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Machine Learning Engineer Salary and Equity in San Francisco Bay Area 2026
How much does a Machine Learning Engineer expect to make at San Francisco Bay Area-based startups? The average expected salary for Machine Learning Engineers in San Francisco Bay Area-based startups is 181k per year, with a range from 11k to 310k. These amounts were gathered from Wellfound self-reported data and represent the median salary range. The salary range for Machine Learning Engineers in San Francisco Bay Area startups varies depending on factors such as industry, experience, skills, and startup stage.
180.8k
Average Salary
3 years
Average years of experience
Salary
The average salary for a Machine Learning Engineer in San Francisco Bay Area is $180,833, which is 28.2% higher than the average San Francisco Bay Area startup salary of$141,042. Machine Learning Engineer salaries in San Francisco Bay Area are based on exclusive Wellfound data. All data is updated on a weekly basis. Factors that may influence salary include: years of experience, title, size of company, skill-set, and industry.
Top of market
$234,375/yr
Range $198k - $310k
Average
$180,833/yr
Range $140k - $290k
Below Average
$132,125/yr
Range $11k - $198k
Industries
The highest average salary a Machine Learning Engineer in San Francisco Bay Area can get in B2B, that is $215,000. This pay is 22.9% higher than the average Machine Learning Engineer salary in San Francisco Bay Area, which is $175,000. The highest-paying industries in 2023 are: B2B (avg $215,000 per year), Mobile Application (avg $200,000 per year), Mobile (avg $200,000 per year).
Tech Stack
The highest average salary a Machine Learning Engineer in San Francisco Bay Area can get with GCP, that is $225,000. This pay is 59.5% higher than the average salary in San Francisco Bay Area startups, which is $141,042. 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 San Francisco Bay Area of 2026 are:
1. GCP
$225k
2. Machine Learning
$200k
3. Docker
$195k
4. Python
$170k
5. SQL
$160k
6. AWS
$125k
7. C++
$110k
8. C
$110k
9. Deep Learning
$105k
10. PyTorch
$102.5k
Years of experience
Below Average
Average
Top of Market
The highest average salary a Machine Learning Engineer in San Francisco Bay Area can get with 10+ years of experience, that is $200,000. This pay is 41.8% higher than the average salary in San Francisco Bay Area startups, which is $141,042. 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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