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Machine Learning Engineer Salary and Equity in Seattle 2026
How much does a Machine Learning Engineer expect to make at Seattle-based startups? The average expected salary for Machine Learning Engineers in Seattle-based startups is 213k per year, with a range from 115k to 286k. These amounts were gathered from Wellfound self-reported data and represent the median salary range. The salary range for Machine Learning Engineers in Seattle startups varies depending on factors such as industry, experience, skills, and startup stage.
212.9k
Average Salary
4 years
Average years of experience

Salary
The average salary for a Machine Learning Engineer in Seattle is $212,938, which is 53.1% higher than the average Seattle startup salary of$139,125. Machine Learning Engineer salaries in Seattle 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
$268,438/yr
Range $205k - $286k
Average
$212,938/yr
Range $160k - $242k
Below Average
$174,938/yr
Range $115k - $190k
Industries
The highest average salary a Machine Learning Engineer in Seattle can get in Social Media, that is $286,000. This pay is 5.9% higher than the average Machine Learning Engineer salary in Seattle, which is $270,050. The highest-paying industries in 2023 are: Social Media (avg $286,000 per year), Social Network (avg $286,000 per year), Curated Web (avg $286,000 per year).
Tech Stack
The highest average salary a Machine Learning Engineer in Seattle can get with AWS, that is $165,000. This pay is 18.6% higher than the average salary in Seattle startups, which is $139,125. 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 Seattle of 2026 are:
1. AWS
$165k
2. PyTorch
$165k
3. Machine Learning
$160k
4. Python
$115k
Years of experience
Below Average
Average
Top of Market
The highest average salary a Machine Learning Engineer in Seattle can get with 7-10 years of experience, that is $175,000. This pay is 25.8% higher than the average salary in Seattle startups, which is $139,125. 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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