Tech · Rankings
Best US Cities for Machine Learning Engineers
Top US cities for Machine Learning Engineers ranked by estimated median salary, with cost-of-living-adjusted earning power.
Top 10 cities by salary
| # | City | Estimated salary | Cost mult. | vs national |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Francisco, CA | $239,300 | 1.45× | +$74,300 |
| 2 | Oakland, CA | $222,800 | 1.35× | +$57,800 |
| 3 | New York City, NY | $217,800 | 1.32× | +$52,800 |
| 4 | Honolulu, HI | $214,500 | 1.30× | +$49,500 |
| 5 | Irvine, CA | $214,500 | 1.30× | +$49,500 |
| 6 | Los Angeles, CA | $201,300 | 1.22× | +$36,300 |
| 7 | Boston, MA | $201,300 | 1.22× | +$36,300 |
| 8 | San Diego, CA | $199,700 | 1.21× | +$34,700 |
| 9 | Yonkers, NY | $198,000 | 1.20× | +$33,000 |
| 10 | Anchorage, AK | $198,000 | 1.20× | +$33,000 |
All 50 cities, ranked
| # | City | Salary | Hourly |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Francisco, CA | $239,300 | $115/hr |
| 2 | Oakland, CA | $222,800 | $107/hr |
| 3 | New York City, NY | $217,800 | $105/hr |
| 4 | Honolulu, HI | $214,500 | $103/hr |
| 5 | Irvine, CA | $214,500 | $103/hr |
| 6 | Los Angeles, CA | $201,300 | $97/hr |
| 7 | Boston, MA | $201,300 | $97/hr |
| 8 | San Diego, CA | $199,700 | $96/hr |
| 9 | Yonkers, NY | $198,000 | $95/hr |
| 10 | Anchorage, AK | $198,000 | $95/hr |
| 11 | Seattle, WA | $194,700 | $94/hr |
| 12 | Long Beach, CA | $194,700 | $94/hr |
| 13 | Anaheim, CA | $194,700 | $94/hr |
| 14 | Scottsdale, AZ | $194,700 | $94/hr |
| 15 | Chula Vista, CA | $189,700 | $91/hr |
| 16 | Miami, FL | $184,800 | $89/hr |
| 17 | Portland, OR | $181,500 | $87/hr |
| 18 | Newark, NJ | $181,500 | $87/hr |
| 19 | Sacramento, CA | $181,500 | $87/hr |
| 20 | Riverside, CA | $181,500 | $87/hr |
| 21 | Denver, CO | $178,200 | $86/hr |
| 22 | Chicago, IL | $173,300 | $83/hr |
| 23 | Austin, TX | $173,300 | $83/hr |
| 24 | Baltimore, MD | $173,300 | $83/hr |
| 25 | Stockton, CA | $173,300 | $83/hr |
| 26 | Aurora, CO | $173,300 | $83/hr |
| 27 | Hialeah, FL | $173,300 | $83/hr |
| 28 | Frisco, TX | $173,300 | $83/hr |
| 29 | Las Vegas, NV | $171,600 | $83/hr |
| 30 | Minneapolis, MN | $171,600 | $83/hr |
| 31 | Plano, TX | $171,600 | $83/hr |
| 32 | Chandler, AZ | $171,600 | $83/hr |
| 33 | Phoenix, AZ | $168,300 | $81/hr |
| 34 | Philadelphia, PA | $168,300 | $81/hr |
| 35 | Atlanta, GA | $168,300 | $81/hr |
| 36 | Tampa, FL | $168,300 | $81/hr |
| 37 | Henderson, NV | $168,300 | $81/hr |
| 38 | Reno, NV | $168,300 | $81/hr |
| 39 | Gilbert, AZ | $168,300 | $81/hr |
| 40 | Charleston, SC | $168,300 | $81/hr |
| 41 | Salt Lake City, UT | $168,300 | $81/hr |
| 42 | Orlando, FL | $166,700 | $80/hr |
| 43 | Wilmington, DE | $165,000 | $79/hr |
| 44 | Raleigh, NC | $165,000 | $79/hr |
| 45 | Virginia Beach, VA | $165,000 | $79/hr |
| 46 | St. Paul, MN | $165,000 | $79/hr |
| 47 | Chesapeake, VA | $165,000 | $79/hr |
| 48 | North Las Vegas, NV | $165,000 | $79/hr |
| 49 | Boise, ID | $165,000 | $79/hr |
| 50 | Fresno, CA | $165,000 | $79/hr |
| 51 | Worcester, MA | $165,000 | $79/hr |
| 52 | Dallas, TX | $163,400 | $79/hr |
| 53 | Nashville, TN | $163,400 | $79/hr |
| 54 | Colorado Springs, CO | $163,400 | $79/hr |
| 55 | Bakersfield, CA | $163,400 | $79/hr |
| 56 | St. Petersburg, FL | $163,400 | $79/hr |
| 57 | Madison, WI | $163,400 | $79/hr |
| 58 | Norfolk, VA | $161,700 | $78/hr |
| 59 | Jacksonville, FL | $160,100 | $77/hr |
| 60 | Charlotte, NC | $160,100 | $77/hr |
| 61 | Mesa, AZ | $160,100 | $77/hr |
| 62 | Houston, TX | $158,400 | $76/hr |
| 63 | Fort Worth, TX | $158,400 | $76/hr |
| 64 | Tucson, AZ | $158,400 | $76/hr |
| 65 | Glendale, AZ | $158,400 | $76/hr |
| 66 | Garland, TX | $158,400 | $76/hr |
| 67 | Spokane, WA | $158,400 | $76/hr |
| 68 | Pittsburgh, PA | $156,800 | $75/hr |
| 69 | Arlington, TX | $156,800 | $75/hr |
| 70 | Tallahassee, FL | $156,800 | $75/hr |
| 71 | Milwaukee, WI | $155,100 | $75/hr |
| 72 | Albuquerque, NM | $155,100 | $75/hr |
| 73 | New Orleans, LA | $155,100 | $75/hr |
| 74 | San Antonio, TX | $153,500 | $74/hr |
| 75 | Grand Rapids, MI | $153,500 | $74/hr |
| 76 | Columbus, OH | $151,800 | $73/hr |
| 77 | Detroit, MI | $151,800 | $73/hr |
| 78 | Cincinnati, OH | $151,800 | $73/hr |
| 79 | Kansas City, MO | $151,800 | $73/hr |
| 80 | Lexington, KY | $151,800 | $73/hr |
| 81 | Corpus Christi, TX | $151,800 | $73/hr |
| 82 | Buffalo, NY | $151,800 | $73/hr |
| 83 | Greensboro, NC | $151,800 | $73/hr |
| 84 | Knoxville, TN | $151,800 | $73/hr |
| 85 | El Paso, TX | $150,200 | $72/hr |
| 86 | Cleveland, OH | $150,200 | $72/hr |
| 87 | St. Louis, MO | $150,200 | $72/hr |
| 88 | Winston-Salem, NC | $150,200 | $72/hr |
| 89 | Indianapolis, IN | $148,500 | $71/hr |
| 90 | Louisville, KY | $148,500 | $71/hr |
| 91 | Omaha, NE | $148,500 | $71/hr |
| 92 | Memphis, TN | $146,900 | $71/hr |
| 93 | Oklahoma City, OK | $146,900 | $71/hr |
| 94 | Lincoln, NE | $146,900 | $71/hr |
| 95 | Birmingham, AL | $145,200 | $70/hr |
| 96 | Toledo, OH | $145,200 | $70/hr |
| 97 | Lubbock, TX | $145,200 | $70/hr |
| 98 | Wichita, KS | $141,900 | $68/hr |
| 99 | Fort Wayne, IN | $141,900 | $68/hr |
| 100 | Mobile, AL | $141,900 | $68/hr |
Why pay varies for Machine Learning Engineers by city
The estimated median Machine Learning Engineer salary varies from $141,900 in Mobile to $239,300 in San Francisco — a 69% range. The drivers:
- Cost of living: SF Bay, NYC, Honolulu, Boston cost 20-45% more than US average. Employers compete for talent by paying proportionally more.
- Employer concentration: tech metros (SF, Seattle, Austin, NYC) pay tech roles much more than general-market cities. Healthcare hubs (Boston, NYC) similar effect for medical roles.
- State and local taxes: TX, FL, NV, WA, AK have no state income tax — net pay is effectively higher. NYC, Philly, Detroit have local taxes that reduce take-home.
- Industry density: a Machine Learning Engineer at a top-tier employer in a major metro can out-earn the local median by 30-50%.
Highest-paying ≠ best earning power
San Francisco and New York lead nominal pay rankings for most jobs. But housing in SF averages $4,500+/month for a 1-bedroom; same in NYC $3,500-4,500. After housing, transit, and taxes, a Machine Learning Engineer earning $150K in SF often takes home less spendable income than one earning $100K in Austin or Raleigh.
For real-world earning power, weight salaries against cost of living. Use our cost of living comparison tool to see what specific city pairs translate to.
Machine Learning Engineers and remote work
Post-2020, many employers offer location-independent tech roles. Pay policies vary:
- Same nationwide (rare): same salary regardless of where you live. Best for low-COL areas.
- Tier-based (most common): 3-4 pay tiers based on metro cost. SF gets tier 1, mid-tier metros tier 2, low-COL tier 3.
- Location-of-employer: pay matches the city the company is HQ'd in.
- Local-only: must live within commuting distance regardless of remote status.
Always confirm with the employer before relocating expecting their salary to follow you. The right strategy: live in a low-COL city, work for a high-COL-tier employer (if they allow it).
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Frequently Asked Questions
What's the highest-paying city for a Machine Learning Engineer?▾
Based on our cost-of-living-adjusted estimates, San Francisco, CA is the highest-paying city for Machine Learning Engineers with an estimated median of $239,300/year. Major metros (SF Bay, NYC, Boston) tend to top the list — they pay more but also cost much more to live in.
Why does pay vary so much by city?▾
Three main factors: (1) cost of living — employers pay more where housing and services cost more; (2) employer concentration — tech-heavy cities pay tech roles more; (3) state and local taxes — no-state-tax states (TX, FL, NV) effectively pay more after taxes. Use our individual Machine Learning Engineer salary by city pages for take-home math.
Is the highest-paying city actually the best for me?▾
Not necessarily. SF pays the most for many roles but housing alone can eat 40-50% of net income. The "adjusted earning power" column accounts for this — what salary buys after cost of living. Lower-COL cities like Austin or Raleigh sometimes win on adjusted basis despite lower nominal pay.
How accurate are these salary estimates?▾
These are population-level estimates based on US BLS national medians × city cost-of-living multipliers from BEA Regional Price Parities. Real salaries vary 30%+ within a metro depending on employer, role specifics, and experience. Cross-reference with Glassdoor, Levels.fyi, salary.com for your specific situation.
What about remote work?▾
Many employers now base pay on cost of living — a remote Machine Learning Engineer living in Tucson but employed by a Bay Area company might earn close to local Tucson rates. Check the employer's policy. Some pay the same nationwide; many adjust by location.