What the government data says
BLS does not track machine learning engineers as their own occupation, so we use its software developers series as the closest match. That series covers every software developer in the US, from people building payroll systems to people training models. In May 2025, BLS put the median annual wage for software developers at $135,980, with the bottom 10 percent below $82,460 and the top 10 percent above $214,670.
We moved those figures to 2026 using the BLS Employment Cost Index. Civilian wages and salaries rose 3.1 percent in the 12 months to September 2026. After that adjustment, the US median comes out around $140,200, with the 25th percentile at $108,500 and the 75th at $177,400. Treat this as a floor for the occupation. It is not a measure of AI specialists alone.
Why job ads come in higher
On 5 November 2026 we took the midpoint of each US dollar pay range in live AutomationRoles.ai ads for machine learning engineers. That gave 139 ads from 56 employers. The 25th percentile was $184,000, the median $227,400 and the 75th percentile $267,900.
There are two reasons this sits well above BLS. First, the ads lean toward large AI and technology companies, which pay at the top of the market. Second, ads list base pay only and leave out stock and bonus, so total pay at those employers can go higher still. These figures are not an official number or a market average. They show what a set of active employers is offering this week.
What moves the number
Seniority matters most. A new graduate and a staff engineer can be on the same team and earn very different amounts. Employer type comes next. Even within the broad BLS series, software developers at software publishers had a median of $164,550 in May 2025, against $132,050 in computer systems design and related services.
Location also matters. Using the 2026 BLS figures, California has the highest median at $179,900, followed by Washington at $171,800, New York at $171,400 and Massachusetts at $170,400. Mississippi sits at $98,300. Remote roles often adjust pay to where you live, so check how an employer sets its bands.
How to read an offer
Split the offer into base salary, annual bonus and equity. At public companies, equity is usually stock units that vest over several years, and it can make up a large share of total pay at senior levels. At startups, equity is usually options. They may end up worth a lot or nothing, so value the base pay on its own merits.
Compare like with like. Put a big-tech offer next to the job ad range, not the BLS median. Put a role at a bank, insurer or manufacturer next to the BLS figures for your state. Ask the employer which level the role sits at, because level usually decides the pay band.
Pay
USD a year, before tax. US figures. BLS rows come from OEWS May 2025 for software developers, moved to 2026 with the Employment Cost Index. This is the nearest series and covers the whole occupation, not AI specialists alone. The job ad row uses midpoints of pay ranges in live AutomationRoles.ai ads on 5 November 2026; those ads lean toward large AI and tech employers and exclude stock and bonus. Refer to the Machine Learning Engineers salary guide for figures from live adverts.
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Questions people ask
What is the median machine learning engineer salary in the US?
BLS has no machine learning engineer series. Its nearest match, software developers, gives a 2026 US median of about $140,200. Live AutomationRoles.ai ads for machine learning engineers show a median base of $227,400, and those ads lean toward large tech employers.
Why is the BLS figure so much lower than job ads?
The BLS series covers all software developers, including many who do no machine learning work, and it spans every industry. The job ads come mostly from large AI and tech companies that pay at the top of the market. Neither number is wrong. They measure different groups.
Do these figures include stock and bonus?
The job ad figures are base pay only. At large tech employers, stock and bonus can add a lot on top of base, especially at senior levels. Compare the full package when you weigh offers.
Which states pay machine learning engineers the most?
Using the BLS software developers series moved to 2026, California has the highest median at $179,900. Washington ($171,800), New York ($171,400) and Massachusetts ($170,400) come next. These figures cover the whole occupation, not ML specialists alone.
Is the job outlook good for this kind of work?
BLS projects employment of software developers to grow 10 percent from 2025 to 2035, much faster than the average for all occupations. That projection covers all software developers. BLS does not publish a separate forecast for machine learning roles.
Are these salaries for other countries too?
No. Every figure on this page is a US figure in US dollars. Pay in other countries is often much lower, even at the same employers.
