K–$207K range (+14% vs. national)
• Los Angeles: $158K median, $126K–$183K range (-10% vs. national)
• Denver: $173K median, $156K–$184K range (-1% vs. national)
• Raleigh: $135K median, $128K–$135K range (-23% vs. national)

Highest paying companies

San Francisco

• Scale AI: $231K median
• Insitro: $218K median
• Hayden AI: $210K median
• Socure: $185K median

New York

• Scale AI: $231K median
• Axsome Therapeutics: $155K median
• Citigroup Inc.: $152K median
• Tower Research Capital: $150K median

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

What's typically included

• Health insurance: 72% of postings
• Equity (RSU/options): 67% of postings
• Flexible PTO: 55% of postings
• Parental leave: 27% of postings
• Learning/education budget: 11% of postings
• Visa sponsorship: 2% of postings

Typical experience required: 5–7 years.

AI/ML salaries by seniority

• AI/ML Engineer: $110K
• ML Engineering Manager: $140K
• ML Tech Lead: $155K
• Senior ML Engineer: $176K
• ML / AI Engineer: $200K
• Forward Deployed Engineer: $200K
• Head of AI: $233K
• Staff ML Engineer: $236K

What does a Senior ML Engineer do?

Senior ML Engineers are machine-learning and AI engineers who build, train, and ship models into production. This benchmark reflects Senior-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 $184K for Senior ML Engineer roles, ranging $147K–$222K, across 666 filings. This is reported separately from — never blended with — the job-posting median above.

Common questions

What is the average Senior ML Engineer salary at an AI startup?
The median pay is $176K, with a typical range of $143K–$210K, based on 540 public job postings collected in 2025–2026.

What is the Senior ML Engineer salary in New York?
New York Senior ML Engineers at AI-native startups earn a median of $190K, with a typical range of $151K–$209K (25th–75th percentile). That's 8% above the $176K US national median. 10% below San Francisco's $210K. Based on 51 qualifying postings, 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 540 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 30, 2026.

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