Senior ML Engineer

💰 $135K–$192K salary range

Median: $159K  ·  Based on 663 public job postings  ·  Updated July 1, 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: $159K median ($135K–$192K typical range)
• New York: $184K median, $150K–$205K range (+16% vs. national)
• San Francisco: $203K median, $173K–$230K range (+28% vs. national)
• Seattle: $167K median, $167K–$187K range (+5% vs. national)
• Remote: $186K median, $170K–$200K range (+17% vs. national)
• Chicago: $156K median, $140K–$159K range (-2% vs. national)
• Boston: $167K median, $140K–$181K range (+5% vs. national)
• Los Angeles: $170K median, $126K–$175K range (+7% vs. national)
• Miami: $162K median, $139K–$181K range (+2% vs. national)

Highest paying companies

San Francisco

• Insitro: $225K median
• Hayden AI: $206K median
• AbbVie: $140K median

New York

• Amazon: $184K median
• Axsome Therapeutics: $155K 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: 79% of postings
• Equity (RSU/options): 69% of postings
• Flexible PTO: 62% of postings
• Parental leave: 44% of postings
• Learning/education budget: 6% of postings
• Visa sponsorship: 2% of postings

Typical experience required: 5–7 years.

AI/ML salaries by seniority

• ML Engineering Manager: $91K
• AI/ML Engineer: $113K
• Senior ML Engineer: $159K
• ML Tech Lead: $172K
• ML / AI Engineer: $174K
• Staff ML Engineer: $233K
• Head of AI: $233K

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.

Common questions

What is the average Senior ML Engineer salary at an AI startup?
The median pay is $159K, with a typical range of $135K–$192K, based on 663 public job postings collected in 2025–2026.

How does Senior ML Engineer pay compare in San Francisco vs. remote?
San Francisco roles pay a median of $203K, while fully-remote roles pay $186K.

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 663 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 July 1, 2026.

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