Technology · Level D4 · Salary
Staff ML Engineer salary
Typical total compensation (US national)
$485,000–$585,000
Base
$265,000
Bonus
$45,000
Equity (annual)
$220,000
Indicative, sourced — not a guarantee. Pin 'AI Compensation Benchmarks 2026'; Levels.fyi ML staff band (Meta E6 ~$678k, Google L7 ~$743k FAANG-skewed)
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 | $556,500 | $545,588 |
| Remote (US national) | $530,000 | $530,000 |
| Atlanta | $519,400 | $530,000 |
| Seattle | $625,400 | $521,167 |
| Chicago | $530,000 | $490,741 |
| Denver | $530,000 | $481,818 |
| Boston | $572,400 | $424,000 |
| New York City | $625,400 | $403,484 |
| Los Angeles | $572,400 | $394,759 |
| San Francisco Bay Area | $662,500 | $368,056 |