Salary Data
ML Engineer Salary in St. Louis
$167,000
median salary, 10% below the national average
According to Orbit's 2026 salary analysis, the average ML Engineer salary in St. Louis is $167,000. Salaries range from $126,000 (25th percentile) to $216,000 (75th percentile), adjusted for St. Louis's cost of living.
Salary range
How St. Louis compares
St. Louis, MO
$167,000
Cost of living: 10% below average
National Average
$185,000
St. Louis is $18,000 below
ML Engineer job market in St. Louis
St. Louis market overview
St. Louis offers one of the most affordable major metro areas in the country, with a strong base in healthcare, financial services, and manufacturing. The region's anchor employers include Boeing, Centene, and Washington University's medical campus. A growing biotech and plant sciences corridor centered on the Cortex Innovation District is attracting new investment and talent.
What drives ML Engineer salaries
Model training expertise at scale, infrastructure optimization skills, and publication record in top venues are the strongest differentiators. ML engineers who can reduce training costs by 50% or improve model latency by an order of magnitude are exceptionally valuable. Specialization in transformer architectures, reinforcement learning, or generative models commands the highest premiums.
Beyond base salary
Total compensation
Equity at AI labs and top tech companies often doubles total compensation, with RSU grants of $50,000 to $200,000+ annually at senior levels. Bonuses of 15 to 25% are standard. Signing bonuses of $40,000 to $100,000 are common. Compute budgets for personal research projects are a growing perk.
Tax considerations in St. Louis
Missouri's top income tax rate is about 4.8%, and St. Louis City adds a 1% earnings tax. The low base cost of living means your after tax salary still stretches further than in most metros.
Career progression
Entry level ML engineers (with MS/PhD) start at $130,000 to $165,000, reaching mid level at $170,000 to $220,000 in two to three years. Senior ML engineers earn $220,000 to $300,000. Staff and principal level engineers at leading AI labs can exceed $500,000 in total compensation.
Top industries in St. Louis
Negotiating in St. Louis
Emphasize your willingness to work in person at Cortex or the BJC campus. St. Louis employers offer higher packages for candidates who commit to the local innovation hubs.