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Machine Learning Engineer salary in Small and Medium Businesses startups in 2026
How much does a Machine Learning Engineer expect to make in Small and Medium Businesses startups? The average expected salary for Machine Learning Engineers in Small and Medium Businesses startups is 117k per year, with a range from 25k to 253k. These amounts were gathered from Wellfound self-reported data and represent the median salary range. The salary range for Machine Learning Engineers in Small and Medium Businesses startup varies depending on factors such as location, experience, skills, and startup stage.
117.1k
Average Salary
2 years
Average years of experience
Salary
The average salary for a Machine Learning Engineer in Small and Medium Businesses startups is $117,083, which is 15.7% higher than the average salary of $101,208 in Small and Medium Businesses startups. Machine Learning Engineer salaries in Small and Medium Businesses are based on exclusive Wellfound data. All data is updated on a weekly basis. Factors that may influence salary include: location, years of experience, title, size of company, and skill-set.
Top of market
$160,833/yr
Range $65k - $253k
Average
$117,083/yr
Range $55k - $208k
Below Average
$97,958/yr
Range $25k - $185k
Top Locations
The highest average salary a Machine Learning Engineer in Small and Medium Businesses can get in Los Angeles, that is $185,000. This pay is 58.0% higher than the average Machine Learning Engineer salary in Small and Medium Businesses startups, which is $117,083. Salaries will vary based on your location. The top-paying markets in the US, on average, are currently: Los Angeles (avg $185,000 per year), Seattle (avg $175,000 per year). Remote jobs often pay based on the location you reside in.
Industries
Use the filters above to discover compensation across companies similar to yours.
Tech Stack
The highest average salary a Machine Learning Engineer in Small and Medium Businesses can get with TypeScript, that is $202,000. This pay is 99.6% higher than the average salary in Small and Medium Businesses startups, which is $101,208. Salary range for specific skills will vary based on the supply and demand in the current market.
Top Tech Stacks
The top-paying Machine Learning Engineer skills in Small and Medium Businesses startups of 2026 are:
1. TypeScript
$202k
2. Docker
$197k
3. Flask
$197k
4. C++
$192k
5. Numpy
$185k
6. C
$185k
7. SQL
$172k
8. GraphQL
$170k
9. OpenCV
$160k
10. AWS
$157k
Years of experience
Below Average
Average
Top of Market
The highest average salary a Machine Learning Engineer in Small and Medium Businesses can get with 10+ years of experience, that is $107,000. This pay is 5.7% higher than the average salary in Small and Medium Businesses startups, which is $101,208. The salary range varies with years of experience and depends on other factors such as skill set, size of company, and industry.
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Industries for Machine Learning Engineer
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