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Machine Learning Developer Salary and Equity in 2026
How much can a Machine Learning developer expect to make at US-based startups? The average estimated salary for Machine Learning developers is 132k per year, with a range from 65k to 225k. The salary range for Machine Learning developers varies depending on factors such as location, industry, experience, and startup stage.
132.3k
Average Salary
3 years
Average years of experience
Salary
The average salary for a Machine Learning developer is$132,292, which is 17.2% higher than the average startup salary of$112,833. Machine Learning developer salaries 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 industry.
Top of market
$207,833/yr
Range $185k - $225k
Average
$132,292/yr
Range $115k - $140k
Below Average
$84,292/yr
Range $65k - $120k
Top Locations
The highest average salary a Machine Learning developer can get in New York, that is $160,000. This pay is 20.9% higher than the average Machine Learning salary in startups, which is $132,292. Salaries will vary based on your location. The top-paying markets in the US, on average, are currently: New York (avg $160,000 per year), Seattle (avg $150,000 per year), Boston (avg $145,000 per year). Remote jobs often pay based on the location you reside in.
New York
$160k
Seattle
$150k
Boston
$145k
Austin
$135k
Santa Monica
$130k
Remote
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View SalariesIndustries
The highest average salary a Machine Learning developer can get in Legal, that is $225,000. This pay is 4.9% higher than the average Machine Learning salary, which is $214,500. The highest-paying industries in 2023 are: Legal (avg $225,000 per year), Business Analytics (avg $225,000 per year), Aerial Robotics (avg $215,000 per year).
Tech Stack
Top Tech Stacks
The top-paying developer skills of 2026 are:
1. Celery
$202k
2. Clojure
$195k
3. OpenCV
$192k
4. Clojurescript
$187.5k
5. Symfony
$175k
6. Scipy
$175k
7. Heroku
$165k
8. Dart
$160k
9. Amazon ECS
$155k
10. DynamoDB
$150k
Years of experience
Below Average
Average
Top of Market
The highest average salary a Machine Learning developer can get with 10+ years of experience, that is $60,000. This pay is 46.8% lower than the average salary in startups, which is $112,833. 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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Popular skills
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Tech Hubs for Machine Learning
Industries for Machine Learning
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