2026 Salary — North Carolina
Updated April 29, 2026
Machine Learning Engineer Salary in North Carolina: $157K Median
Machine Learning Engineers in North Carolina earn between $107K and $286K per year.
That's -3% below the US national median.
Quick Answer
As of April 2026, the median Machine Learning Engineer salary in North Carolina is $157,140 per year — -3% below the US national median of $162,000. Salaries range from $106,700 (entry, 25th percentile) to $286,150 (90th percentile). North Carolina's cost-of-living index is 95. State income tax applies.
Median
$157,140
+520.0% YoY
Entry
$126,100
Experienced
$242,500
Top 10%
$286,150
About Machine Learning Engineers in North Carolina
ML engineers design, build, and deploy machine learning models at scale, bridging research and production engineering.
Hot 2026 Skills
LLMsPyTorchRAG/fine-tuningDistributed trainingMLOps
ATS Keywords
PythonPyTorchTensorFlowscikit-learnMLOpsKubernetesfeature engineeringdistributed trainingLLMs
How to Negotiate Your Machine Learning Engineer Salary in North Carolina
Walk-away anchor: $136,643.
Leverage Points
- Reference levels.fyi total compensation data for your level (L4/L5/etc.) at comparable companies
- Quantify recent shipped impact: latency reduced, revenue driven, on-call incidents resolved
- Hold a competing offer (or credible interview pipeline) before the salary conversation
- Highlight in-demand skill premiums: LLMs, Kubernetes, Rust, distributed systems
Negotiate Beyond Base
Sign-on bonus ($25K-$100K is standard at Big Tech)RSU refreshers and accelerated vesting cliffsRemote/hybrid flexibility and home-office stipendAnnual learning budget and conference allowanceSabbatical eligibility after 4-5 years
Machine Learning Engineer Salary FAQ — North Carolina
What is the average Machine Learning Engineer salary in North Carolina?
The average Machine Learning Engineer salary in North Carolina is $157,140 per year as of April 2026. Salaries range from $106,700 (entry, 25th percentile) up to $286,150 (90th percentile). State income tax applies.
How does Machine Learning Engineer pay in North Carolina compare to the US average?
Machine Learning Engineers in North Carolina earn approximately 3% less than the US national median ($162,000 nationally vs $157,140 in North Carolina). North Carolina's cost-of-living index of 95 is close to the national average.
Did Machine Learning Engineer salaries in North Carolina increase in 2026?
Yes — Machine Learning Engineer salaries in North Carolina grew approximately 520.0% year-over-year, from $25,345 in 2025 to $157,140 in 2026. This reflects the broader Technology sector's wage growth, driven by LLMs and PyTorch demand.
Which North Carolina cities pay Machine Learning Engineers the most?
Top-paying North Carolina metros for Machine Learning Engineers: Charlotte ($165K), Raleigh ($170K). Click any city for full breakdown including take-home pay.
What's the job outlook for Machine Learning Engineers in North Carolina?
ML engineering demand exploded 40%+ in 2025-2026 with the GenAI boom. Frontier labs paying $500K+ for senior roles. North Carolina's top industries include Finance/Banking, Tech (Research Triangle), Pharmaceuticals, and the state's unemployment rate is 3.6% — a tight labor market favoring candidates.
Does North Carolina have state income tax?
Yes, North Carolina has state income tax. This affects take-home pay — at $157,140, expect 4-7% effective state tax depending on filing status. See city pages for detailed take-home calculations.
What skills are most in demand for Machine Learning Engineers in 2026?
Hottest 2026 skills: LLMs, PyTorch, RAG/fine-tuning, Distributed training, MLOps. ATS systems specifically scan for these. Adding them to your resume — naturally and in context — improves your match rate with North Carolina employers.
How can I increase my Machine Learning Engineer salary in North Carolina?
Based on levels.fyi data and what I'm seeing from comparable offers, total compensation for this level is closer to $X base plus equity. Can we close the gap on base or front-load the RSU grant? Beyond base, negotiate: Sign-on bonus ($25K-$100K is standard at Big Tech), RSU refreshers and accelerated vesting cliffs, Remote/hybrid flexibility and home-office stipend, Annual learning budget and conference allowance. Walk-away anchor for North Carolina: $136,643.
Methodology
North Carolina Machine Learning Engineer salary is the BLS national median ($162,000) adjusted by North Carolina's state multiplier (0.97×). YoY rate from BLS Employment Cost Index. Last reviewed April 29, 2026.
Machine Learning Engineer Salary in Other States
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