Technology · Level D2 · Salary
ML Engineer salary
Typical total compensation (US national)
$208,000–$278,000
Base
$165,000
Bonus
$18,000
Equity (annual)
$55,000
Indicative, sourced — not a guarantee. BLS OEWS May 2025 Data Scientists (15-2051) as base floor (p75 $158,880) + software/ML premium; Levels.fyi ML Engineer title median total comp $272.5k, base median ~$190k (big-tech skew)
Pay by metro — nominal vs cost-adjusted
“Real” adjusts for cost of living, so a high headline number in an expensive metro can be worth less in practice. Ranked by real pay.
| Metro | Nominal | Real (cost-adjusted) |
|---|---|---|
| Austin | $249,900 | $245,000 |
| Remote (US national) | $238,000 | $238,000 |
| Atlanta | $233,240 | $238,000 |
| Seattle | $280,840 | $234,033 |
| Chicago | $238,000 | $220,370 |
| Denver | $238,000 | $216,364 |
| Boston | $257,040 | $190,400 |
| New York City | $280,840 | $181,187 |
| Los Angeles | $257,040 | $177,269 |
| San Francisco Bay Area | $297,500 | $165,278 |