AI / ML Engineer Salary in Arkansas (2026)
The average AI / ML Engineer in Arkansas earns around $220,000/year. After taxes, your estimated take-home is $154,998/year ($12,917/month).
Take-Home Pay Breakdown
| Category | Amount |
|---|---|
Annual Take-Home Pay | $154,998 |
Monthly Take-Home Pay | $12,917 |
Biweekly Take-Home Pay | $5,961 |
Hourly Take-Home Pay based on 2,080 hrs/year | $75/hr |
Federal Tax | $41,704 |
State Tax | $8,489 |
FICA Taxes | $14,809 |
Effective Tax Rate total taxes ÷ gross salary | 29.55% |
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Read the guideAI / ML Engineer Salary Ranges in Arkansas
Not all AI / ML Engineers earn the same — not even close
Arkansas's AI/ML engineering market is anchored by Walmart AI/ML Bentonville (Walmart Sparkbrain conversational AI + Walmart Marketplace recommendation + Walmart.com search ranking + supply chain forecasting + Walmart Connect retail media targeting + Walmart Pay fraud detection across the Fortune 1 retail platform), Sam Club Bentonville member ML, Tyson Foods Springdale (food traceability + plant manufacturing computer vision + protein quality ML), JB Hunt Lowell (freight pricing + driver behavior + load matching ML at JB Hunt 360), Acxiom Conway customer data ML + LiveRamp legacy, UAMS Little Rock clinical AI + biostatistics ML research, plus FAANG remote + Anthropic + OpenAI AR remote filling on NW Arkansas + Little Rock cost of living advantage.
Staff / Principal ML Engineer (Walmart / Sam Club / Tyson)
$190,000–$345,000+ TC
Senior ML IC at Walmart AI/ML Bentonville + Tyson + JB Hunt · Fortune 1 + 100 scale · substantial RSU
Senior ML Engineer (Retail Personalization)
$140,000–$215,000
Walmart.com + Sam Club recommendation + search ranking + personalization at Bentonville
Senior ML Engineer (Supply Chain Forecasting)
$135,000–$210,000
Walmart supply chain demand forecasting + Tyson protein + JB Hunt freight ML
Senior ML Engineer (Computer Vision / Manufacturing)
$130,000–$200,000
Tyson Foods plant computer vision + Walmart store cameras + ag/manufacturing CV
Senior ML Engineer (Conversational AI / Walmart Sparkbrain)
$140,000–$215,000
Walmart Sparkbrain + voice commerce + customer service chatbot ML
Senior ML Engineer (Healthcare / Clinical AI)
$120,000–$185,000
UAMS + Arkansas Children + Baptist Health · clinical decision support + radiology AI
Senior ML Engineer (Fraud / Banking)
$120,000–$185,000
Walmart Pay + Stephens Inc. + Arvest Bank + Bank OZK · fraud + AML + credit risk ML
Mid-Level ML Engineer (3-6 yrs)
$95,000–$145,000
Functional IC at Walmart + Tyson + JB Hunt · transitioning to senior band
Junior ML Engineer (0-3 yrs)
$72,000–$108,000
UA Walton + UA Fay Jones + UA Little Rock + ASU pipeline · entry band
Senior ML Engineer (Remote, AR-based)
$155,000–$280,000+ TC
FAANG AR remote · Anthropic · OpenAI · NW Arkansas + Little Rock cost of living + XNA hub
Worth knowing: Walmart AI/ML Bentonville is the country's most distinctive concentrated US retail AI + ML organization HQ'd outside the major coastal metros and a feature most national AI/ML surveys understate for AR. Walmart AI/ML (the substantial in-house AI organization within Walmart Technology operating across Walmart Sparkbrain conversational AI for in-store + online shopping + Walmart Marketplace seller-side recommendation + Walmart.com search ranking + supply chain demand forecasting across ~$680B annual GMV + Walmart Connect retail media targeting + Walmart Pay fraud detection + the substantial Walmart AI Labs research organization with research partnerships at Stanford + CMU + Georgia Tech) operates one of the country's largest US retail-focused AI/ML programs. Senior Walmart AI/ML Staff engineers clear $190-345K+ TC with substantial . Tyson Foods Springdale operates substantial in-house computer vision + manufacturing AI supporting the country's largest US protein production network across chicken + beef + pork + prepared foods plants. Senior Tyson ML engineers clear $130-200K. JB Hunt Lowell (Fortune 500 trucking + the country's largest US intermodal trucker) operates substantial in-house ML supporting JB Hunt 360 marketplace + driver behavior + freight pricing + load matching across the JB Hunt + Carrier 360 trucking platform. Acxiom Conway operates substantial customer data + marketing measurement ML. UAMS Little Rock (the only AR academic medical center) operates substantial clinical AI + biostatistics ML research. The AR FAANG remote + Anthropic + OpenAI AR remote market benefits from the substantial NW Arkansas tech-talent pipeline (Walmart-trained engineers + UA Walton College graduates + UA Fay Jones School of Architecture + UA Little Rock CS + Arkansas State University CS) supporting substantial cost-of-living arbitrage vs major coastal tech metros. AR progressive 2-4.4% top phasing 3.9% by 2026 + AR RTW since 1947 + AR property tax ~0.61% + no state estate tax.
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More on Arkansas
Salaries by profession, top-paying roles by industry, and an economic breakdown for Arkansas in 2026.
Tax brackets, standard deductions, and take-home estimates for Arkansas in 2026.
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