How Much Do Machine Learning Engineer Jobs Pay in Palo Alto? (September 2026)
As of September 2026, the median Machine Learning Engineer salary in Palo Alto is $225,000 a year. Most roles pay between $185,720 and $310,000 (the 10th–90th percentile), drawn from 27 live salaried listings across 13 companies. All figures are converted to annual US dollars so different sources compare like-for-like.
How pay has moved
Median base salary by the month each role was posted, across current live listings. A monthly snapshot builds a firmer long-run trend over time.
Highest-paying employers
- All xAI roles →
- Principal Machine Learning Engineer, Ads DeliveryStaff Machine Learning Engineer, Ads Conversion Core ModelingSr. Machine Learning Engineer, Core Engineering Sr. Machine Learning Engineer, Monetization EngineeringMachine Learning Engineer, Monetization EngineeringAll Pinterest roles →
- Senior Machine Learning Engineer, LLM Inference OptimizationSenior Machine Learning Engineer, Model Training and Reinforcement LearningAll Nebius roles →
- All Typeface roles →
- Director, Machine Learning EngineeringDistinguished Machine Learning Engineer, Customer Intelligence and RecommendationSenior Staff ML EngineerStaff Machine Learning Engineer, AI Agent PlatformAll GEICO roles →
Employers ranked by median advertised base among those with at least two salaried listings in Palo Alto; each one’s best-paying open roles are listed beneath it.
Methodology: Machine Learning Engineer listings in Palo Alto with a published salary, updated daily. Figures come from roles that are open right now. Ranges and single figures are converted to an annual US-dollar midpoint; hourly rates are annualised and out-of-band values dropped. Salary data is self-reported by employers and covers the roles that disclose pay — treat it as a directional guide, not a guarantee.